Jack Wolff works double duty as an outstanding demi-soloist at Houston Ballet and a rising choreographer. Whether he’s dancing a lead in Stanton Welch’s Maninyas or making one of his own ballets, Wolff dazzles. It’s hard to separate the dancer from the dance as Wolff’s space-slicing­ precision and expansive movement quality also inform his dancemaking. […]

The first time Jessica Tong auditioned for Hubbard Street’s second company, she made it to the end of the call but didn’t get the job. The next time she auditioned, six months later, she also didn’t get the job, but she did get a note from then-artistic director Julie Nakagawa telling her to keep in […]

With more talented dancers competing for fewer jobs, audition season has become a gauntlet of overcrowded open calls and time-consuming self-tapes. Could auditions be more productive and less painful, for performers and hiring teams alike? A group of high-level performers and choreographers weigh in on their biggest audition issues—and offer solutions. The Application Phase Many […]

Many competitive dancers are eager to land coveted convention scholarships. But why are these awards so sought-after? How can dancers increase their odds of winning them—and who might they not be right for? The Scholarship Advantage One of the largest benefits to convention scholarships is perhap­s the most obvious: financial relief. Attending conventions­ can be […]

Summer intensives offer endless opportunities—to fortify your training, to connect with teachers and other dancers, and to prepare for a professional career. But how do you know if you’re ready for your first intensive? And how can you prepare your mind and body for the physical rigor of dancing all day, every day, plus the […]

When graduates of Pace University’s commercial dance BFA walk across the stage at graduation, they have a cap, gown, and amazing eye-high kicks. That’s because of their curriculum’s focus on multiple styles of jazz, including the precision jazz made famous by the Radio City Rockettes. There is no formal relationship between Pace University and the […]

Most dancers who participate in competitions and conventions attend with a dance studio. But each year, a small group of soloists opt to go for it as independents, without a studio affiliation. There are plenty of benefits to this approach—as well as a few possible drawbacks. Before you sign up, consider what you’re willing to […]

Despite all the hours young dancers spend in the studio, for many coming out of high school, the idea of dance as an academic discipline—an intellectual as much as a physical pursuit—can be unfamiliar, even mysterious. What do college dance programs actually require? What do students’ days look like? A college’s faculty, size, location, and […]