Becca Moore 0:04

Welcome to Rhythm Pod, the podcast from Rhythm Dance Center for Rhythm Dance Center. We're here to bring you studio updates, tips from our teachers, and fun chats about everything happening in our rhythm community.

Dani Rosenberg 0:15

Rhythm Pod will be your go-to source to stay inspired and connected. We can't wait to share all the rhythm fun.

Becca Moore 0:25

Hi everyone, welcome to Rhythm Pod. We are here today to talk to you about our Rhythm Dance Center Company Auditions for Rhythm Season 34. I'm Becca Moore. And I'm Danny Rosenberg. And we are the directors and owners of Rhythm Dance Center. And we are gonna go through today all the things that you need to know about the audition process for Rhythms Company Auditions. So hopefully you um have read the packet or looked through the packet. We strongly encourage you to do that. So if you haven't, maybe go ahead, stop, pause the podcast, go download the packet, and you can follow along in the packet because basically we're just going through all of that today. So we are thrilled to announce our upcoming performing company auditions for the 26-27 season, which is the new rhythm, season 34. We um obviously are working very diligently on our brand new space. And as you know, we are not in our brand new space yet. It's happening, it's happening sometime soon. It's happening. Basically, we're just taking it one day at a time and know that the wait is going to be worth it. We are working very hard to get to get here, but we don't know. We don't have a moving date yet. So as soon as we do, believe me, you're gonna be the first to know. We cannot wait to um cast our new companies for season 34. And if you have a dancer or a child that loves to dance and perform, we'd love to see them at our audition. So, like I said, we want you to read this packet carefully because it's gonna give you, it's gonna break down the entire audition process and we're gonna go through that today with you. And one thing that we always like to say is that, like, you know, we have a really large performing company. We have over 300 dancers in across all of our companies. And so this selection process requires much planning and thought. And we just want to make sure that your dancer is very confident about their desire to be a part of our performing company. We don't usually add someone in after we've made our cast announcements. Maybe occasionally, if we have someone move from out of state over the summer and and and there is an opening, that's really the only time we do that. So if your dancer is just trying out to try out, that's not where we want to be. We want your dancer and your family, honestly, to be all on board 100% that you want to be a part of our performing company before you audition. That's why we want you to make sure that you listen to this, that you read through the packet, talk to your dancer about the commitment. This is a big commitment. It's a big commitment, and how important it is to follow through with that commitment. So we're looking for dancers that are talented, focused, driven, understand what it means to be part of a team and to be excited about being a part of a well-respected and award-winning performing company. We love our performing company. We love all the dancers that are in it. It's such an awesome, awesome, fun and inspiring group, talented group of dancers. So, our performing company, it requires talent, commitment, dedication, passion, hard work, an eagerness to learn, a desire to perform and grow as a dancer. And we believe what your child gains from this experience is priceless as both a dancer and an individual. We have a really, really positive, competitive philosophy. You can read it. There's a place you can uh click to read on the packet. But basically, we are in it to grow as humans and dancers, to teach kids confidence, get on stage, perform, have a love of dance. Yes, we want to be successful. We work very hard, we have rules and we have policies, and the kids work really hard in classes, but we're never gonna be that studio that's just our goal is not to be the winning competition studio. We're not gonna base everything on the biggest trophy that we're getting. Right. We want it to be more about the experience and the process and you know, the working as a team. Most importantly, having fun, having fun and growing as individuals.

Dani Rosenberg 4:28

Yes. Yes. All right. So through these auditions, we are casting um for four of our companies. We're casting our mini stars, our edge dancers, which we have for our mini stars, it's our youngest group. It's just one group of littles. Um Edge, we have a mini group, a junior group, a teen group, and a senior group. Fusion, we have a teen and senior group, and then also our connection company, which is a mini-junior teen and senior group. In addition to um Connection itself, we also offer the opportunity for the kids to audition for Connection Tap Company and Contemporary Companies. So that's what we will be casting over the two-week period of auditions. So, like Becca said, we're here, you're listening, and that's awesome. New this year, we decided with everything going on with the studio and as crazy as everything is that it might be easier to record podcasts so you guys can listen to us talk about all of this. And like Becca said, follow along, hopefully in the packet. Um, don't worry, we'll be back next year with in-person meetings and maybe podcasts as well. We'll, you know, change it up with some options. But we appreciate your patience and hopefully you find this uh convenient as well. So you can just listen to it whenever it works for you. If you're new to rhythm, new to performing company, or in a current company but auditioning for a new one, for example, if you are have a dancer that's in connection right now but is auditioning for edge, or if you have a dancer in Ministars who's auditioning for connection, in Fusion, but auditioning for Edge, anything like that, a parent will be required to listen to the appropriate podcast. We will be doing a podcast that is specific to QA. So after you listen to everything, you listen to everything we have to say, you feel like you've you've heard us talk about all the details, we will have a Google form where you can fill out any questions that you have. And we will do our best to answer all of those in a future podcast to be released on March 30th. That should give everybody plenty of time to dive in, not only listen to this podcast, but then listen to the specific company podcast um episodes that pertain to the company that your dancer is interested in auditioning for. And I like to say too, like it's never a bad idea. They're not super long podcasts, hopefully. So it's never a bad idea to listen to multiples. If you're not sure if your dancer is, you know, ready for edge, but you want to listen to it and find out the details, you may find out that they actually are. And that's something you, you know, a road you want to go down. Same thing with all of the other companies. Just the more educated you are by listening to all of them, the better off we'll all be. Okay, so as a final reminder, the final QA podcast will be released on March 30th. And of course, you can always reach out to us via email at rdcauditions at gmail.com with any questions you have.

Audition Fee

Audition Criteria

Audition Details

Becca Moore 7:01

Yes, and that's gonna definitely be the best way to get your answers is to go to that email. That way, if you submit a question to that email, you're gonna get the correct answer. Because a lot of times people just ask anybody they see in the studio, and that's we set this email up specifically for questions about auditions, so you can um ask your questions there. Okay, next up is our audition fee. If you are um a new dancer to rhythm, there will be a $75 audition fee. This means that you're not currently registered at Rhythm Dance Center. This fee is non-refundable. There is a link in our packet where you will pay that. And you, when you do that, you need to make sure that you write your dancer's name in the note section there. Also, if you are a dancer at Rhythm and maybe you are in Spotlight or GMX or just in our studio program, you um will be paying a $50 audition fee. This fee, again, is non-refundable and you can submit it through the link. Just um it's in the packet. And you just need to select from the drop-down menu. There's a drop-down menu to select the appropriate fee. And again, remember to write your dancer's name in the notes section. If you are currently in Mini Stars, Connection, Fusion, or Edge, there is no fee to audition. We do request that you get the form, the audition form submitted no later than Friday, April 3rd. You can submit it after that, but if you do, we will charge a $30 late fee to anyone and everyone. So, like if you don't dance at rhythm and you don't sign up to audition until after April 1st, you're gonna have to pay the $75 audition fee plus the $30 uh late fee to audition. April 3rd, but yes. I'm sorry, April 3rd. April 3rd. Um, but anyway, that is just because the it takes so much time to put everything together and to organize it. And Katie does this and she does it over spring break. So we want to get all of those entries in before spring break so we can get everything ready so that your dancer will arrive and have a number and be ready to go, and we'll have all of our forms ready. Again, submit your audition application anytime starting now between 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 3rd, and you're good to go. If you audition, if you've submitted after that, you will pay a late fee of $30. And there's no exceptions to this rule. So I would say go ahead and do your best out in there. And and then decide you're not gonna do it. Um, if that is, if that happens, just so that you don't have to pay that $30 late fee. Okay, some other important notes. If you have an upcoming senior in high school for the 26-27 season, we'll not be accepting upcoming seniors in high school outside of rhythm for any of our performing companies. If you are moving here from another city or state and you have a strong recommendation from your current studio owner or teachers, we will consider making an exception. You can reach out to us with any questions about this if you would like. And then also for Spotlight, if your dancer is interested in Spotlight only, they should not audition. To be considered for our Spotlight program, you need to be currently enrolled at Rhythm. And we may be able to extend a spotlight invitation after all invitations have been sent to our existing students, if spots still remain. But I also, if you are here and you're only interested in spotlight, listen to our spotlight podcast because that is also gonna be a thing. But, you know, you do not need to audition to be considered for Spotlight. That's not the way we run it. We we choose our spotlight dancers based on recommendation from our current teachers.

Dani Rosenberg 10:36

All right. Jumping into more audition details. Um we're not gonna go over all of the actual dates for all of the auditions. All of that can be found in the packet, and there's too much to break down to discuss it on the podcast. But we do want to talk about um the fact that there are two parts to the audition. Both parts are required. There's a first part is a jazz audition, and then it will be followed by a callback audition, at least one callback audition. We'll talk more about that in a minute. Um, when we are going through this process, we take into consideration both skill level and age with selecting dancers. And just know that every single dancer that comes to the first audition, the jazz audition, will be getting a callback. So everyone will come at least twice. When you fill out your form, all ages for the audition are based on January 1st of 2027. So however old your dancer is going to be on January 1st of 2027, that's the audition that they will come to. Um, also, any little dancers wanting to audition, they must be entering kindergarten for the 26, 27 school year.

Becca Moore 11:32

I just want to add that the reason that that is the the case, that age, is because when we submit our entries to all of the competitions and conventions that we attend, that is their that is their rule. So when we do our average ages, though that's the age we're looking at. So we need to make sure that when we're casting our companies, that all of these ages fall into the age group that they need to be. So that's why that is there.

Auditions Part 1 & Part 2 Process

Dani Rosenberg 12:00

Yes. Also, so for part one of the jazz audition, and again, we're gonna break these down more, but one important reminder, and I think this is sometimes confusing, is that your dancer is not auditioning for a specific level or age of each of the companies, meaning you won't specify to us that you want to be considered for teen connection or teen fusion. What you'll be doing is auditioning for connection in general or fusion in general, and then we will place your dancer where we see that they best fit if we think that they're ready for one of those companies. So that's why we start with the general age breakdown for the first part of the auditions. Um and you can see that you can see where that is five to seven year olds or eight to ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fifteen, sixteen, eighteen, based on January 1st of 2027. So that's where you will start. For that first audition, um, the jazz audition, we ask that everybody arrive about 10 to 15 minutes early to get signed in and warmed up. Um, assuming we're at the new location, which is the plan, everyone will everyone will need to park and walk their dancer in the front entrance, as stopping or parking in the fire lane is not going to be permitted at any time. More info on that later. Um, we appreciate your cooperation on this. Uh, we do recommend that parents of the younger dancers come inside and get them checked in for all other levels. You can leave once they're safely in the building and ready to go. Um, once inside, we will have plenty of staff on hand to direct them um to where they need to be, where to put their things, and how to get ready for the audition. Okay, part two is going to be our callback auditions. And again, we're not gonna go through all those dates, but all those dates, if you're looking at the packet, are all very clear. And like Danny said, you don't you don't decide you're auditioning for junior connection. You come to your appropriate age group, and then you will get a callback. Um, callbacks again will be held at the new rhythm. We're hoping. We shall see. And then also on this on this page of the packet is our audition application link. So you can just click that link and complete and submit the application as soon as possible. But as a reminder, no later than Friday, April 3rd. And like we talked about earlier, organizing these forms and getting it prepared is a very time-consuming task. So we thank you in advance for filling it out in a timely manner. Uh, also, headshots. If you are not a current member of our performing companies, Mini Stars Connection, Fusion, or Edge, and you, or you do not currently dance at rhythm, you will need to upload a headshot through the online application. That's very easy to do. It doesn't need to be professional, it can be a school pick, a vacation shot. We always say, don't stress out about this. You absolutely have something on your phone or your dancer has something on their phone, about 8 billion selfies, that they can upload just so that we have a face to go along with the name. Uh, and you can uh when you upload your headshot, include your dancer's full name and 2026 audition headshot and the file name. If you're having trouble uploading the file, you can simply email it to rdcauditions at gmail.com. And a reminder if you are currently a dancer in Ministars, Connection, Fusion, or Edge, you don't need to upload your headshot because we have them. All right, let's dive a little deeper into the actual audition process. So, part one is the jazz audition. All dancers wishing to audition for our performing company will be required to attend the jazz audition within the appropriate age groups, like we've talked about, no matter which performing company they wish to audition for. Dancers will then be evaluated on their jazz technique during this portion of the audition. During this time, it's about an hour, uh, dancers will be taught a short center floor jazz combination, and we will give them time to we'll break it down, we'll give them time to ask questions, they'll perform it in smaller groups and really just give them that hour to get it in their body and in their brains so that they'll be prepared when they come back. To help the dancers remember and review, we will be posting a link to the combination on the auditions page of our website that evening of Monday, April 20th. That's the first day where all the jazz auditions first step is. So later that night, we will post on that page of the website, the company page, we will post a video of a demonstration of that jazz combo with music so they can go back and practice that before they come back for their callbacks because they will need to practice and know it. Important, after this audition, we will ask that you come back to a specific callback. All dancers will be asked to come to at least one callback, like I mentioned earlier. All callbacks will be posted by 11.59 p.m. on Monday, April 20th on the company audition page of our website. Every single callback will be listed there. This list this list will designate which callback audition your dancer will attend. There is a possibility you will need to attend multiple callbacks depending on your age and level. We will take into consideration the company you are interested in auditioning for when posting callbacks. If you're currently in a performing company and auditioning for a higher level, you may only receive a callback for the higher levels. So we want to give a couple examples of that.

Becca Moore 16:55

So the example would be like if you are um well, first of all, I'm gonna go back a little bit. Um all dancers get a callback, like Danny said. So if you are auditioning for connection, you are going to get a connection callback. We are not going to ask you to come back to Fusion or Edge because that is a higher level company. So whatever, whatever you have indicated as your choice to audition for, Fusion, Edge, Ministars, Connection, you will 100% get a callback to that company. If you are auditioning for Edge, you could also get a callback to Fusion, you could also get an odd callback to connection. If you're auditioning for Fusion, you could also, you would get a you would automatically get the fusion callback, but you could also get an audition callback for connection. So you have the potential. If you are auditioning to Edge or even Fusion, you have the odd the potential to get asked to come to up to like three callbacks. Yes. That sounds like a lot, and I get it, it is a lot, but we always say the more weeks can see you, the better your chances are. And and we always like to give this example. So, like, let's say you're auditioning for fusion, and we have you come to the teen fusion callback, and we see your dancer in the teen fusion callback, and we don't think that they're quite ready. Like they they're close, they're close, but we're just like not ready. If we only called your dancer to the fusion callback, then we would have that would have been that would say, no, they're not ready. So they don't get a spot in can in fusion. However, if we invite them to the fusion callback and also the connection callback, say team connection callback or senior connection or whatever it is, and in that callback, they're really standing out or they look really great. We're like, oh wow, you know, maybe they weren't quite there for team fusion. And they could handle the push at this point. But we, based on how they performed in the connection callback, we see that they are ready for more of a push. Had we not had them come to both of those callbacks, they wouldn't have had the opportunity to show us that. So that's what we're always looking for when we have them come to multiple callbacks. Now, I will say one thing. Like, let's say your dancer is in team connection and they're auditioning for fusion and we may just bring them to fusion, we know they're a great fit for connection. We don't necessarily need to see them in that. So, like, we may only bring them to the fusion if that's if that's the case.

Dani Rosenberg 19:28

Just know that if we only bring them to fusion, that doesn't necessarily mean we're only considering them for fusion. If they've been in teen connection, they're still being considered for connection. I think one other example of this is if you have a dancer on an age in an age grade, age range that's kind of in between, they could go junior or they could go teen, or they could go teen or senior. If they're on that border, it's different every single year. With how we don't have a perfect foreign. There is not a perfect foreign because every single year is different. So we may have your dancer come to a junior callback and a teen callback for connection or for edge or whatever it is, or teen and senior. And we just want to be able to see them in both places, just like Becca was saying. And uh one thing that is really important to consider with all of our auditions is that it kind of starts the top with our graduating seniors every year with each group, with connection, with scene, with fusion, and with edge. It depends how many graduating seniors we have moving out as to how much movement there's gonna be across all of the other groups, because it's a kind of a trickle-down effect if that makes sense.

Becca Moore 20:30

I will say that this year is a big movement year. We have the biggest, I think the biggest group of grads we've ever had. We have 11 and edge 18 in every group. Yeah, which is honestly insane.

Dani Rosenberg 20:42

The last few years, Edge has been a little bit smaller, even Fusion's been a little smaller. So we've got a lot of.

Becca Moore 20:46

So, yeah, I was gonna say last year for senior edge, we only had four graduating seniors, and we already had 26 dancers in senior edge. There was not a lot of movement because And again, that's a trickle-down effect.

Dani Rosenberg 20:58

We can't move many teens up, which means we can't move many juniors to teen and not many minis to juniors. So this year will be a little a little more movement than we've had the last episode.

Becca Moore 21:07

I would just like to say that we would love nothing more than for there to be a perfect formula for this, you guys. Like it would make our lives so much easier if there was a perfect formula, but there's not. We are entering our 34th season. So we have been doing this for a very long time. We've been doing our auditions for a very long time, and it is different every single year. Of course, there's certain things that are similar or the same, but like and while we do start with a base age, we do have to consider and evaluate them on their technique, their style, their performance quality, their appearance, their showmanship, and all of those other things are to play a very important role. We also consider class feedback and attendance from their previous season. So we we do talk to our staff members and we we do communicate all of those details as well before making our final decisions. Um, one thing also to know is we don't have a set number for every company. Again, the graduating seniors. Leaving play a role in that each year, but we don't have a set number per company. I think that we typically have pretty large companies. That being said, we've had companies with as few as 11.

Dani Rosenberg 22:10

11 to 13. Yeah. So it really just depends on the makeup of the group and what makes the most sense when we see them in all of their callbacks.

Becca Moore 22:16

Also, I don't know if this has brought been brought up yet, but we also um could even have a middle schooler in a mini group. Middle group. We could have a middle schooler in a senior group.

Dani Rosenberg 22:29

We could have an elementary dancer in a junior group. And just it ha it it comes down to the full combination of uh yes, average age of the group, but their talent level, their maturity, their performance level, and so just the makeup in general of those age groups, because going back to the ages, we do have to have, you know, the ages be a certain number for us to For most of the competitions we for the competitions we enter so that we don't have like three companies competing against themselves, which even does happen sometimes.

Callback Details

Speaker 1 23:05

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Dani Rosenberg 23:06

All right. And then part two is the the callbacks that we've been talking about. The second part is the callback. All dancers will receive a callback audition, like we mentioned, at least one. This is where we will see your dancer do additional styles. So they've done the jazz part. So when they come back to the audition, they're gonna their callback, they're gonna do the jazz, but we're also gonna see them do additional styles. Um, depending on their age and which company they're auditioning for, make sure you check that list on Monday the 20th at around midnight or the next morning to see which callbacks they have to come to because they will need to come to all of them. It is necessary and required. Again, please check the website carefully to ensure that they attend all of the callbacks that their number is listed under. A Dropbox link containing videos of the combos that they will need to learn prior to their callbacks will be posted on the company audition page of the website that same evening, Monday, April 20th.

Becca Moore 23:55

Okay, so continuing with the audition process and talking more about callbacks. So we started um during during COVID, we started posting videos, tutorials for the dancers to learn. And I feel like that is one thing that we have kind of kept for the auditions. They don't learn everything through tutorials, but it it has been a major time saver. And also we feel an advantage to the dancers to be able to have a few combos that they can learn ahead of time so that they can practice as much as they want to and feel comfortable coming in. And then we're also gonna look at them learning combos on the spot. So, like Danny said, they come, they learn their jazz combo, they they get to go home and practice that. We're really gonna look for practicing. We're not looking for perfection, we're looking for potential and for potential things. And we can tell. I will say the higher the level, the more proficient we would expect the dancer to be, right? So there's that. But like for the littles, for example, for mini stars, a lot of times they will go home and they will practice it absolutely wrong. But you know what? We can tell that they absolutely practiced it, and that's we're looking for. We can fix the wrong. You know, so like we're just really looking to see that they practiced and they're retaining, they're retaining and how they look. And then the higher it goes, like I said, we're gonna look at the proficiency of them, you know, remembering it the correct, the correct steps and and having the style and the technique and all of that. So if you're looking at the packet, you can see for many stars what they will be doing at the callback. They will perform the jazz combo taught during part one of the auditions if they were able to practice. They're gonna learn a ballet combo on the spot during callbacks. They will need to have their ballet shoes for that. They are going to learn a tap combination on the spot at their callback. They will need to have tap shoes for that. And then the mini stars will learn a hip hop combo via Dropbox video prior to arriving. So that would be when the callbacks are posted and you click that link. There'll be a link to the Dropbox, and there'll be a link that will have that hip hop tutorial and also uh the jazz combo breakdown, not breakdown, but demon uh just someone doing the jazz combo so they can practice that. So that's mini stars. For Edge, they will do the jazz combo that they learned during part one. They will learn a ballet combo on the spot, they're going to learn a contemporary combo via drop box, they're gonna learn a tap combo on the spot, hip hop from the drop box, fusion, same thing. Jazz from part one, ballet during callbacks on the spot, contemporary from the uh drop box, tap on the spot, hip hop from the drop box, connection for jazz, they'll do the the part one, they will learn a ballet combo on the spot, they will learn a hip hop combo via dropbox, and then for connection, once we finish the hip hop portion, they everyone will be excused except for the dancers that are staying to do to do audition for tap. And you're gonna indicate that on your audition form if they're auditioning for tap company, and then they will learn a combo on the spot. For contemporary, um, and you can see some more details on this um in the packet, but there's going to be a separate audition for contemporary that will take place after uh the results have been posted. So if you do make connection company, then you would have the op the opportunity to audition for a junior teen or senior contemporary company. We do not have a mini contemporary company for connection. Okay, so callback, a few callback notes for jazz. No matter what callback you are attending, you are going to perform the jazz combo that you learned during the first part of the audition process. This is always a concern. So listen carefully. Example, you're 11, and you're gonna be 11 on January 1st, 2027, and you learned the junior jazz combo, but you got a mini callback. Panic ensues. I don't know her coming combo. She doesn't know that one. He doesn't know that one. It's okay. No stress. You're going to perform the junior combo. We know we have all the records, we know who is where. There's never, I don't think there's it's a very, very, very rare occasion, maybe 1% of the time, that we have a dancer that is the only dancer in the room.

Dani Rosenberg 28:31

There will be others in the exact same.

Appropriate Audition Attire

Becca Moore 28:32

Usually there are multiple dancers, like many dancers, because you can be 11 and be in fifth grade, you know, and we also have middle schoolers that are that are in our mini companies sometimes. So we're gonna have plenty of kids in that room. And also, if by chance it did end up that your dancer was the only person, which that's probably not gonna happen, but if it did, we have assistants there to do that with them that they will not have to do it by themselves. No stress. Just practice the combo for your appropriate age group and you will be good to go. Uh, also to save time, we are we do not require proper ballet attire. Proper ballet attire is very, very important. It is always, always, always a requirement when you come to ballet class at Rhythm Dance Center. However, with our auditions, our time is limited. So we just ask that you wear um appropriate dance wear, which we're gonna talk about that next.

Dani Rosenberg 29:27

Yes, we are. What to wear? Uh, dressing the part is really important to us. A neat appearance is very important. And if you look good and feel confident, this will enhance your performance. Um, these are all the great things to pass along to your dancers, too. Uh, if if you're the mom reading this or listening to us, um, make sure your dancer is hearing this information as well. Take a little extra time on your hair or on their hair. Wear something that makes them feel great about themselves. If they're older, makeup is preferred. If they're younger, maybe a little blush or a little glitter or lip gloss is great. Whatever makes them feel great. When you are part of a performing company, your appearance matters. So it's great to show us the best version of yourself when you come in for both parts of the auditions. We will absolutely notice if you make an effort.

Becca Moore 30:09

I'm gonna say that is something that is one of my big things, and we do, like, you know, me and Danny and Katie are the three constants that are always going to be in judging the auditions. We've judged them every year of our lives that we've had for them dance center. And that is just something that stands out so much to me. How you show up. I think that any parent would agree it's just like going to a job interview. I mean, you you dress for the meeting you want. Like, you know, we're not asking them to come in and three-piece suit, obviously. But like it's a dance audition, and you're auditioning for a performing company where you all have to wear makeup and you know, look your best. There's no, you know, there can be no flyaways in your hair. I'm not saying you have to do that, but I think making sure that your dancer has made an effort in their appearance, even if they're already at me, there is nothing that is more disappointing to me than someone who has been in our company for, you know, nine years and they look like they, you know, rolled off the bus and threw on their, you know, black jazz shorts and black sports bra, which I'm not saying that they can't wear that.

Dani Rosenberg 31:22

Go for it if they want to, but like We also, if you've been with us, we we know you. We we see you all the time. So we ex we expect more. Just effort. Just just effort. Effort effort is very noticed, effort is appreciated, and we love nothing more than to see someone. And that becomes a good habit for future. It does become a good habit, and it makes a difference in in the way you everyone knows this. If you're wearing something that you love and that you feel confident in, it can change your personality. You stand up taller, yeah. You you walk in stronger. Like I just think it just it's giving them that extra boost of confidence that they might need to push them to the next level. And I love nothing more than to see somebody coming in looking like 10 out of 10. All right. So part one, the jazz audition. We asked that the girls wear jazz shorts or leggings and a very fitted dance top or a sports bra or a leotard. Guys, please wear pants or shorts and a tank top or t-shirt, no baggy t-shirts and/or tanks, tank tops for any dancers. We just want to see form fitting so we can see their technique, especially in this jazz audition. Everyone should wear jazz shoes or barefoot if they're older dancers for the jazz combination. Please be sure their hair is pulled back and away from their face. Um, if they want to bring a small bag to put things in, that's fine. It is, I will say, it gets pretty crowded in there. When they come in for the jazz audition, they don't need to bring anything in. They just need to come in dressed and ready to go because they're only doing the one thing. Part two, callbacks. When they come back, a little different story. Small bag might be needed. Um, like Becca said, to save time during the audition, we will not be requiring proper ballet attire like we used to in the past. Um, please wear appropriate dance attire. Same as part one when you come in for your callbacks, that you can perform all of the styles in. For all callbacks, they will start with jazz. Um, if they want to add a t-shirt or a hoodie for tap or hip hop, not a problem. But they'll need to be able to do this real quick and like real fast.

Becca Moore 33:17

I will say that we like that as well, like just for hip hop. I also don't love watching kids do hip hop. It's dressing the part of their clothes, it's dressing the part. It will literally take one second. You can even have your child practice doing that on their own. Honestly, I would love that. Because it is pretty quick. Like we're asking them to change pretty quick. So, like, you know, they have that t-shirt and shorts or sweats at a bag, they throw that on really quick, throw their sneakers on.

Dani Rosenberg 33:42

Yes. If they're if if they are doing a tap audition and they throw pants on, just make sure we can see their feet. That's really important to Miss Katie and all of us. Um if you will be attending a callback with multiple styles, you must have the appropriate appropriate shoes for each of those styles and have them readily available to change quickly, like we said. That's when you can bring a small bag, you know, to keep all that stuff in that you'll need and access quickly. For mini stars, your callback, you will need ballet shoes, you will need your jazz shoes, you will need tap shoes, and you will need sneakers. All of those are required. For edge, you will need ballet shoes, jazz shoes, tap shoes, and sneakers. If you would like to use wear barefoot, you know, no shoes for jazz and contemporary, totally fine. Fusion, same as as edge, ballet shoes, jazz shoes, tap shoes, and sneakers. Barefoot for contemporary is fine. Connection, you'll need ballet shoes, jazz shoes, and sneakers. Barefoot is acceptable for older only. Connection tap company, you will have to have tap shoes. Contemporary is barefoot. Um, totally fine. Tap shoes are not an option. If you are auditioning for any company that will evolve tap, you must have tap shoes.

Audition Results

Acceptance Letters & Registration for New Company

Company Schedules for 2026-2027

Summer Intensives

Becca Moore 34:47

I mean, and as you know or you likely know, rhythm is a very big tap studio. Tap is a very, very important part of our culture at rhythm and also part of our training. So auditioning at rhythm with no tap shoes is not, it's not gonna be an option. So if they don't have tap shoes, hopefully they can borrow them from someone or you could purchase a pair. But we do ask that they have tap shoes. Same with ballet shoes. If you don't, if you're not wearing ballet shoes for the ballet part of the audition, I'm gonna question that. It's sending a message. Yeah. I think there's a little more flexibility on jazz shoes, obviously, for all the olders. I mean, for our minis, we prefer jazz shoes. But if you're a mini and you've never like, because we have some mini stars that maybe have never even taken a full jazz class before. So if you don't have jazz shoes and you can't borrow them, wear your ballet shoes. Ballet shoes or Fairfoot is gonna be okay with us. But I think where we're really gonna be strict is having the ballet shoes and the tap shoes for any of those. That's where we're gonna be strict. Okay, moving on to audition results. Audition results will be posted on our website no later than Tuesday, May 5th, 2026. And again, that company audition page on our website, that is going to be the hub. The hub. That is gonna be where you find out everything, making sure that your dancer knows their number and you know your dancer's number is gonna be really important. We're never gonna post a name, we're only gonna post the number. So make sure that you keep that. And um, that's where we will list all the new companies by number. And once the results are posted, we will send an email to everyone with official invitations, acceptance letter, acceptance letters, and letters of commitment. Um, if we do not think you're ready for one of our performing companies, you will also get an email as well. But obviously, your number will not be posted on the website if that is the case. Okay, next steps. If you are accepted as a member of our 2627 performing company, your next steps are as follows. You will need to be registered for our 2627 season um no later than Thursday, May 21st. We hope to begin registration no later than early May. And there's going to be more registration, uh, information on registration available in the coming weeks. So you're gonna you're gonna get all that information, but just know that when you get your email, it's gonna have some more information about how to register, what your schedule is gonna be, and also just to remind you that you do have to be registered by Thursday, May 21st to secure the deal. And we we do not have our season 34 schedule available yet. Uh it's going to be out hopefully early May, maybe a little sooner. To get an idea of what the our performing company schedule is like, we suggest you look at the current schedule. We always say we start our schedule where we finish. Like, for example, if we would love to never change our schedule, you guys. It would save us literally hours and hours and hours, but that's never been the case because it's not just about what our schedule is, it's about a giant puzzle piece with all of our teachers. We may have a teacher that their schedule changes, or they can't do Wednesdays anymore, and they've always done Wednesdays, and now they can only do Tuesdays or whatever it may be. So um also we've had to change schedule during class sizes due to possibly having middle schoolers and an elementary group. So just know that we are gonna start with that current schedule that we currently have to um, and that is gonna be a good indication of what the schedule could be like. You know, the the more, the higher the level, the more days you'll be here. I will say that Edge and Fusion is both here three days a week. Um, Edge usually is it's longer, later hours. Um connection. I think we start with two days a week for the the main classes, but if you're in tap or contemporary company, you're usually adding a third day as well. Yes. Um many stars are here two days a week. Okay. Summer intensive info. If you're chosen as a member of uh one of our companies, you will be required to attend a summer intensive. These are mandatory for all dancers, no options, no other options are available, no makeups are available. If you have any concern or conflict, it needs to be addressed via the audition form. Um, and we will contact you about that. Um and we don't make any exceptions. So if you're gonna be new to company and you're auditioning for fusion and you're you've already paid for this fantastic, amazing, wonderful vacation in Europe and you can't get your money back. I'm sorry, but you're not gonna be able to do fusion this year. So just know that like there's not there's not an exception if you're new. And if you're in company, it's very rare and it would probably be made one time and then never again. It is the only commitment we require for our dancers in the summer. So it's just it's non, it's a non-negotiable. So you don't make orthodontist appointments during that week. You don't have grandma come in town for the day, and your dancer has to spend the day. You are gonna need to look at these dates and completely block them off to be available for these um times. For Edge, it's August 5th through the 9th. It is, it is actually edge intensive, it's always after school begins. So we do it Wednesday, Thursday, Friday after school, and then Saturday and Sunday are full days. The reason we do that is because Edge has a really big summer commitment, um, because we do nationals every summer. So they have a big rehearsal and then they have their nationals out of town. Fusion is July 27th through the 30th, Monday through Thursday, those are very full days. Connection, July 20th through the 23rd, Monday through Thursday, those are also very full days. And then if you are in Connection Tap Company or Contemporary Company, obviously your day would be a little longer because you would have that. Mini Stars, July 27th through the 30th, Monday through Thursday. Those are like half days, I would say. Um, so that is your that's all about results and summer intensive.

Dani Rosenberg 41:01

up on that is your performing company commitment and expectations. If you were invited to become a member of one of the companies, both parent and answer will be required to sign a letter of commitment and pay your non-refundable deposit by Thursday, May 21st as well. Just remember that date. There's a lot happening on that date. If you do not officially decline via email our invitation and have not already registered and paid by this date, your card on file will automatically be charged. We will assume you were on board and you're excited to do it. We will charge your card on file unless you tell us otherwise prior to May 21st. Uh acceptance deposits, these are due no later than the 21st. For Mini Stars, it's $350. For connection, it's $350. If they're in Tap Company and or Contemporary Company, it's an additional $100 respectively. For Fusion, it's $450. For Edge, it's $600. These deposits will be applied to your personal company account and will be used for costumes, towards costumes, conventions, choreography, and the entry fees for the 26-27 season. So that money is going straight into your account. Teamware, if you are invited to be a member of the company, you will be required to have branded teamware. You will need to place your order once the information is available following the posting of results. And this information will be emailed to you. The cost is approximately $300, and that'll include jacket, pants, bag, bag tag, whatever it is we're doing. Withdrawal policy and penalty. If your dancer has to withdraw from Rhythm Dance Nurse Performing Company after May 21st for any reason at all, whether that's they have no desire to dance anymore, financial obligations, school, injury, the following penalties will be applied to your account. Between May 21st and the first day of their summer intensive, uh there is a $200 penalty for mini stars, $175 for connection. It goes up if you're in Connection Tap andor Contemporary Company, $250 for Fusion and $300 for Edge. Between the first day of the intensive and August 31st, that penalty goes up for each of those companies. And then after September 1st, it would be a $100 per month will be added to that penalty to that last penalty that you saw. So in addition, you will be responsible for all fees that have been paid out of the company account up to that point, depending when you have to withdraw. One more note if a student withdraws after any part of costume design andor creation has begun, no refunds will be provided for associated cost. Meaning if we've already purchased fabric or embellishments or stones or the sewing has already started or cutting, you will be responsible for all of that.

Becca Moore 43:24

And I think that all of that is just again, you got to the first thing we said. The very first thing we said, this is this is a really big commitment, both time-wise and financially for your dancer, but also for your family. So it needs to be a family discussion and it needs to make sense for your family. You can't say, well, you know, I have two other kids that are in baseball. Okay, great. That's great that they're in baseball, but you decided to be in dance. So you have to be able to fulfill all of those commitments.

Dani Rosenberg 43:53

And I think sometimes there are unavoidable things, whether you're moving or an injury, or an entry dance or finish. We totally understand. That and we feel for them and for you. But at the same time, because it is a team sport, it does affect the rest of the team, and we have to spend and our faculty has to spend time fixing things and readjusting and all that. So it really is important that you fulfill your commitment or understand the withdrawal policy.

Next Steps

Becca Moore 44:17

Yes. So just make sure that you talk to your dancer and your family about all of that stuff. Okay. Wrapping up this part one, which is the audition podcast. Um, this hopefully told you everything you need to know about the audition process and the basics. Thank you so much for listening and thank you for your interest in Rhythms Performing Company. We um really are truly excited for this time of year, and we love the energy that the dancers bring to the auditions. It's always a really, really fun week. Um, and there's so much positive energy in the space. So it's really great. Okay, so next steps for you. You can scan the QR code in this packet or click the link to the company your dancer is auditioning for. So once you click that link, you're gonna be required to fill out your name, your email, and your dancer's name to gain access to that podcast. This is gonna serve as our indication that you have listened to all the info and understand all the requirements and expectations of the specific company. If you aren't sure, you should listen to multiple. This will bring you more context and also help you with decisions. After you listen to the appropriate podcast, you can submit any questions you have via our auditions QA form. And then we're gonna record a podcast answering all of your questions that are submitted, and that new podcast will be released on March 30th. So I think that, you know, uh, like I said, just making sure that you listen to the podcast, listen, take notes, read through everything, and and really try to get a full grasp of everything and anything that you feel like we haven't touched on, which there is certainly I'm sure there are things we have not touched on that may be confusing. We're happy, happy to go back and explain. A lot of times people have questions that are just specific to their child. So we are more than happy to answer any of those questions. Um, you can send it, send the question to I think we would prefer that you submit the questions to the answer it. And then if there's something you know that's very specific, you can always email rdcauditions at gmail.com. So that's it. Thank you so much for your interest and Rhythm Dance Center's performing company. We are looking forward to the audition process and our 34th season, and we will see you soon. Thank you. Bye.