Beyond The Mirror: A Dancer's Podcast

How do you start a dance company? How do you implement your creative process? How do you run a company? How do you make revenue? How do you keep it sustained? Today, we're talking to two different Artistic Directors, Bridget Bose & Andrea Palesh, of Guilty Pleasures Cabaret, as well as, Mike Esperanza of Bare Dance. After hearing from these two completely different companies, it's going to change the way you audition and approach dance. So sit in your straddle and relax for another episode of BTM. 

Our topic in this episode is your headshot and resume. Your headshot and resume is something you'll bring to every audition. It's basically you on paper, summed up in an organized list that let's Casting know who you are and what you've done. It's literally your calling card. On this episode we're talking to Jovani Demetrie and Anastasia Lange, of J. Demetrie Photography and well as Melissa Buriak, a seasoned musical theatre performer in NYC. You'll hear all about how to create a polished, professional headshot and resume. 

I’ve often heard that dancers make the best people. Dancers are some of the hardest working people in the world. The dedication and determination it takes to be a professional dancer is incredible. When a dancer decides to take that discipline to the next level and become pro, he or she has to find a way to survive, how to pay your bills, take regular class, audition, get to the gym, call your Mom and just make it work! Learning to juggle it all and still succeed is the ultimate goal. On today’s episode, we’re talking to two different dancers who’ve chosen different ways to make it work. They’ve found different ways to support themselves while still being involved in the dance world. Let’s go Beyond the Mirror, in Episode 3: The Hustle.

Continuing our conversation about auditions, Lizz Picini and Elle-May Patterson talk about what happens after the audition. How do we deal with rejection? How do we sustain ourselves in an industry that for the majority of us is rejection? How do we navigate a callback? What happens when you finally book that job? We wrap up this tricky part of our industry in Auditions: Part 3 of Beyond the Mirror.

Yes, your job as a dancer is to perform, but to get there, the first step is to attend an audition. Your audition is what constitutes whether or not you get work. Essentially part of your job is that audition. On this episode, with our guests Liz Picini and Elle-May Patterson, we talk about what happens during an audition. How early do you get to an audition? How do I prepare for an audition? What's going to make me  stand out? How do I deal with the pressure of an audition and still show them I'm an awesome dancer? We touch on all these questions in this episode of Auditions: Part 2 of Beyond the Mirror. 

More About Our Speakers...

Lizz Picini moved to New York City just one week after graduating from Towson University with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance. After completing the Broadway Dance Center Professional Semester she began actively training and working at Broadway Dance Center while assisting various choreographers. She now has the privilege of teaching at Broadway Dance Center. She is represented by Clear Talent Group in New York City and is a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association. Lizz is thrilled to be playing the Girl-in- the-Green- Dress/Dance Captain/Associate Choreographer at The Wick Theatre’s upcoming production of Singin’ in the Rain. Additionally, some of Lizz’s favorite past roles include Tess in Crazy For You, Gertie Cummings/Dance Captain inOklahoma! and Dawn/Dance Captain in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, all at Merry-Go- Round Playhouse. Lizz also served as the Associate Choreographer, while playing the role of Ruth, in Ogunquit Playhouse’s Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Other performing credits include Disney’s world premiere musical When You Wish at Tuacahn Amphitheatre, Beauty and the Beast and Sister Actalso at Tuacahn Amphitheatre, On The Town at Merry-Go- Round Playhouse, and West Side Story at Ogunquit Playhouse. On the creative side, Lizz served as Associate Choreographer to Richard J. Hinds at Merry-Go- Round Playhouse’s 2017 season opener, Guys and Dolls, as well as Assistant Choreographer to Molly Smith (Dir.) and Parker Esse (Chor.) at Glimmerglass Opera House’s season opener, Oklahoma!

Elle-May was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. She then went on to complete a BA (Hons) degree for Musical Theatre at Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore. For the last two years, Elle May has been living and working in New York City. Recent credits include Cabaret, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Anything Goes, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Elton John’s ‘Life Ball’ in Vienna, Austria, The MTV Video Music Awards, and a dancer with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra. She was recently the Assistant Choreographer to the renowned duo ‘The Squared Division’ for the first season of Asia’s Got Talent, and filmed Rachelle Rak’s new pilot series ‘The Collaborators’ in New York. Additionally, she played "Kylie" in the AFI Award winning film "The Black Balloon" and has appeared in several television commercials.

When you choose to embark in career as a dancer, your job yes, is to perform but to get there, the first step is to attend an audition. You must try out for the part. Your audition is what constitutes whether you get work or not. Essentially, part of our job is to audition. On today’s episode, we will pick apart this process. In a three-part series, The Before, The During and The After we’ll talk about this tricky aspect of our industry with our guest speakers, Lizz Picini & Elle May Patterson, and find out their expertise on this grueling practice in episode 2 of Beyond the Mirror.

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