Rejected Again!
By Carolyn Lubecker, N2Arts Correspondent
How to bounce back from bad news about your dance audition
 

ou know the drill. You go to class, take privates to learn a solo, practice it about a thousand times, spend money on a costume, register for competition, and perform your heart out - only to receive a 3rd place.  UGHHH!!  And the 1st and 2nd place winners couldn’t execute a clean double pirouette if their life depended on it!  So, what happened? 

Here’s another scenario. Your hair in a bun, black leotard, pink tights, two hour technique class and three weeks later, a rejection letter.  This may happen over and over again.  Welcome to the world of dance.

Being “rejected” or denied at competitions and auditions is a common occurrence for dancers.  How do you go on?  Well, first of all, remember that competitions and auditions aren’t really about you.  They are about what the judges are looking for on any particular day.  The same performance could get five completely different reviews from five different judges.  Yes, this is frustrating, but it’s also reality.  Dance is in the soul.  Not to dance is not an option.  So you have to learn to deal with rejection.

Here are a few suggestions:

Keep in mind that dance is a subjective art form, not an objective thing.  Aside from technique, there is no right or wrong way to dance.  What one person likes in costume, choreography, or music, someone else may hate. 

Interpretation plays a huge role and different people will interpreted your dancing differently.  In a performance situation, the audience is not looking only for technique- they are looking for an exciting or interesting performance. Personality on stage is about 75% of the product. 

Being a dancer takes a lot of discipline, but also a lot of emotional strength (not lifting weights strength, but the kind that keeps you positive in a seemingly negative situation)!  Also, many auditions have specific height, weight, hair color, body build, etc. requirements.  Maybe the director envisions a blued-eyed blonde or a tall brunette. If that’s not you, your dance skills may not matter. 

Even when the requirements aren’t listed, whoever is deciding has an idea of what they want.  Most of these things you have no control over. 

Realizing these things can save you a lot of grief!  When competing or auditioning, all you can do is try your best.  If you fail (in someone else’s eyes), but you gave it 100%, you should be proud regardless of the outcome!

Carolyn Lubecker graduated from Northwestern with a BA in English. For the past 16 years she has been the owner and director of Dancing Feet Dance Studio. She is married and has 3 children. She can reached by email at Idance82@msn.com.