Attention Singers and Actors: “You Should Be Dancin’!”
You probably consider yourself a singer-actor or actor-singer, dread dance auditions, and know you have a very slim chance of being cast in a role that requires serious dancing. You’ve been cast in some shows at your high school, and perhaps you’ve also done some community or regional theater, recorded a voice-over, or even been in a local commercial. You probably sing in at least one choir, take the acting classes available at your school, and have picked up a few dance steps in show rehearsals along the way. So you’re ready to audition for college musical theater programs, be accepted by a top-tier school, and head out into the professional world to book your first Broadway show, right? WRONG! If you are serious about pursuing a career in musical theater, you absolutely must have substantial dance training. This is simply not negotiable.
Did you know that by simply learning choreography for a show you are not gaining any dance technique, let alone the solid dance foundation you need in order to one day fulfill your dream of having a professional performing career?
Expecting to dance only when you’re in a show is like expecting to win a championship game without having gone to practice all season, simply because you played little league as a kid. Dance is not something a student can pick up and put down at their convenience, and expect to continue progressing. It requires very specific muscle tone, strength, flexibility, muscle memory, and technique that is developed over time.
We hear stories like these time and time again…
– I took dance classes when I was a kid but I just don’t have the time between homework, rehearsals, and family obligations.
– I would like to take dance classes, but I’m a beginning student and don’t feel comfortable taking class with a group of seven and eight-year-olds. (We hear you on this one and have a solution… keep reading.)
– I have an audition coming up in a month for a show that requires dance, so I want to take a few dance classes between now and then, but don’t have time to actually train.
In an industry filled with triple-threats, why would you sell yourself short by preparing yourself to only be a double-threat?
Stop making excuses! You need to get serious about dance training right now. If you don’t, we promise you will regret it.
There is an age old argument as to whether or not that dance is a sport. Regardless of which side of the argument that you fall on, there is certainly a general consensus that dancers are athletes. Successful athletes make training the priority of their lives, and dance is no different.
So now what? If you live in the Denver-metro area, we have a solution! We know that you’re busy every day after school with rehearsals, only to head home completely exhausted to begin your homework, memorize lines, prepare for auditions and Thescon, start looking at possible colleges, and oh yeah… clean your room so your parents will stop nagging you about it. Many high schools are even scheduling rehearsals and tech on Saturdays. We hear you! The solution? BTI offers beginning to intermediate level dance classes specifically designed for high school and college musical theater students on Sunday evenings.
What are you waiting for?!?
Click here for BTI dance class information. http://broadwaytrainingintensive.com/programs/danceclasses/
By: Andrea Kehler
Producing Artistic Director
Broadway Training Intensive
