Office of Admissions Blog

by Sam Lilja, 3rd-year Actor

Because of the audition experiences I had with other schools, when I auditioned for the Drama Division in 2010, I fully expected to encounter a faculty that was stand-offish and egocentric. Much to my surprise and delight, however, I discovered something wildly different. From the minute I walked through the door in Chicago and was greeted with a warm smile by Kathy Hood, to my time in the room with Richard Feldman and Ralph Zito, to my final callback in New York with the entire faculty, I was treated like a member of the Juilliard family. The faculty and the students seemed to want me there, to have me spend the next several years of my life with them, and they all made me feel comfortable enough to relax and to do my best work. Being treated in that way was incredibly encouraging and made me realize that, should I be lucky enough to be accepted, Juilliard would be the perfect place for me to hone my craft and grow as an artist and, most importantly, as a person.

Every step of my journey at Juilliard has exhibited to me how seriously the sense of community is taken here. I have spent the past three years of my life with the same seventeen people, growing and struggling with them in a variety of ways. They are always there to support me, to celebrate my successes, and to lift me up when I’m down. I recently lost someone who was instrumental in my decision to be an actor, and the entire Drama Division reached out to me in my time of grief. The love they shared and the support they gave me revealed to me how much each and every person means to the program. My family is now eighty-odd people strong, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As students, we are privileged to have the opportunity to help facilitate the audition process at the school. I remember how nervous I was on the day of my audition and how Kathy and Richard and Ralph helped me do the best I could do that day. When the option to work auditions is presented, I jump at the chance to be able to do what they and the rest of the Juilliard community did for me: provide an environment for the courageous ones who audition to do their best work. It is important to me to pass that love and support on, to welcome each and every possible new member of my family, and to help them do their best work. I wouldn’t be where I am today if that hadn’t been done for me.

by Caeli Smith, 3rd-year Violinist

It’s comforting and empowering to know that there are people and programs at Juilliard standing by to help us become successful and well-rounded artists. Whether you’re a musician, actor, or dancer, once you arrive at Juilliard, you will discover that there are many different offices and programs outside of your department designed to support you, your education, and career.

One of my favorites is the Office of Career Services, where they help you out with everything from cover letters and resumes, to editing videos and recordings for auditions. Not only that, they’ll also hook you up with gigs for a that much-needed extra cash. Of course, Career Services is also a great place to find practical, real-world career advice. At Career Services, they make you feel supported as a student in a different way than your department teachers do. It’s comforting to know that there are people who are concerned with the business-end of your career – you know, the complicated bureaucratic stuff that we sensitive artists don’t always like to deal with! Career Services helps guide us through practical situations and prepares us for life after Juilliard.

Another office I love to visit is Educational Outreach. Let me just say it: this department is incredible. Educational Outreach offers numerous fellowships to students, to help us share our art through performances and teaching, all over the entire NYC metropolitan area. I am currently thrilled to be a recipient three of the fellowships, and to have the opportunity to teach and perform for New Yorkers of all ages. Aside from being an antidote to those soul-crushing hours toiling alone in the practice room, these fellowship opportunities provide us with teaching experience, resume boosters, and the extra cash needed fund our fabulous NYC lifestyle (AKA, that tiny little apartment in Astoria).

Also – take your blinders off! When students first arrive at Juilliard, they’re totally and understandably focused on and excited about all the great work ahead of them. It’s tempting to be narrow-minded and sink all your energy into classwork and practicing. Be sure to open your eyes. Be mindful all of the incredible artists around you, in so many disciplines. Take advantage of all the other divisions’ performances. Collaborate with them in performance and teaching. When you are at Juilliard you’re at the epicenter of the performing arts world. Music, dance, theater: it’s all here. Take advantage of the art being made by your peers outside your discipline. Their art will inform yours, and you will be stronger and better for it.

by Yuga Cohler, 2nd-year M.M. – Orchestral Conducting

1. Many of the restaurants and shops in the Lincoln Center area offer discounts for Juilliard students, so be sure to ask about it before you order anything. This advice is especially important for older-looking graduate students eating in the Juilliard/SAB Cafe. They might mistake you for faculty and charge you the full price.

2. This having been said, there is a tragic dearth of affordable yet savory places to eat near Juilliard. If you came to Juilliard thinking that you would be in the epicenter of culinary delight, you were dead wrong. Assuming you are on a budget, your best bets are the following: Empire Szechuan Kyoto on 69^th and Columbus (as the name suggests, an amalgam of affordable Asian food), Chipotle on 72^nd and Broadway (an all-time favorite), and the food cart on 66^th between Broadway and Columbus (not the one directly outside of Juilliard). For the last of these, I recommend that you order the combo platter with plenty of hot sauce and the ever-mysterious “white sauce.”

3. Juilliard students can attend most, if not all, Juilliard events for free if they get their tickets early enough. Take advantage of this privilege, not only in your discipline but also in the other two.

4. But it’s also okay not to go to every single event going on around the school.

5. Famous people come to Juilliard all the time; in fact, if you go here, in all likelihood you study with one. I once saw Newman from “Seinfeld” in the cafeteria and almost freaked out. Make sure you are aware of this surreal reality before coming here so that your reactions are not inappropriately jejune when you encounter a celebrity.

6. Perhaps the only expensive place to eat near Juilliard worth checking out is Magnolia Bakery. Their banana pudding is unbelievable.

by Gillian Abbott, 4th-year dancer

My name is Gillian Abbott. I am currently dancing my last few months away at Juilliard. Looking back at my favorite experiences, I realized many of them were collaborations that I or other students made happen on our own time. I have had some amazing opportunities to work with extraordinary artists in all divisions. Last spring I got to choreograph the first musical ever performed at Juilliard! My dear friend Claire Karpen Pettry dreamed of making Sondheim’s A Little Night Music come to life by incorporating students from all three divisions: Dance, Drama and Music. In her final year of the Drama Division’s Actor Training Program, she decided to truly pursue this idea as an independent project.

Claire and I had become good friends through a school-run outreach program called GLUCK. The two of us, along with two other actors and one opera singer, went to different medical centers throughout the city to perform for patients of all ages. She asked me if I would be interested in helping her tell the story of this beautiful classic. I was so honored to be asked and jumped aboard! We held auditions for students at Juilliard in the fall of 2011 and it was such a great experience for me to be on the other side of the table, figuring out how we could best tell the story. We ended up casting 10 actors for the characters, and 5 opera singers for the “quintet”. In true Sondheim fashion, the music was incredibly complex and could not have been tackled without our Music Director Evan Fein, a forth-year student of the DMA in Composition and a new faculty member of Juilliard’s Pre-College and Evening Divisions. It was nice to work with him again as I had been friends with him from another school run outreach program called Artreach in which we went to New Orleans to build houses with Habitat for Humanity and to work with students at the YMCA. Taking parts of Jonathan Tunick’s orchestration along with the piano-vocal score, Mr. Fein orchestrated the score for four instruments! With himself on piano, and three Music Division students on Clarinet, Harp and Cello, the sound came to life. I learned so much from working with him, as I had to know the music like the back of my hand in order to put counts to my choreography to teach the actors and singers. The biggest battle we faced collectively was “A Weekend in the Country”, but somehow we did it!

So when do Juilliard students find time in their insanely busy schedules to make a musical? Sundays and holidays! We rehearsed every Sunday starting in December, as well as one week over spring break in March. Thanks to both the Drama and Dance Divisions, we had studio space to play in and a great black box for the show. I loved working with the actors and singers and was so impressed by their willingness and eagerness to try new things. I was thankful for their patience as well, as this was the first show I ever attempted to choreograph. I love telling stories through my choreography, so eventually I felt at home working on a musical.

In my eyes the show was a great success and, more importantly, something I think all of us will cherish forever. In Mr. Fein’s words, “Juilliard is not just about creating at the highest professional level, but about stretching the boundaries of the profession itself.” We hope this project inspires others to break down division walls and find inspiration and growth from each other just as we did. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such talented artists and I hope it is just the beginning of collaborating with Mrs. Pettry and Mr. Fein!

by Matthew Lipman, 3rd-year Violist

On December 13, 2012, I had the amazing opportunity to perform the Walton Viola Concerto as soloist at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall with the Juilliard Orchestra and Maestro Edward Gardner. It was such an honor to be able to work and perform with friends and colleagues, for an audience that was also full of friends and colleagues, and the feeling was truly indescribable.

Each season, the school holds several competitions for specific concertos with orchestra that have already been programmed. The competitions are open to all degree levels and are a great way not only to learn a new piece, but to have the opportunity to perform it with orchestra. Although instruments like piano and violin might have two or three competitions in a given season, some of the more rare concerto instruments only have such an opportunity once every four years. Luckily, and despite having a relatively small concerto repertoire, violists have the chance to compete annually. Since I know and love the Walton Concerto, I decided that this year, my third year of undergrad, would be a good time to enter the competition. In the first of two rounds that both take place in Paul Recital Hall, one must play excerpts from the concerto with a pianist (often the most demanding passages) for a jury that consists of Juilliard faculty. In the final round, on the other hand, one gets to perform the whole piece for an audience and a jury of non-faculty. I was overwhelmed with joy when they announced that I had won, and I could not wait to call home and tell my parents. After excitedly giving my mother the good news, it turned out that she had also received important news that day: she would be having major surgery near the date of the concert and would not be able to travel to New York to see it. Although the win seemed bittersweet at the time, and although I would not get to see her smiling in the audience, the surgery wound up saving her life.

Before rehearsals with the orchestra started, I was able to play through the concerto with piano for Maestro Gardner. We immediately started working on the piece, with me showing him how I wanted to play certain passages and him suggesting ways for me to better convey them. His enthusiasm and knowledge about the piece was instantly inspiring–like Walton, he is British–and I couldn’t wait to begin rehearsals. At the first rehearsal, I realized that many of my friends were in the orchestra this cycle, and I couldn’t help but grin whenever there was an orchestral tutti. It also became apparent that playing the Walton with a 100-piece orchestra was much different than playing it with piano. Because the viola is an instrument that has difficulty projecting, it was clear that I would need to play almost as loud as possible nearly all the time, and although that may seem limiting, the vast range of an orchestral accompaniment made my color possibilities all the more varied. It was in the rehearsals that I really got to know the piece. From its melancholic duets with woodwinds to its machine-like, percussive drive, I began to form a new interpretation with Maestro Gardner and the orchestra, and I became increasingly anxious to perform it.

I had performed the Walton with orchestra a few times before in high school, but somehow this performance seemed different. Something about being on home turf at Juilliard, having friends and teachers in the audience, and performing at Alice Tully Hall with the possibility of being reviewed made this performance all the more thrilling yet totally nerve racking. As the concert approached, doubts about my ability and preparation started creeping in, and for days I had butterflies in my stomach. In the hours leading up to the performance, my nerves became so overwhelming that they put me in a daze and I felt I wasn’t able to focus. As the orchestra was tuning on stage, Maestro Gardner and I exchanged words about how much we enjoyed working with each other and he tried to convince me that this performance, however terrifying, would also be fun. The stage door opened, the full audience started applauding, and I instantly realized he was right. As soon as I walked out, my friends in the audience already cheering, every last nerve I had disappeared, and all insecurities that had developed recently were lifted. What an opportunity to perform a concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra in New York City, and I was going to make the best of it! I also knew that, although she was not in attendance, I would be playing to my mother in this performance. The orchestra began playing, and it was clear they were revved-up as well. There was a new level of interplay between the orchestra, conductor, and me that kept the performance lively and spontaneous. I was so in the zone–I actually don’t think I’ve ever been so focused in my life–that the performance felt like it was moving in slow motion, yet in retrospect, the 25 minutes on stage felt like only a few moments. The concerto ended, and while Maestro Gardner and I were taking our bows, I finally got to look into the audience; it is an amazing feeling to see friends, colleagues, and teachers who you respect so much clapping and smiling for you. In the greenroom afterwards, I was so touched, not only by friends who showed me love and support, but by the many people who said they were there for my mother, that I began tearing up. The opportunity I had to perform the Walton Viola Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra proved to be the most amazing and fulfilling opportunity I’ve ever had, and it will be one I will surely remember forever.

by Kerry Warren, 4th-year actor

At Juilliard it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the pressure to give your best performance. As a drama student, I remember looking at the strenuous class schedule every week and wondering how I would save my energy for rehearsal at the end of the day. I was always rehearsing for something in the Drama Division, be it Shakespeare, Chekov, or a Lorraine Hansberry scene. Yet as the weeks went on during my first year I kept having the urge to collaborate with people outside the drama halls. I became curious as I watched a ballet class on my way to Liberal Arts. I would stop on the fourth floor and listen to a musician practice their scales.

This curiosity led me to a dancer who introduced me to the Black Student Union and the Martin Luther King Celebration. I still marvel how first year I performed choreography by a fourth-year dancer and then sang in a choir led by a Jazz Trumpet student. Year after year I find students creating their own work from dance solos, reenactments of speeches, or honoring the black composers who rarely get recognition.

This year I decided to perform a speech by Coretta Scott King. After participating in the celebration for the past three years, I noticed that the woman behind this great man had never been recognized on stage. I was determined to honor her during the celebration in hopes that a curiosity for her story would emerge. I remember going over a certain line in the speech, “My husband arrived somewhere to his strength and inspiration from the love of all people who shared his dream, that I too now come hoping you might strengthen me for the lonely road ahead.” This idea of sharing a dream I related to, and when I read those words, I could not help but apply that metaphor to the meaning of Juilliard’s MLK celebration.

Every student at Juilliard has the dream to be a master at their trade. And I would also say that during their time in school each student has felt lonely in the struggles of conservatory life. This loneliness, I have found to dissipate when I reached out to fellow students. The MLK celebration created an opportunity for me to share and collaborate with different divisions. Which can be refreshing in between hectic semesters at school. It was a chance for me to create as an individual and be a part of a community of different artists. I got to perform pieces that I was passionate about and without the pressure of impressing faculty. Even the Sunday dress rehearsal had its perks. Laurie Carter, VP and General Counsel/Executive Director of Jazz Studies, gets the best fried chicken this side of New York and there are always left overs. Who doesn’t enjoy good food and the company of new people after a dress rehearsal?

Then something special happened after the performance this January. An alumni pulled me aside and thanked me for my work. He was a part of the first Martin Luther King Celebration, and was proud to see it in it’s 25th revival. I felt connected to something bigger at that moment. I was also a part of a tradition and a remembrance, that many before me and after me will continue. I always felt it important to honor my history and to pay homage to those that paved the way, and I believe that’s the main reason why I participate in MLK. However, that alumni reminded me that I also perform to keep that narrative alive. I mean, I chose to be an actor because I want to tell incredible stories, to work with extraordinary artists, and to make an impact with my art. Through MLK I think all the above is possible.

by DJ Pimm, Admissions Recruitment & Technology Coordinator

It’s interesting – before coming to work for the School, I didn’t know much more about Juilliard than its word-of-mouth reputation. Like many other people, I regarded Juilliard as one of the world’s greatest performing arts schools, and really didn’t know why. The name JUILLIARD has a powerful connotation, and is a name to which many young artists aspire.

Now, with my Admissions hat on, it’s my job to know the ins and outs of Juilliard’s one-of-a-kind education. I come to work every day and join a community that works tirelessly to create as many experiences for its highly ambitious students as possible. It is Juilliard’s mission to provide the highest caliber of artistic education so that students may reach their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens.

I take a step back every day and wonder what it is that a prospective Juilliard student should learn about the School. Since September, we’ve been talking to our applicants all about the process for admission – and believe me, we’ll keep doing it – but what about the Juilliard experience? What happens once you actually become a student here that gives Juilliard such a notable name? What kind of life can you expect as a Juilliard student? What does it mean to be an artist, leader and global citizen, and how does this education prepare you?

We’ve made it our goal to answer these questions right here on the Admissions Blog. For the next seven weeks you’ll hear directly from current students about everything from student-produced performance activities and cross-division collaborations to professional development and community outreach programs. Over the next two weeks we’ll commence this theme with two topics: On Stage at Juilliard and Things I Didn’t Know About Juilliard.

Enjoy!

by Leslie Williams, 2nd-year dancer

Usually I tend to “enjoy” auditions. Because of my strict classical ballet background, doing summer program auditions at the start of the year was like blinking…it was just something you did. I had spent summers at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet and Carolina Ballet all based on tough summer auditions and received partial scholarships at each. It was something that I knew the ins-and-outs of. I knew that ballet program auditions consisted of a ballet technique class, with maybe some pointe or partnering at the end. Before the audition everyone would “stretch,” or rather, compete to see who was more flexible. But I knew that the Juilliard audition was going to be different. An audition that lasted ALL DAY with five different parts including an interview at the end seemed mind-blowing and intense to me!

I traveled from North Carolina to Miami for my audition. It was nice to get away and have 80 degree weather for a bit. In NC, in the middle of February, that’s hard to come by. The night before my audition was slightly stressful. Thinking back on it – who am I kidding – it was horrible! I had forgotten that we had to wear all black for the audition and of all the leotard choices that I packed in my suitcase for the big day, NONE of them were black. And to make it worse, this fatal realization came upon me around 8pm, when stores were starting to close. My family drove me to all the dance stores we knew of in the area, but they were all closed. We drove to all the places we could think of that would sell dance wear but there was nothing appropriate for an audition. We went to Target right before closing time. The dance wear section looked as bleak as ever. A young lady was standing next to us.  She looked like someone that knew about dance wear and at this point I was desperate. I told her my problem. She said, “Oh, you’re auditioning for Juilliard. That’s amazing! They’re actually having a sale on dance wear at American Apparel!” Aside from being totally surprised at the fact that they even sold dance wear at American Apparel, I was overjoyed by this pure miracle that had sprung upon me.

So there I was on audition day, standing in line for registration wearing, not Yumiko or Danskin, but my American Apparel leotard.  The leotard was on the verge of crossing the line between high-cut and HIGH-CUT, and throughout the audition I made “adjustments” to avoid a massive wedgie. I pushed forward – happy that I made it to the audition, and in dress code.  (That’s all that mattered at that point). I walked in and set myself down in a dark corner of the warm-up studio. It was the first time in a while that I had been to an audition where I didn’t know or recognize someone. Walking into the audition studio was a bit surreal. The studio was completely black with an awkwardly positioned short mirror at the front. In front of that was the panel table, and there sat Risa Steinberg, Larry Rhodes, and Alphonse Poulin. I looked at Risa, a petite lady with a blonde pixie haircut. She seemed nice.  Larry stared at everyone warming up with a very stern and professional look on his face. His demeanor screamed “I am the Director.” I could tell that Alphonse was our ballet teacher just by the way he was postured in the chair.

The ballet class was more challenging than I expected; lots of developpe’s and rond de jambe’s that I wasn’t expecting to hold for more than a four count…we held them for seven. It also didn’t help that Larry decided to walk around with a clipboard. It was a norm for the panel to walk around and stare at you with clipboards, but at the EXACT moment when I was doing a very slow and difficult grand rond de jambe en l’air, Larry was standing directly in front of me. I don’t have the best extension in the world so all I could do was try to keep my hip down and point my biscuit foot as hard as I could. He walked away. I exhaled. Overall, the ballet class went really well. We then moved on to the modern portion of the audition that was taught by Risa. I really enjoyed her class. I thought to myself how I would enjoy having her as a teacher if I got in.

Finally, the first cut. I remember it feeling like the longest wait ever. We all anxiously gathered in the hallway around Katie Friis, Associate Director of Admissions, as she called out numbers…one by one. Oh boy here we go….

My number was the third to the last to be called. When Katie called it out my mother screamed so loudly they could hear her all the way back in North Carolina.  We began to go over our solos. I watched one of the boys whip out at least ten turns and finish with an illusion. I tried to stay calm. I saw all of the parents trying to crowd around a small crack of the studio’s back door to get a peek at what was going on inside. It was my turn to go. I walked in and it felt surreal all over again. The studio space seemed much larger, now that it was without 100 other dancers. I was slightly nervous, but was pretty confident in the solo that I had choreographed. I gave it my all. I put my whole heart into dancing for them! When I finished, I was satisfied. I looked at the faces as I walked out, and they all had smiles on them. That was all the validation I needed.

It’s time for cut number two…my number is called. Everyone was unsure of what we were going to do for the next portion of the audition. I felt that since we were all basically in the dark about what was going to happen, there was no need to be nervous. We went in and Risa taught us a combination from the Juilliard repertoire, and I really enjoyed it. She took it pretty slow with everyone until they got it, and gave us individual feedback on what we needed to think about or fix. Even though it was basically a test to see how well we could retain information and corrections, I felt that it was almost like a rehearsal. For the next thirty minutes, I felt like I was actually rehearsing a piece at Juilliard…as a student. It was really nice.

We finished that section and it was time for another cut…my number was called again. My mother actually managed to keep it together this time. I think she had cried enough. There were no more tears. There were 6 of us left. Four of them are in my class today, including the guy that did ten pirouettes. At this point, I couldn’t have been more relieved and happy with myself. I had made it through all the dancing portions. The way I looked at the interview was to just be myself and to answer the questions as honestly as possible.

I interviewed with Larry. We started off by chatting about Ethan Stiefel and his amazing dance career. That was a subject I literally could talk about ALL DAY. I was proud to call him my Dean of Dance at North Carolina School of the Arts. One of the questions I vividly remember Larry asking was what book, movie, concert or other art related thing I had recently seen, read or been inspired by. I totally could’ve said something completely made up like, “Oh, recently l read (insert extremely intense art/dance title of book here that will make me sound really intelligent and smart), but instead I decided to talk about when I saw the rock band Radiohead LIVE in concert. Radiohead is one of my most favorite bands in the ENTIRE WORLD, and I think I freaked Larry out a bit because my mouth was moving at least 50 miles per second while describing this awesome concert. But he just smiled and wrote something down on his clipboard. The interview was pretty long and some of the questions required a lot of thought, but as I said before, I just answered them in the best way I knew how…the honest way.

And that was it. The audition was over. Katie, in her very pleasant manner, said that she would call us soon and to have a good day. I remember Poulin giving my mom, with her dried tear marks on her face, a big hug as he was leaving. She was relieved. I was relieved. All everybody could be at the end of such a long day was just relieved.

Reflecting on this experience now makes me realize how lucky and blessed I was on that day. Sure, I was used to the intensity of auditions, but at the time I don’t think I truly realized the gravity of the audition. I wasn’t auditioning for just anything; I was auditioning for JUILLIARD!  I actually think going into the audition without having that added pressure made all the difference. I just went in and did the best I could.  I gave all that I had in the most genuine form. So, when you audition, just concentrate on being you and hopefully your love for your art will come alive with a spirit that is uniquely YOU. They totally see through the pretense. They see through all the make-up, slicked back hair, and fancy leotards. All they want to see is YOU and who YOU are.  Give them YOU. If you do that, you’ll be one step closer to being at a place that will totally and completely change your life… The Juilliard School….NO PLACE like it.

YOU CAN DO IT! HAVE FUN!

by Ellie Swiatkiwski, 3rd-year dancer

My Juilliard audition was not one out of the ten colleges I was auditioning for like many other auditionees in the room… Nor did I travel via the subway or by car to arrive at the audition like many others… I had traveled from the other side of the world, Australia, to be there that day and it was my one and only audition. In other words, the stakes were pretty high!  Juilliard had been my dream since the moment my dance teacher/mentor in Sydney had told me about the school, three years prior to my audition. Nothing was going to stop me from being at the audition that day, not even my severe jet lag or all the nerves in the world!

It was one of the most intense days of my life! I was so overwhelmed to be at JUILLIARD in NEW YORK with so many amazing dancers around me that I couldn’t eat or speak!! At the warm up, prior to the first class, I urged myself not to look at everyone else stretching and practicing around me because it made me feel sick with how talented everyone looked!

The audition consisted of a ballet class, modern class, solos, choreography, coaching, and finally interviews. At the start of the day there were 56 dancers and at the end there were 3. I couldn’t believe I had made it to the end of the audition, I was so happy!!

For dancers who are looking to audition I advise you to not compare or judge yourself to other people in the audition, it will just distract and intimidate you! Focus only on yourself and all of the special qualities that you have to bring.

Good luck!

by Cleo Person, 1st-year dancer

March 5, 2012 was a day I looked forward to with more anticipation than almost any other day in my life so far. It was the day of my Juilliard audition. So maybe I had things a little out of proportion, but I had spent months obsessively watching videos on the Juilliard Web site, reading blogs about the audition process, and taking the subway to Lincoln Center almost every week so I could just look at the school. (Disclaimer: I don’t recommend doing any of these things, as you surely have much more useful things to be doing with your time.) But if you’re anything like me, your big audition day might just occupy your thoughts a large portion of the time. Hopefully, this blog about my audition experience will ease your mind a little and help you to feel a bit more prepared for what you will encounter.

My whole audition experience got off to a rocky start. Ten days before my audition I was in a dress rehearsal for a dance show at my school, and at a part where I was supposed to be slingshot backward to the ground, I landed hard on one of my sits bones, causing a sharp pain in my butt. I got up slowly, and since I couldn’t really walk, I had to drop out of the show. Self-diagnosis: a mild puncture tear in my gluteus medius. Luckily, muscles heal quickly given the right care and rest, but that still meant that I couldn’t dance for the whole week. Then, I would have only three days to get back in class and rehearse my solo before the audition – not exactly the ideal situation.

Since I couldn’t really prepare physically, the days leading up to my audition were a sort of non-stop mental exercise: how do I contain my nerves, trust that my body will be there for me, and not psych myself out so that I can give the best audition I am capable of? The answer for me lay in the constant, positive pep-talks that I gave to myself.

I should let you know that I applied early, as a junior in high school, because I had already been living on my own for a semester and I had attended the Juilliard summer program twice. I felt I couldn’t wait any longer before applying for real, so I decided just to try, saying to myself, “Hey, I can always apply again next year if it doesn’t work out.” That was the mindset that took a lot of the pressure off. I was eased by many stories I had heard of current students at the school who had been accepted only the second time they applied, so I knew it wouldn’t be just a one-shot deal. Most importantly, I made the decision that I would let excitement, not anxiety take center stage in my often-fluctuating mental state. With my own mental game already won, the audition itself was really just fun.

You are surely already aware of the general process: ballet class, modern class, solo, coaching, interview; so I won’t go into detail about that except to say that there is nothing terribly difficult about the classes- they’re not trying to trick you or test your extensive dance vocabulary, but they’re really just trying to get a sense of who you are as a dancer and as an interesting, unique human being with something to say and the potential to be able to say it articulately though movement. The one thing I did find daunting in the audition was the pure magnitude of the cuts made. There were about 50 dancers in the ballet class, and just two of us were left by the time we got to the interviews. I find the best way to deal with this sort of situation is to come with no expectations of how far you’ll make it, and to remember that getting cut is in no way a reflection of your talent or worth as an individual, it just wasn’t the right time or place.

It is incredibly important to remember that Juilliard is just one school, and it’s not for everyone. You should think of your audition as an opportunity for you to audition the school as much as it is for the school to audition you. Ask yourself, “Do I like the energy and vibe of the teachers and the class they’re giving? Am I interested in working, for four whole years, on the things that they value and appear to be interested in?” And even if your answer is “yes, definitely!”, trust that the people auditioning you know pretty well what type of student will get the most from the education they’re offering (they’ve been doing it for a long time), and that you wouldn’t want to be somewhere that wasn’t a good fit for you. There are lots of great dance schools out there that you might find creatively stimulating and technically challenging, and may open up opportunities for your career that you didn’t even know existed!

So my main advice is to put forward the best and most honest version of yourself you know everywhere and all the time, not just for your auditions because it is ultimately that, and not the best tricks or best feet or anything else superficial, which will allow you to get to the places you’re supposed to be in every aspect of your life. Ultimately, you may want to think of your audition as an exciting opportunity to possibly change the course of your future, just as it was for me.