<p>I am a HS junior and my class has three girls who plan to go into MT. One girl is a classical soprano (who my MT directors thinks doesn’t have a MT voice) who can’t act or dance but plans to get into a good MT school on vocals alone. The other girl is a very talented dancer who is also a good actress but who can’t sing at all. She tries to sing but generally can’t carry a tune and has a very weak, pitchy, breathy voice with a very minimal range. She plans to get accepted into a good MT school based on her dance skill and decent acting. Then there is me. I am a very strong actress and also a very strong singer. I have a large range everywhere from alto to mezzo/belt to classical operatic soprano. My MT director says that I have a very good MT voice. I am pretty confident on my singing and acting, however I quit dance in seventh grade. I get some dance experience through my activites and I am graceful and can pick up skills quickly but I am very afraid that my lack of formal dance training in perhaps the most crucial years for a dancer will work against me in my quest for good MT training. So who gets farther? The classical soprano that can’t act or dance, the trained dancer who can act but can’t sing, or the good singer and actress with minimal dance training?</p>
<p>My advice would be to do the best you can to prepare yourself for your auditions, and not worry over other people’s chances - whether they are people you know, or the vast number of people who will be auditioning for the same spots you are.
In your case, since you are confident of your singing and acting skills, I would say to be sure you are working with your teachers and/or coaches now to select material (songs and monologues) that will showcase your strengths. And - it is not too late to get back into some dance classes to make you more confident of your abilities in that area.</p>
<p>All of these skills are important, and college will prepare you to become a triple threat. It’s not too late to work on dance - the more the better. For getting into college programs, though, it seems in general that singing and acting are more important. My son started very late in dance and is now a very good dancer, after his 4 years of college.</p>
<p>I think you have plenty of time to work on your dance. I think that many times in dance auditions, they are looking for someone who picks things up easily and can take direction well, not necessarily someone who is a well trained dancer. Take as much dance as you can between now and then. In our area our local CC offers a great dance program in the summer. Check into what is available in your area. The stronger you are in all 3 areas, the better you will do. Also, be sure to plan a realistic approach to your auditions. Use the info on this forum to plan auditions at a variety of programs, not just the very discriminating BFA audition programs. Many people here will tell you how difficult it is to get into many programs no matter how good you are. Make sure you have a list that includes some non-audition programs, and possibly both BFA and BA programs. Lastly, don’t worry about what other’s qualifications are. It is always very hard to predict what will appeal to various schools so just worry about being as well rounded as you can. Good luck in the up-coming audition season.</p>
<p>My s had been singing classically since age 5 but had no exposure to MT until just before Freshman year in HS. Had 1 semester of private voice in Sr. year, no dance or acting experience until Freshman year in HS, but worked hard for 4 years leading up to college auditions. </p>
<p>I believe that if each individual does their very best to prepare with the resources that they have available to them and does their best to properly prepare for a good audition, they will find a spot no matter how competetive the process is. A well rounded resume and strong academic transcript cannot hurt either.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone :)</p>
<p>I am curious to see the answer to this question, is there any consensus as to whether typically actors who sing or singers who act find more success in the business, particularly among recent college grads, although i’m sure the most successful are true triple threats.</p>
<p>^^Depends on too many factors and what you mean by success in the business. </p>
<p>Here’s my idea about the triple threat:</p>
<p>Having talent is good.<br>
Having talent and luck is better.<br>
Having talent, luck and a relative who can influence casting is best. :)</p>
<p>Oh, by success I mean being able to support oneself financially by theatre, be it musicals plays etc…not just by being on broadway.</p>
<p>Listen to ericsmom - PM her for advice. The person who is best trained in singing, acting, and dancing will have the greatest chance at doing well in MT.</p>
<p>Thanks, mtdog! Broadwayashlea, if you want more from me, please send an e-mail by using the drop-down menu on my name. I check e-mail more often than I do PMs on CC.</p>
<p>My son and his friends who are graduating this weekend from Elon are getting incredible attention from casting directors and agents and many have great work lined up already. Elon prepares them well in all areas. A few of these are in singing / acting roles, but it does seem that if dance is also a very developed skill, there may be more opportunities right out of college. At least 6 people in his class have lined up national tours, many have great summer work lined up, and my son (who was almost a non-dancer until late in high school) has been cast in the major dancing / singing / acting role of Mike in the new national tour of A Chorus Line! How’s that for someone who started late but worked hard at dance? He did start taking much more dance in his senior year in HS but took lots of extra dance classes at Elon. (He is also in NYC now for a callback for another show that requires those dance skills!)</p>
<p>PS to my above post, I believe you cannot get cast in a show like A Chorus Line without being good at all 3 areas. I know people cut from that show’s auditions who were incredible dancers but maybe didn’t have as much training at singing and incredible singers who maybe didn’t have as much dance training as others.</p>
<p>It is a very interesting question that you pose. Success in the “college audition field” is completely different from success in the real world. Also, how does one measure their own success? Some people consider success being able to support themselves in the professional world (tours, regional, bway, etc.,); some people consider it being cast in one Broadway show; some people think hopping from Bway show to Bway show is success; some people consider success by winning a Tony.
So the dancer will probably work the most consistently, the singer will work regionally but sporadically, and the actor/ singer will probably receive the most acclaim.</p>