Right so, we’ve talked about what goes on at all these auditions for different degree courses, but I think one thing that people get quite confused on is what to actually wear? Now that I’ve done the majority of my auditions I seem to have collected enough knowledge to give you some tips and ideas of what you could wear! I mean, what you wear probably won't determine whether you get accepted or not, but in this industry image is EVERYTHING.
1) The Dance Call
So, first off lets discuss what you should wear for the dance call. Now in the application forms and the information documents that you may get once you sign up for your audition, it probably suggests you wear tight-fitting clothes. It may even suggests options like a leotard and tights, a unitard or a sports bra and leggings. All of these are fine, but the in my opinion the one outfit that really makes you look professional is a leotard with tights OVER the top.
I personally think for girls that leotards and tights over the top are your best option because it makes you look smart and hella professional, 2 things that are really going to catch that panel’s eyes. I mean, there’s a reason why most vocational training colleges (as well as Bird and Laines may I add) have a set uniform of leotards and tights in at least the first year, it’s because it teaches the student professionalism and discipline. So, if you go into that dance call wearing your leotard and tights, the panel even subconsciously are going to assume that you are professional and disciplined compared to that other person wearing their gym gear. When I went to the Laine Theatre Arts pre-audition day the lady running the jazz workshop even told us wear a leotard and tights over the top. The logic behind the ‘tights over the top’ bit is basically how if you wear your tights like this then it makes your legs look longer, which for dance is always a good thing. Now I think it’s also important to mention that the tights should be black (not pink ballet tights because those are for ballet) and the leotard should be a bright colour that quote, “compliments the colour of your eyes” and makes you stand out (the same lady running the jazz workshop at Laines). If you have a separate ballet class that is part of the audition wear standard Classical Ballet gear, so a leotard and pink tights underneath. Now, they don’t have to be expensive. Sure you have your leotards made by Ballet Rosa and Grishko that can at times exceed what? £50, but if you have a really tight budget you can buy a brightly coloured leotard from DanceDirect for £10-£15. Personally though, I think a good old leotard from Bloch or Capezio is the way to go. Sure, everyone buys from those brands but for good reason, they’re good quality, cost around £30 (which if you’re serious about going into the industry it’s worth the expense) and there’s a wide range of styles to choose from!
For guys, I would say wear a unitard or a tight fitting t-shirt with dance tights. Colour doesn’t matter as much with guys, especially as there are often less guys at auditions so there is less need to standout from the crowd. If you have to do a ballet class the same thing applies, wear your Classical Ballet gear. Overall it is a lot easier for guys, though I must remind you, wear your jockstrap!
Now, shoes. This comes down a lot more to personal preference. I personally like dancing in bare foot purely because that’s what I’m use to at school, but if you prefer dancing in foot thongs or jazz shoes (not socks) go for that! Some places could require you to dance barefoot or in jazz shoes and if that is the case and your’e not use to it, I would start practising ASAP, but if you have the choice go for the option that lets you dance to your best ability! Again, if you do have to do a ballet class wear ballet shoes. For girls, if you do pointe maybe bring them but I’m sure they won’t be needed. With shoes, there is one thing that I recommend you just don’t do, and that is wear trainers. Now most places I know will say not to in their information documents but if they don’t still try not to wear them. They can really damage your knees overtime if you dance in them, not to mention the fact that they will probably also damage the dance floor of the school that you’ll be doing your audition at. If you do wear them I know that some places will say nothing and others will tell you to take them off, for example Mountview do not allow anyone to wear any outdoor shoes while in the dance studios. If you are used to dancing in trainers and now don’t really know what to do I recommend start trying to dance barefoot or with jazz shoes on, and then figure out which one works best for you.
2) The Acting and Singing Call
Now, lets move on to the section of the audition which I think is actually a lot harder to dress for. I mean no guidelines are really given and I (even after 6 years of full-time training) had to look it up. Though, once you get the general idea of what you should wear it’s fairly easy to come up with something of your own.
Right so, for my auditions I wore a forest green, tight fitting top that had flared sleeves, black dance leggings and nude New Yorkers. I loved this outfit because it was really comfy, something that I think is really important because who doesn’t want to be comfy? At the GSA pre-audition day I also learnt from the pianist that he preferred if you wore something tight fitting so that the panel could check if you were using your diaphragm when you breath during your song. I also chose leggings over jeans because jeans restrict your breathing by digging into your waist which isn’t comfy or good for singing! For specifically singing the pianist from GSA also told me that he hated trainers just because of how scruffy they looked. He suggested wearing a nice pair of boots, character shoes or in general just a pair of smart shoes. For acting however, because I chose to wear my New Yorkers which have a high heel for singing, I changed into my new, clean black Nike trainers which allowed me to move around a bit more, especially considering my Shakespearean monologue has me running around the room. Another thing that I think is important to consider is how your outfit reflects the characters you are portraying through your song and monologue. I’m not saying buy a costume, but just think of how your outfit could relate to your song and monologue. So if you were to sing a song from ‘Chicago’ for example you could wear a top or dress that was red or black and lacy. However, much like the dance, there are certain things that you should maybe avoid wearing. These include obvious things like crop tops, and really short skirts and shorts, but also things like sweatpants and loungewear (basically anything that looks ‘scruffy’). Remember image is key in this industry so you want to look as professional as possible.
For guys, I would consider all of the same things but at the same time it is again generally easier to choose what to wear. I mean, I’m not an expert on men’s fashion but I think your best bet would be a pair of smart trousers like chinos, and then a shirt or plain t-shirt. I know at my friend at my Artsed audition wore a pair of black trousers and a royal blue shirt with smart shoes, and that really stuck in my mind. This other boy however, at my Mountview audition who I knew for a fact had already been offered a place at Artsed wore a pair of trousers and then a stripy t-shirt with Mickey Mouse’s face printed on it and he got a recall for the acting foundation, so I really wouldn’t stress about it if you are.
3) Hair and Makeup
Ok so, this isn’t really to do with clothing however it is still as equally as important when it comes to image and first impressions in the industry. This probably applies mainly to the girls but I’m sure that a few of you guys would be interested in this.
In my auditions, I had my hair tied up into a tight low ponytail, literally with about 4 elastics in it. This is because my hair is really, really thick and only shoulder-length so when I only have 1 elastic in my hair and I’m whipping my head around when I’m dancing, it almost always falls out. I always kept my hair tied up for my song and monologue because if I took it out, there would have been a HUGE hair-kink that would have been impossible to get out in time. Much like the outfit you choose, the hairstyle you decide to wear should be neat and tidy, so no messy buns. If my hair was long enough I would consider styles like braids and high ponytails. Ballet buns are very neat and don’t hold the risk of accidentally blinding you with the ends of your hair when you do a pirouette, but they can look a little too ‘balletic’ as such. At the Laines pre-audition day the lady running the jazz class said that maybe we shouldn’t have a ballet bun, but the again you do you boo and if you really want to do a bun go for it! Though, if you have to do a ballet class then definitely do a ballet bun. Contrastingly, if you don’t have to dance at all then you could wear your hair down as long as it doesn’t go all over your face. You see, these are the times when I wish I was a boy because then I would really have to touch my hair at all (unless it was still long).
With makeup, at my auditions I kept my makeup very natural. I mean I basically wore my everyday makeup, just maybe with a little more lipstick and powder to make sure I didn’t sweat it all off while dancing. All I really put on was CC cream, concealer, bronzer, blush, powder, highlight, lipstick, eyeshadow and mascara. One thing to take into consideration when doing your makeup for your audition is what your makeup looked like in the headshot you had to provide to the school with your application. So, if you had very heavy makeup in your headshot go for that (though in general I recommend having natural makeup) as otherwise they might not recognise you. One thing I noticed people at my Laines audition doing was putting on red lipstick for the jazz call and then taking it off again for the ballet class and song/solo. I mean, I understand the logic behind it, as you’re making yourself look the part depending on what you’re doing, but then again you’re changing what you look like. So, if they first see you with red lipstick on and make a mental note of you and label you as the ‘one with red lipstick on,’ and then you go away, take it off and come back again, it sounds silly but they might not recognise/be able to find you because they’re looking for that person with the red lipstick. Remember, these audition panel members would have seen potentially hundreds of other auditionees before you, so they’re probably not going to remember exactly who you are.
Anyway, I hope this helped! Also just to mention that I am not saying that you have to wear these outfits, they are only suggestions, however this is just what I have learnt from my teachers and at pre-audition days so they’re from very reliable sources!
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