Updated: January 5, 2026 – Happy New Year everyone!

The day has finally arrived! Summer intensive auditions! You’ve been waiting for this day (or days) since your dancer came home from last summer’s intensive. Or, maybe this is your first go ‘round with the audition season. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned ballet lobby sitting parent, we’ve got some suggestions for things to do and not to do. Parents, this is for you and your dancers.

Parents/Dancers: Arrival & Preparation

Walking into the lobby of an audition venue can be scary. There are tons of dancers milling around and you usually don’t know exactly where to go or what to do. So, before we get into the nuts and bolts of things to consider while the audition is happening, let’s talk about the lead-up. 

The most important thing your dancer should do prior to (like one or two days before) the audition, is to review the requirements and make sure everything has been done. Have your dancer do this, not you. You are not doing the audition, your dancer is, so they need to be responsible for the preparation. Plus, it’s never too early to learn a bit of independence – they’ll need it once they head out for the summer.

Much of what we’re going to cover comes from our own experiences as well as advice we got from several older dancers. They spent years attending summer intensive auditions and accumulated a lot of knowledge during that time. Let’s get into it.

Clothes and Appearance

Some auditions have a dress code. If they do, follow them. Now is not the time to go against the grain. If the program doesn’t have a dress code, dancers we spoke with suggested that students wear something that makes them feel great about themselves. One dancer pointed out that you should not let your clothes speak for you. 

The goal is to look put together. Wear something that makes you feel good. This dancer also gave us a pro-tip for auditions that don’t require a dress code. She said that often, people will try to wear the most gorgeous leotard that they have. Her recommendation? Wear all black or black and white. Why? No one does this and you’ll stand out without having to worry about what everyone else is wearing. Plus, most dancers look great in black!

Also, per our dancer panel – no holes in your shoes or tights! Be put together and professional. It’s not cute or funny to be that one dancer who looks like they just rolled out of bed. And, skip the heavy makeup and jewelry. It’s just a distraction.

This next suggestion goes without saying, but dancers, do your hair so it looks good not only when you arrive, but also when you leave class. And guys, keep your hands out of your hair  – it will make you look disheveled by the end.

Checking In

One thing that ballet schools expect, from a young age, is a certain level of independence and maturity. A great way to work on this is at check-in for auditions. We always followed this rule: Let your dancer do the check-in by themselves. 

You are not going with them to the summer intensive and so they need to be able to do this basic task on their own. If you feel compelled to stand in line with your dancer, please don’t speak for them. They’re capable of doing this themselves — let them.

Second, there will be hiccups. Let your dancer handle them. It’s usually fairly basic stuff like they don’t have any record of your registration or they lost your photo. Give them the opportunity to solve the problem and only step in if they ask for help.

As an aside, your dancer should always have their registration receipt along with additional copies of their photos when they check in. 

Parents: Embrace Lobby Talk

I can see it now – forty students, not a hair out of place, trash bag pants cinched tight, vests zipped, all lined up to show those adjudicators what they’ve got. The doors open and off they go. That’s the last you’ll see of your kids for the next 120 minutes.

So, you’ve got two hours to kill. Unless you’re a much better planner than I, you will likely have parked yourself in the lobby to wait. Do you pull out a book or pop in some headphones and watch a movie? Maybe, but you’re missing a golden opportunity to meet people. Why not go chat some people up? You never know whom you might click with. I’ll never forget when I was sitting in the lobby of San Francisco Ballet when Sam was a newly minted 12 year old and could finally audition for the “real” intensives. And, let me tell you. I. Was. Terrified. I didn’t know anyone, I had no idea how the real auditions worked and I didn’t even know how we would find out if he got in. 

So, since I didn’t know anything, I figured I had nothing to lose. I happened to sit down next to another mom and introduced myself. As luck would have it, she also had a son who was auditioning. And, it turned out that this kid was already wildly successful in musical theater. In fact, he was there because he was part of the national tour of a major Broadway musical. We had a fascinating conversation about boys in the arts and she ended up inviting us to one of the performances while they were in San Francisco. Would you believe that all these years later, we’re still friends?

You just never know what will happen when you simply sit down with someone and strike up a conversation. You may end up becoming lifelong friends. Or, you may just have a great 90 minute chat and that’s it. Either way, nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

Also, there are a lot of really good dancers out there. The lobby of a summer intensive audition is not the time to be letting everyone else know just how great your kid is. I know that sounds harsh, but please leave the descriptions of past scholarships, fabulous grades, what an overachiever your kid is and all the awards they’ve gotten from competitions at home. The odds are that most parents in that room all have kids like that. Overachievement is synonymous with ballet, so just remember that when you’re chatting with other parents.

Dancers: The Audition

Ok, dancers, you’ve checked in and been herded upstairs to await the audition. Let’s talk etiquette before, during and after class!

Before the Audition

We know that everyone has their own warm-up routine and that’s fine. And, we know that some dancers prefer to go into their own world when getting ready. Again, totally fine. But, it’s really in your best interest to be friendly and strike up a conversation with some of the other dancers. Who knows – one of them may end up as your roommate that summer. 

That’s not a hypothetical. The dancer that went ahead of my son during the jumps portion of an audition ended up being his roommate at ABT Orange County that summer. And, just having chatted a bit at the audition added some familiarity to the first few days of the program. 

Another tip from our dancer panel: they’ve all experienced this – the dancer who tried to intimidate others. It can be anything from comments from someone about your outfit to what one of the dancers described as the ‘intimidations stretch” to let them know just how flexible he is. None of this works and you just look like a jerk. And, if your dancer is on the receiving end of this, walk away. They just don’t need that bad juju at the beginning of class.

During Class

Audition classes are usually crowded, so be sure to practice basic etiquette during the audition. Talking during an audition is a big no-no and some teachers have told us that’s a deal breaker when it comes to admission. Kids who talk during class come off as disrespectful and no one wants that. So, be chatty before and after class, but once that music starts, it’s time to quiet down.

We spoke with a few adjudicators who also told us that dancers don’t always have to get to the front in order to be seen. One teacher assured us that she sees all the kids – even the ones in the back. However, she also noted that if kids were consistently hanging out in the back, that would also be something she noticed. So, be smart about where you stand in class. 

One adjudicator we spoke with also pointed out that she looks at non-ballet related behavior. Are you courteous to your fellow students? Do you step in front of another student just to get seen? Most adjudicators have been running audition classes for years and they sometimes look for a “cultural fit” when considering admission. While being nice and courteous may not always be recognized (since it’s kind of expected), you can be certain that the opposite type of behavior will not go unnoticed.

Another question we always get is whether or not a student should feel comfortable raising their hand during an audition class to ask for clarification on something. The answer from those we spoke with is, generally, yes. 

But, dancers we spoke with were a little blunter. They said, “Think before you ask.” What they meant by that was that before you ask a question, see if it’s something you can figure out on your own. And, they also said that if you ask a question that shows you simply weren’t paying attention, it can backfire on you. 

Our dancer panel had a few other pro-tips for those auditioning. First, ALWAYS know your audition number. That number is how adjudicators line students up. The dancers we spoke with all had stories of that one person who was missing from the line because they didn’t know the number they were wearing. 

Another tip was to know the number just above you and just below you. That way, if you get lost during a line change, it’s easy to jump back in rather than wandering around looking at everyone’s number to see where you’re supposed to be. 

Another tip they gave us was to check your facial expressions and body language. Adjudicators want to see your personality. So, let it shine through. Students who are scowling or hunched over or hanging out in the back sends the message that they don’t want to be there. You don’t have to have a Broadway grin 100% of the time. But, pay attention to how you present yourself – it matters.

Before You Leave Class

At the end of class, you’re probably tired and just a little emotionally all over the place! But, don’t forget to leave things on a positive note both with the teacher as well as the pianist. Always, always, always thank both of them. This is non-negotiable. I don’t care if you’re about to pee in your tights. Thank them before you leave.

Finally, if you had a good conversation, or even a brief chat with any other students, don’t forget to trade social media contacts. As we’ve mentioned so many times, it’s never too early to start building those connections. You will likely see a lot of these faces over and over again if you stay in the ballet world.

Finally, pat yourself on the back – it takes guts to go to these auditions. They say Nutcracker is the hardest time of a dancer’s year. I’d argue that for students, it’s SI audition season that wins the high-stress prize.

Parents: The Ride Home

So, the real question we all want to ask after the audition class is: “Do you think you got in?” When Sam would come out of an audition, I darn near had to tape my mouth shut to avoid asking this. As we all know, teenagers will talk when they’re ready. 

I’ve had car rides home where Sam has recited, chapter and verse, everything that happened in an audition. I’ve also had car rides with him where the only response to my question about how an audition went was “fine.” From there, it was headphones on and dead silence all the way home.

If you do want to get your dancer talking, open ended questions are always good. “What did you think of the class?” “Tell me about the vibe of the class.” “What interesting things happened in class?” “What did you and the other students talk about before you went in?” “Who was there that you knew?”

These are all pretty inoffensive questions that could help jump start a conversation. But sometimes kids just don’t want to talk and that’s ok and needs to be respected.

And, here, we have another tip from dancers who have been there. Most importantly, they said to not deviate from your family’s norm. Some families, especially those with kids in competitive sports, may be all about the post-game debrief. If that’s normal for your family, by all means, do that. But, if debriefs are not part of the routine, now is not the time to start that. Just know your kid and let them lead the way in when they want to talk.

Establishing Rituals

Both Jenny and I had long standing rituals with our kids. Jenny had a secret handshake she did with her daughter before she went into the audition class. And, after every audition, Jenny and her daughter would go get frozen yogurt. 

I have an exceptionally superstitious kid so we had many, many rituals. Admittedly, I am equally as superstitious, so we were a terrible pair when it came to auditions. Our rituals involved Spotify playlists, where we parked car, where we went for after-audition meals and even what we ordered. Sam would even leave his audition number pinned to his shirt under his sweatshirt and it would not be removed until we arrived home.

Yes, I know. He sounds crazy. And, it was a bit crazy. But there was some comfort in the familiarity of what we did during those audition years and I look back fondly on that time. 

We’re not saying to do what Sam and I did. That’s pretty over the top. And, unless you are as superstitious as I am or as Sam is, it’s not necessary. But, rituals help keep some consistency for both you and your dancer. And, in this crazy ballet world, a little consistency can go a long way. 

We’ve also got two interviews with adjudicators of summer intensive auditions. Tune in to hear from Kelly Myernick from Houston Ballet Academy as well as from Lauren Fadeley-Veyette, who was with the Kansas City Ballet School at the time we conducted the interview. They covered everything from what they like to see in an in-person audition to how they handle video auditions to what they think of auditions like the National Summer Intensive Audition. 

We are exceptionally biased when it comes to both of these extraordinary teachers, but we also know that they offer a ton of knowledge and expertise that will help your dancers. Stay tuned!