Questions for Dancers/Performers

[phoenixphantom]

My daughter is a high school JR. and is a level 9/10 gymnast ( 10 is highest besides elite which are national team and olympic level) She is likely lower level college gymnast. Anyway, she really wants to be a performer at Disney and she wants to throw away her chance at a college scholarship in gymnastics to start dancing in the hope that she can get a job as a performer after college. She is only 5'1" and very muscular, looks more like a stunt person then tinkerbell . I do not think she is making a good choice, because there are tons of great dancers out there. I think she should use her brains to get a good job at Disney. Is there anyone out there that can tell me what the auditions for dancers/performers are like and what skill level you have to be? I have seen super talented kids on tv in reality shows, is this what you are up against and 1 out of 100 gets a call back or is it not that competitive. How would it stack up to a Broadway audition, easier, or as hard. Any performers that can tell me what level of dance you got to? Did you study dance in college or just do it on the side will you took classes in something that will pay the bills. I want her to have realistic goals, and sure it looks like a bundle of fun working for Disney and dancing in a parade, but living on minimum wage in an apt with 4 other people and no future job prospects, is not all that glamorous!! I would like to hear the good, the bad and the ugly and if you do not want to post the bad/ugly in public please PM me. Thanks!!!!

 

[Spo0nfulofSugar]

I'm also a junior in high school so I don't think me giving advice would be in your best interest haha, but I do know that the role that sounds like your daughter would be eligible for would be either equity performers for dancers in shows or stunt people, which is a very different audition process. They do have them listed on the Disney audition site, I think that's probably the best step to take-looking at the different types of auditions posted, that is-to make sure she can meet the requirements and if she really wants to work there.

 

[HFBelle]

I'm also a junior in high school so I don't think me giving advice would be in your best interest haha, but I do know that the role that sounds like your daughter would be eligible for would be either equity performers for dancers in shows or stunt people, which is a very different audition process. They do have them listed on the Disney audition site, I think that's probably the best step to take-looking at the different types of auditions posted, that is-to make sure she can meet the requirements and if she really wants to work there.

Ahh my dear friend, I came to poste here too!

Anyways, is your daughter planning ongoing to college at all? If not, I would highly suggest she does college first, and then apply for the Disney College Program (DCP): if she is very interested with working with Disney long term, this is a great way to get her foot through the door. As a gymnast, I bet she would have the coordination need for movers, and there's also stunt opportunities, if that were a possible route. In order to work as a mover you font have to be a professionally trained dancer. As I am a Senior in high school, I can only give you information I've found through research. But the one piece of advice I can five is to follow your heart!

 

[mommyk8]

Ahh my dear friend, I came to poste here too!

Anyways, is your daughter planning ongoing to college at all? If not, I would highly suggest she does college first, and then apply for the Disney College Program (DCP): if she is very interested with working with Disney long term, this is a great way to get her foot through the door. As a gymnast, I bet she would have the coordination need for movers, and there's also stunt opportunities, if that were a possible route. In order to work as a mover you font have to be a professionally trained dancer. As I am a Senior in high school, I can only give you information I've found through research. But the one piece of advice I can five is to follow your heart!

I can tell you that my sister auditioned for Disney. This was 15 years ago. She had danced for 12 years, tap jazz ballet lyrical. There were hundreds of girls there. She made it through first round but was cut during second. They were looking at dark haired girls and she was blond. It is as competitive as a Broadway audition. I she with the above poster for her to do college and apply to the college program

 

[aznshents]

Tell her to get that degree using her college scholarship. She may regret it now, but in four years she probably won't, and when her body starts not being able to dance as well as it once did, she DEFINITELY won't.

Now, if she's REALLY that set on auditioning, what a PP said before is right- she wants to audition for the equity dancer roles. You don't really need to be nearly as good as she is in order to score, say, a mover in a parade role. Her level of expertise is more like, Dream Along With Mickey, or something like that, where it's a very dance-centric (vs. mover-centric) show.

 

[Savvy]

I recommend that your daughter enroll into college and apply for the Disney College Program! She can audition to be a character performer and hope to be cast as a dancer in the parades or shows! There is a dance portion at the DCP audition! The first dance portion is fairly easy, but the better dancers are usually held after the audition to learn a more advanced dance.

That way, she isn't throwing away scholarships and a college education! She can take one semester to get a feel for Disney and see if she likes it, and if she then decides that she wants to dance for Disney full-time she'll already have her foot in the door! If she doesn't like it, she can just return to college and finish her education!

Just a thought