<p>So for my uptempo, I’m using “Shall We Dance?” from Crazy For You/the movie “Shall We Dance?” I was wondering if it would be okay to dance a bit during it? I’m not talking about a full on routine. Just a pullback here and grapevine there. It’s such a fun song, but I feel like it needs at least a little movement to really work.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>My daughter moved about for her uptempo; it was part of her acting out the song and the song she used would have not had the same impact without the movement. I say to do it, I personally think showing you can dance,sing, and act in unison is the whole point of the singing portion of an MT audition, though I might be wrong about that.</p>
<p>A couple dance moves here and there should be alright. If it makes sense with the character and song, go for it, but you’re right to not use a full routine. I’ve always been told that the acting comes first in auditions, don’t distract from that.</p>
<p>NO! DO NOT dance during your audition. I do not know a single MT auditor who likes dance in the song audition. If our auditionees send in a screening video of them singing and dancing we either ask them to re-tape without the dance or to drop the dance when they come to campus. If they did it in a live audition, it would be a HUGE turn-off and I would absolutely ask them to stop, start over, and act and sing it. You’re much better off showing them what they want from the beginning than having them stop you mid-song.</p>
<p>The singing audition is about your acting and then your singing. IF they like your acting and singing in a professional audition, they will then ask you to stay and dance. They will know you can dance because your dance training will be listed on your resume. </p>
<p>Now allowing your body to have a slight bounce or shimmy or hip pop at one or two places that dramatically make sense is fine. But only moving one foot one step in one direction. Otherwise the rule is usually to move no more than 2-3 steps in any direction. You would never see Sutton Foster, Idina Menzel, or Katherine McPhee dancing their song audition, so please don’t do that to yourself. Let the auditors see that you are just as talented as the ladies I just mentioned with your acting and singing alone.</p>
<p>VT</p>
<p>When I say dance I do not mean a full routine or tons of tap steps. But with some songs, movement is part of the acting. There’s a difference between a full out dance and movement. Standing there and just belting an uptemp song like for example, I Can Cook Too with no movement would to me at least not convey the song. This IS MT, in most cases you are doing all three during a song in a performance setting. Why wouldn’t you do the same in an audition?</p>
<p>And ftr my daughter did not do a full out routine for her chosen song, but as I said, she did shake her hips etc. and given her song choice, to not move some would have been ridiculous and not conveyed the part very well.</p>
<p>In one of my daughter’s auditions of her upbeat song, “Waiting for Life to Begin” from Once On This Island, the evaluator encouraged her to be comfortable with her song, allowed her to take off her shoes and do some movements to with the song and commented that the song fits her well. I believe as long as the movement goes well with the song, then it wold be fine.</p>
<p>Movement is not the same as choreography. I don’t think it should be choreographed with dance. But if part of acting the song involves some movement, that would be OK.</p>
<p>ParadiseMT: In your case the auditor asked you to move, that is called an adjustment. I will try to look for a few YouTube links to post in the next few days of movement that is ok and movement that is not ok.</p>
<p>VT</p>
<p>Acceptable amount of “dance”:
[Karen</a> college Audition - YouTube](<a href=“Karen college Audition - YouTube”>Karen college Audition - YouTube)</p>
<p>0:55-1:19</p>
<p>If this was done at an audition it would be too much:
[I</a> Can Cook Too - YouTube](<a href=“I Can Cook Too - YouTube”>I Can Cook Too - YouTube)</p>
<p>This is acceptable:
[I</a> Can Cook Too - YouTube](<a href=“I Can Cook Too - YouTube”>I Can Cook Too - YouTube)</p>
<p>Too much, if it was honed in a little, it could possibly work:
[Amanda</a> Maxwell- “I Can Cook Too” from “On The Town” - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>Too much: absolutely not in an audition
[Devin</a> Bailey Griffin - I Can Cook Too - YouTube](<a href=“Devin Bailey Griffin - I Can Cook Too - YouTube”>Devin Bailey Griffin - I Can Cook Too - YouTube)</p>
<p>Too much
[I</a> Can Cook Too - Adrianna Parsons - YouTube](<a href=“I Can Cook Too - Adrianna Parsons - YouTube”>I Can Cook Too - Adrianna Parsons - YouTube)</p>
<p>NOTE: I am not trying to criticize these individual performers or performances, I am just trying to provide examples of what I believe most college audition panels would consider too much in a singing audition. Many of these videos are not intended to be college auditions, but they are definitely representative of what we see in some of the screening videos. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>VT</p>
<p>Thanks for the links, Voice… FTR, my D didn’t do I Can Cook Too, I just used it as an example of a song I felt needed some movement. My daughter moved like your acceptable example for her chosen song… That’s what I meant about “some movement”. Thanks!</p>
<p>Glad it helped! I just thought I’d go ahead and use that song as an example since it was thrown out there. FYI for anyone else reading, just had our students sing for one of the big casting agents from NYC and that song specifically came up as overdone, never done with a different take, and not a song to lead with. Colleges are different, but its always nice to know what the agents think.</p>
<p>VT</p>
<p>“Colleges are different, but its always nice to know what the agents think.” - VoiceTeacher</p>
<p>I’ve seen this line “colleges are different” before. Can you explain a bit what you mean by that? Thanks.</p>
<p>Pros can be very harsh. They are casting a show for someone who is about to spend a lot of money and they get sick of all the attitude from everyone, tired of poor choices, tired of poor training, and tired of hearing some of the same things over and over and over again every week.</p>
<p>At a university, we are listening to a few hundred singers each year with one purpose - to find people we want to work with and want to teach. If a student comes in with an overdone song, we can usually put that aside and see the talent for what it is. We often have a little more time so we can ask for something else. Agents are tight on time so they don’t usually bother - someone else will have what they want. At a university, the focus is on growth, if the talent shows a lot of potential for growth it can be very interesting; in the real world the focus is on the final product, if the final product thinks that an overdone song is their best foot forward and its really not that good, it sends a bad message about the final product.</p>
<p>Then we are very glad she went with something else. :). But in any case as to the overdone, her coach said "Everything is overdone. I could pull something obscure out for you to do, but know that anyone in the business has heard most songs at least once. If you can nail the song, if it shows off the versatility of your range and ability, do it. So that’s the philosophy she went with. Her songs are also probably on the overdone list, but she does them well. That’s all that matters to her.</p>
<p>There’s a lot of truth to what her coach is saying. My recommendation to my singers in regards to the overdone list is:</p>
<p>1) If its overdone to the point of being annoying, don’t do it regardless of how well you sing it. Examples: Anything from Wicked, 14G, Most current Broadway shows, Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera</p>
<p>2) If its overdone but its the absolute best thing you have, then sing it but find something as an actor you can bring out in the song that is completely different than you have ever seen performed.</p>
<p>3) If you have an overdone song you like to sing but you have another not-overdone song you sing just as well, lead with the one that’s not overdone but keep the other one in your book and put it second in your Table of Contents. If they ask for something else, offer that song first.</p>
<p>4) The biggest problem with overdone songs is that if 5 other people sing that same song on the same audition day as you, the panel WILL compare you to the rest. In some situations that can be very good, in others (regardless of how well you do the song) it can be very bad. So if you hear 5 other renditions of your song and you have your 2nd favorite in your book, you may want to switch things up and lead with it instead - especially if you haven’t heard anyone else sing it.</p>
<p>5) There are no rules. I know that contradicts all of my other comments and most other people’s comments as well, but the only way you can ever really figure all of this out is through individual trial and error. I just told a professional student of mine to lead with an overdone song for a major audition and they loved it, had her sing several other pieces, and have called her back for a longer get to know you audition. Why? Because without prejudice this girl sings THAT song as well as the cast recording and better than some of the girls on tour. Her other overdone songs are not at this level, but when she walks into a room and sings THAT song, everyone is mesmerized and I have hear numerous other pro’s say I hate that song but not when you sing it, there is something different. THAT is when you sing an overdone song. But it has to be more than one person’s opinion.</p>
<p>Break a leg!!!</p>
<p>VT</p>