Preparing to Audition

What to Wear

  • Female identifying dancers | Leotard (black recommended), flesh or pink tights and ballet shoes. All hair must be prepared in a bun prior to the audition.  
  • Male identifying dancers | T-shirt (black or white), tights, jazz pants or shorts, ballet shoes.  
  • Non-binary identifying dancers | Form fitting athletic clothing (dark bottoms, black or white top) and ballet shoes. All hair must be neatly prepared and pulled away from the face prior to the audition. 

Students should arrive at Joffrey Tower dressed in their dancewear with hair already prepared, a small bag for their shoes, warm-ups, water, and a lunch. Please be mindful of our limited space and send your student with only what is necessary for the audition. We encourage students not to bring valuables to the audition. 

Before the Audition

  • Please do not arrive more than 1 hour prior to your scheduled audition time.  We want to be prepared to welcome each dancer to the Joffrey, but we have to get ready first! 
  • Parents may accompany dancers as far as the lobby of Joffrey Tower. Dancers will be escorted up the elevator to the studios by Joffrey Staff and Volunteers only. 
  • Joffrey Staff will verify each dancer’s height prior to admission to the audition. Height parameters are strict (there are costumes and props our artistic team must consider) and dancers will only be permitted to audition in groups for which they meet both the height and age requirements. 
  • Dancers attending General Audition #3 should bring lunch to eat.  Dancers will not be permitted to leave the studios to get food during the audition period. 

During the Audition

  • Dancers should have ballet training.  
  • Dancers will be asked to learn and perform Children's Cast choreography in groups.  
  • Dancers will be selected based on technical, artistic, and performance ability.  
  • Some dancers may be released from the audition early and others may be asked to stay for additional auditions. Being released from an audition or being asked to stay does not indicate a casting decision.  With so many dancers to see, sometimes it takes a long time for our Rehearsal Directors to get to know a dancer, and other times it happens quite quickly. 
  • Dancers attending General Audition #3 will have a break to eat lunch. Dancers will not be permitted to leave the studios to get food at during the audition period. 

After the Audition

  • Casting decisions will be distributed via email no later than Friday, September 15. 
  • Casting decisions are at the sole discretion of the Artistic Faculty. All casting decisions are final.