The interview component of an audition can feel a little like a blind date with the audition panel. During the audition class you are performing and, in a sense, you are protected by your onstage persona, but in an interview you are more exposed as a human being. It’s just you and your personality in there.
So how can you put your best foot forwards in terms of presenting yourself as a person as well as a dancer? Nina Levy spoke to Julia Moody, head of voice at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts’s acting department, to find out how to be calm, composed and confident in your interview.
Firstly, says Moody, preparation is important. That means thinking in advance about the types of questions you might be asked and getting a friend or family member to practise “interviewing” you. “By all means take in notes, if you wish,” she remarks.
Many panels will ask the candidate if he or she has any questions. “Have a list of your questions with you and make sure you have practised asking them out aloud,” says Moody.
It’s not unusual to experience nervousness about the interview. Moody has some great advice on managing interview anxiety…”.
This is a teaser from our Audition feature in the June/July issue of Dance Australia magazine.
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