8 Tips For Dance Audition Season

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It’s the start of the new year and that doesn’t just mean new year’s resolutions and getting a fresh start. It also means it’s audition season. 😬  Auditions for dance intensives, magnet schools, and college programs can be nerve-wracking and even overwhelming. But don’t worry! We have been preparing our students for successful auditions for decades and we are here to help! Here are 10 tips to help you be audition-ready.

1. BE IN TIP-TOP DANCING SHAPE

Before auditioning make sure you are in your best physical and mental shape. Make sure you are putting in the maximum hours of training every week. A big part of auditions is performing! When you’re putting your hours in at the studio, make sure to practice memorizing combinations and details quickly and perform every variation and combo full out.

2. COPIES OF PHOTOS & RESUMES AVAILABLE

Every audition has different requirements. Make sure you complete all of their required forms. Bring the types of photos they are asking for, a resume, and make sure to check the fee requirement and how they accept payment.

3. COME WELL-GROOMED IN AN OUTFIT THAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD

Again, make sure to check the requirements for each audition. For ballet auditions, come in a black leotard, pink or skin tone tights, pink or skin tone shoes, hair in a slick clean bun, no jewelry, and don’t forget your point shoes! For modern auditions, it is very similar but wear footless or convertible tights and hair can be in a ponytail.

4. ARRIVE EARLY & CALM YOUR NERVES

Arrive at your audition early and find a spot to warm up so you are ready to perform when the audition class begins. Running in place will help calm your nerves and will keep you from feeling heavy in your legs and feet during the audition.

5. AUDITION NUMBERS

When you check in at the registration table you will be given a number. Make sure when you pin it to your leotard or shirt it is secure and visible. Wear something that makes you stand out from the rest of the auditioners like a red ribbon in your hair.

6. WHAT TO REMEMBER WHEN THE AUDITION BEGINS

When your nerves take over and the audition begins here are some things to keep at the top of your mind. 1. Perform the exercise fully. Treat this audition class like a performance. 2. Listen and watch carefully! The teachers are checking to make sure you can pick up choreography quickly and that you catch details. For example, know the counts, tempo, arms, head, and expressiveness. 3. Never look down. Keep your head up. 4. Begin and finish combinations in position and hold. 5. Know your group order and the formation that the instructor asks each group to be in. 6. Apply all corrections that the instructor gives to the class and to you personally. 7. If you make mistake don’t make a face or stop just keep going! The chances are unless you fall down no one will notice. 8. DON’T HIDE IN THE BACK! It is imperative that you are seen.  

7. DANCE CLASS ETTIQUETTE

Instructors are not just looking at your dance skills and technique. They are looking at how you conduct yourself in a classroom. Show them you have incredible dance room etiquette by not talking during class, paying attention to your body language. Don’t lean against the barres and walls. Don’t sit on the floor. Silence your phone, and do not check it during class!

8. WHAT TO DO AT THE END OF THE AUDITION

When the audition ends don’t just gather your things and leave. To thank the instructor applaud as a group. If you would like to thank the instructor personally, approach them and curtsey or bow your head.

The best thing you can do is believe in yourself.  You have prepared for this so walk in with confidence, perform your heart out, stay positive, and enjoy the audition!

If you are looking for training for audition season we have professional faculty that have trained students with incredible success for magnet dance programs, summer intensives, college dance audition programs, and more. To learn more about the training we offer use the button below.

LEARN MORE

 

In addition to dance what else are you supporting when you make a donation to Armour Dance Theatre?

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Going by just our name- Armour Dance Theatre-, you could assume we are just a dance organization, but we are so much more than that! We are a community minded organization that offers a wide range of services….and we are asking for your support to help make this work possible on November 18th, 2021 for Give Miami Day.  At this point, you may be wondering why you should support us, so let us tell you all about our programs!

First, let’s start with our mission. Our mission is to create a pathway to educational and professional opportunities for the youth of Miami-Dade County, through the study and performance of dance. We are the only nationally accredited community arts school in Florida. How did we execute our mission? Read more! Are you more of a visual person? Watch the video below instead of reading this post!  

THE ACADEMY

Offering quality dance training since 1949 the Academy is a gem in the Miami dance community. Tuition rates are affordable, additionally, 200 Academy students needing financial assistance receive scholarships annually.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS 

Free after-school and summer camps are offered to 400 elementary age students in the neighborhoods of Miami Gardens, Little Haiti, Goulds, and Perrine.

NEXT STEPS

Scholarship program for middle and high school students to access advanced dance training at the Academy with the objective of getting them into magnet schools and college.

SUMMER IN NEW YORK

High school and college students have the opportunity to attend summer intensives with professional dance companies in New York. We cover the cost of room and board for up to eight weeks.

PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES

Our students from all five sites have multiple opportunities to perform each year. Productions break boundaries of race and class, giving many audience members their first chance to see someone who looks just like them performing on stage.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

We work with a vast network of partner agencies to support and address the needs of families challenged by a lack of healthcare, legal immigration status, and food security.

 

Like what you’ve learned about the organization and want to make a pledge for Give Miami Day? Use the button below to make a pledge today!

MAKE A PLEDGE

 

 

Announcing the release of the 2021 Alumni Update.

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Why you can trust Armour Dance Theatre to keep your family safe this school year.

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We know that it is a big decision to send your child to after-school programming. With the constantly changing numbers for COVID-19 and variant cases, we want to assure you as parents that the safety of your child is our priority. We will continue to follow our protocols to mitigate risk while giving your child a safe space for movement, creativity, and self-expression. Let us tell you a little about our safety protocol and how we will make you comfortable when going back to dance classes.

FULLY IMMUNIZED FACULTY AND STAFF

We have a fully immunized team. From our dance faculty to office staff you can count on us to stop the spread of the virus at our academy.

STAFF SCREENINGS

All faculty and staff are required to fill out a COVID-19 screening form to make us aware of any exposure to the virus. CDC guidelines will be followed for quarantine and testing before returning to work.

MASKS ON

Students, parents, faculty, and staff must wear a mask covering their nose and mouth in the academy. To reduce the number of adults in the building we will continue to ask parents to drop children off at the gate or by car in the west driveway of our building.

SANITIZING STATIONS

Upon entering students and parents are required to sanitize their hands at the sanitizing stations provided in front of the building.

 

CLEANING BETWEEN CLASSES

What happens between classes? In between every class, a staff member will sanitize all barres and surfaces before the next class enters the studios. Deeper cleaning is done every night.

WE FOLLOW CDC GUIDELINES

We continue to follow the community changes in infection rates and adopting any new guidelines released by the CDC.

ZERO TRANSMISSION RECORD

In October of 2020, we reopened the Academy after lockdown and since then we have had ZERO cases spread at our school. We believed this is because of the strict safety protocols we have in place.

 

CLASSES ARE ON ZOOM

All classes will be offered in person as well as virtually. If your child has been exposed and is quarantined she/ he may continue to train from the safety of home.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Ruth Wiesen at 305 667 5543 or click here to review our full COVID-19 safety protocol.

Now that you have this information are you ready to DANCE?

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Announcing the 2021-2022 Board of Directors

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A Strategic Leadership Change at Armour Dance Theater – Miami’s Community Dance Theater promotes from within

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Keeping Kids Happy And Healthy During This Time

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It is no secret that traumatic events and altered routines can have an impact on children’s mental health. In the midst of our new reality, it is important to create a sense of normalcy for them in order to ease any stress that may be coming up for them during this time.

We have compiled some activities parents can do in order to care for their children’s minds and bodies during this time. We hope you enjoy!

CREATE ROUTINES

Consistency and structure are very calming. Setting up a daily schedule that caters to all members of the family is important in creating a “new normal”. For example, establish regular meals, bed, and wake-up times.

Breaking down activities into 40, 60- or 90-minute blocks can be helpful for kids. Using a timer for them to track and know where they stand in their day is particularly helpful. Involving your kids in the planning process can give them a sense of control and predictability. Include activities they genuinely enjoy in between chores and schoolwork to make it exciting for them.

KEEP YOUR KIDS CONNECTED

Now is more important than ever to keep kids connected to their friends and peers, so they don’t become isolated. Spending time physically apart from each other doesn’t mean we can’t get creative and find ways for kids to remain close. Staying active through extracurricular activities offering Livestream classes is a wonderful way of incorporating routine and connection, TAYB is still offering daily Livestream dance classes. Other ideas include setting up virtual playdates, coordinating online gaming time, and hosting a virtual movie night, which are all ways of keeping them connected!

INCORPORATE A DAILY MINDFULNESS PRACTICE FOR YOUR KIDS

Incorporating mindful practices into your child’s daily routine can help calm their anxiety and build healthy coping skills. Whether they do it for 5 minutes, or an hour, taking time to be present and connect with their sense of self will have a positive impact on their over well-being. Headspace has a great library of meditations curated just for kids! Also, this short article from The New York Times offers a simple breathing exercise that can even be turned into an art activity by following these instructions!

MAKE TIME FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Making a physical activity part of your children’s routine is also great for mental health and allows for quality family time. Whether it happens outside or inside, movement produces endorphins which will result in happier kids! For ideas on how to keep kids active while staying indoors, check out our last post.

Thomas Armour Youth Ballet is committed to providing resources and connection and movement opportunities for our students and their families through what we know best: DANCE! To learn more about our livestream classes click here.

5 Ways We’re Preventing Zoombombing

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As schools and businesses across the world are impacted by having to social distance, Thomas Armour Youth Ballet is among many turning to Zoom to continue its programs. So many of our families have given positive feedback on the efforts we’ve made to maintain consistency for their children. However, aside from the technological challenges of “retooling the factory” to deliver online classes, we have to remain on the cutting edge to prevent new challenges, including “Zoombombing.”

WHAT IS ZOOMBOMBING?

Zoombombing is a practice that has come about in the past few weeks. Internet trolls have been entering Zoom meetings and taking advantage of the program’s feature to share their screen. They often display inappropriate images, hate symbols, and shout expletives. TAYB is researching this development and following guidelines released by Zoom and organizations including the Anti-Defamation League. Thanks to these resources, we’ve put the following precautions in place.

1. WE DON’T SHARE CLASS INFORMATION

This practice is key! The vast majority of Zoombombings have taken place when organizations post a Meeting ID and entry link someplace that can be accessed by the general public. Since day one of our test classes, we have only shared that information with the TAYB family. We share the schedule for our live classes on our website, but without the Meeting ID or entry link, it’s impossible to gain access to these classes. In the reported cases, there is no evidence of hacking to enter these meetings, just mishandled information.

2. ONLY TEACHERS CAN SCREEN-SHARE

Often during classes, the teacher will need to share their screen. This is a valuable tool that can be difficult to use during in-person classes. Through this feature, the teacher can share video clips to provide examples of an exercise or variation. We have manipulated the settings so that only the Zoom “host” has access to this feature. That means that even if someone gained access to the class, they would have no way of broadcasting inappropriate online images or videos.

Ms. Alvarez teaching her Advanced class.

3. WE HAVE REMOVED THE ABILITY TO JOIN A CLASS BEFORE THE HOST

TAYB has structured its live class schedule to allow teachers gaps between their classes. This means that they will have time to join a class five to ten minutes before the start time. With the feature to join a class before the teacher has joined disabled, someone with the ability to remove Zoombombers will always be in the class. If you’re trying to join a class early and receive a notification that you cannot join until the host has joined, wait a few minutes.

4. FILE TRANSFER IS DISABLED

Zoom is used for meetings in every industry. Often during these meetings, teams will get together to share work and review it together. You can use file transfer to make a document, image, or video available for download to anyone in the Zoom meeting. Zoombombers have been abusing this feature to spread viruses and inappropriate content. To prevent this from happening, TAYB has disabled this feature altogether. We will only use text and email to distribute files.

5. REMOVED GUESTS CANNOT REJOIN

The worst-case scenario is that TAYB’s class information somehow falls into the wrong hands. We are training the TAYB teachers to be confident with the Zoom controls so that they can remove any Zoombombers. We have made it so that when a participant is removed, they are unable to join again.

 IS ZOOM SAFE?

Like any new technology, we must take the right precautions. We are not waiting for Zoombombing to be sorted out by Zoom’s team. With the above steps currently in place, we are coaching all of TAYB’s teachers to make sure they know how to remove Zoombombers and prevent others from re-entering. While the odds of Zoombombing are extremely low, the risk is too great to handle this lightly.

See our recorded classes and a full schedule of our live classes here.

Staying Inside: How to Keep Your Kids Active

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Keeping kids active when we can’t go outside can seem difficult when there are so many other ways of staying entertained with devices, games, movies, and toys. However, now more than ever, we should all make an effort to make sure we get our daily dose of movement!

Physical activity helps children stay healthy and happy, and since outdoor activities and group classes are not an option right now, we have some ideas on how to incorporate it into their day!

BEFORE GETTING STARTED, LET’S GET READY TO MOVE INSIDE:

  • Provide your children with instructions on how to safely take out and put away equipment that they might use (balls, beanbags, etc.).
  • Move any furniture with sharp edges out of the activity area.
  • Make sure your children know that movement is limited in a small space.
  • Anticipate where additional safety measures are needed and apply them.
  • Review any family rules for throwing balls, beanbags, etc., and being active inside the house as you see fit.

READY!? NOW TRY THESE IDEAS TO KEEP THEM ENTERTAINED AND ACTIVE:

  1. Jump Rope- There are so many rhymes that can make jumping rope more than just physical activity! Kids can memorize these and sing along to them. Here are some fun ideas.
  2. Indoor Obstacle Course- Using furniture, or other items that are safe build an obstacle course for your kids. Add in specific mental or physical challenges to keep them guessing. This site takes you step by step on how to create your own using every-day house items!
  3. Animal Races- Hop like a bunny or frog; squat and waddle like a duck; and so on.
  4. Scavenger hunt- Write up clues and hide them around the house. Kids can race to find each clue for a small prize at the end.
  5. Dance- Whether it is freeze dance or a dance party, this is a great way of keeping kids active and having fun. We are currently offering pre-recorded dance classes and live virtual classes through Zoom. Click here to learn more!

To take a look at some free pre-recorded dance lessons visit our YouTube channel.

Student Spotlight: Kayla Thomas Awarded Third Place at Miami International Ballet Competition

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We are so proud to highlight our student Kayla Thomas. During her tome with Thomas Armour Youth Ballet she has performed the role of Clara, toy dolls, and the waltz of the flowers in the annual production of the Nutcracker. She has also performed advanced classical works like Paquita and La Bayadere in our annual spring show. Her experience at Miami International Ballet Competition was a special one and we are excited to share her accomplishments.

She attended Miami International Ballet Competition and performed the Gamzatti variation from La Bayadere, coached by lead faculty Mariana Alvarez. She also performed a contemporary solo choreographed by Maytte Subriana.

Kayla won 3rd place and received scholarships to the trainee program at National Ballet Academy in Denver, an artistic scholarship at Kirov Academy in Washington D.C., Soki Ballet International in Kenichi Soki, the year-round program at the Asia Ballet Academy in Malaysia, and summer intensive at Ballet Academy West in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Here’s a little note from Kayla herself: 

“Miami International Ballet Competition was my first competing in ballet. It was a great experience. All the ballet teachers, master classes, and set an amazing energy throughout the studios and stage. It helped me live through my dancing. I thank my ballet family at Thomas Armour Youth Ballet for teaching me and preparing me with everything I know now. I am blessed to have such a wonderful studio filled with work incredible work ethic and most of all love.” 

To learn more about receiving training like Kayla click here.