Many American dancers dream of dancing and residing in Europe. The tradition is wealthy, the humanities are extra supported, and dance jobs often include larger pay, advantages and extra stability. So, it’s no surprise some dancers forego the freelance life within the U.S. for a life overseas.
But how do you go about getting a dance job in Europe? What’s the audition course of like, and how will you make a house for your self in an unknown place? In a brand new three-part collection, How to navigate your European audition tour, Dance Informa speaks with three American dancers at present dancing professionally in Europe about their story and invaluable insights into the European audition tour course of. First up is Emily Wohl, a dancer initially from New Jersey, who’s now dancing with Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, Germany.
Emily Wohl – @e_wohl
Background
“I started dancing in New Jersey, the place I educated largely in ballet till I used to be 18. I then attended Princeton University, the place I studied Molecular Biology and Dance. I used to be really planning on making use of to medical college after commencement however realized that I wished to proceed dancing. After graduating in 2016, I freelanced in NYC for a 12 months — doing initiatives, taking lessons and workshops, working a number of jobs, and attempting to see if the NYC freelance scene was for me. I attended Movement Invention Project and met Alexandra Wells. She provided me a spot within the inaugural 12 months of the Hubbard Street Professional Program, and I moved to Chicago the subsequent month. After a 12 months at HSPro, I continued on as an apprentice with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. While in Chicago, I related with Peter Chu, who had been choreographing at Staatstheater Augsburg in Germany. They had been looking for dancers, and I used to be in a position to audition by way of movies. I used to be provided a contract for the next season and moved to Europe in 2019. I spent three years dancing in Augsburg earlier than transferring to my present firm, Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, Germany.
Moving from the NYC freelance scene to a extra structured firm setting was positively an adjustment. In New York, I used to be in control of my schedule, and since I didn’t attend a dance conservatory, my faculty expertise was comparable; I organized my dance programs, scholar teams and extracurricular initiatives round my educational work. I loved the liberty and familiarity of any such versatile schedule, but I craved construction.
Moving to Chicago gave me this construction and allowed me to commit extra time to coaching and determining what I wished to do subsequent. During a typical week, I danced from about 10am-6pm, Monday via Friday, after which labored three or 4 different jobs at evening and on weekends. My 12 months apprenticing with Hubbard Street satisfied me that I wished to work in a dance firm with any such schedule and construction, however with out working the additional jobs. I began dreaming about transferring to Europe, particularly Germany, the place there are such a lot of firms and alternatives to earn an honest residing as a dancer. Most German cities have theaters which might be funded by the town or the state, and whereas dancers right here should not wealthy by any means, it’s doable to dwell comfortably. Dancers even have an array of social advantages — medical health insurance, pensions, long-term paid maternity/paternity depart and so forth — which are sometimes laborious to return by in North American firms.
My present schedule in Germany is much like that of Hubbard Street’s, which made the transition smoother. We work 10am-5:30pm, Monday via Friday, and 10am-2pm on some Saturdays. An enormous distinction is that we carry out consistently all through the season. In the U.S., firms and initiatives usually rehearse for a bit of time after which carry out the work over one or two weekends. In Germany, we usually carry out not less than as soon as every week, oftentimes extra. Each manufacturing additionally lasts for much longer; sure reveals will run for 4 or 5 months. This implies that at sure factors within the season, you may be performing 4 or 5 totally different reveals (dance, musicals, operas, operettas, and many others.). It took a while to get used to the late nights performing frequently. Things are additionally way more regulated. The legal guidelines surrounding our contracts are very particular, and usually, I really feel like dancers have extra rights.”
Audition tour recommendation
“I did an audition tour in January/February of 2018. Before I went on my journey, Europe felt extraordinarily inaccessible to me. I’d by no means been to Europe earlier than, and felt anxious about touring alone and anxious with the price of the journey. Once I arrived, although, I discovered it a lot simpler to navigate and arrange. Before leaving, I like to recommend taking time to analysis firms and having a basic thought of what you need your journey to appear like. Look into each firm you’re all in favour of, and attain out to them about taking class, doing a personal audition or attending a public audition. Most firms are actually open to guests becoming a member of for firm class, and when you have the possibility to fulfill an organization’s director, make sure that to introduce your self. In sure conditions, they could ask you to indicate them one thing, but when not, you’ll be able to ask for a minute of their time. Don’t be afraid to succeed in out to dancers you understand who work in Europe. I discovered that folks had been very keen to assist join me with different dancers in addition to with administrators and directors.
While it’s essential to get organized earlier than you depart, I feel flexibility must be prioritized whereas touring, which isn’t one thing I anticipated. There had been some moments on my journey the place I’d obtain an e mail letting me know I may come audition every week or much less earlier than the audition date. This burdened me out quite a bit at first as a result of I felt like my plans had been crumbling, however ultimately, among the extra spontaneous journeys I took had been probably the most memorable and fruitful. It helps that the practice and transportation programs all through Europe are so accessible, reasonably priced and dependable. I purchased a 10-day journey card that allowed me to take any trains on any of the ten days that I selected. You may join a trial low cost practice card in Germany that permits you to save as much as 50 p.c on each practice ticket bought. While I used to be touring, I stayed in hostels, Airbnbs and some residences utilizing the Couchsurfing app. Now that I’m in Europe, I can see the community that exists right here between the dancers. There are at all times individuals keen to let buddies of buddies keep on their couches.
Making connections whereas touring could be tremendous rewarding. If you’re touring alone, making a brand new pal can really feel like a breath of contemporary air, and I’ve discovered that it occurs actually naturally on an audition tour. Before I left for Europe, I posted my journey particulars on social media. I used to be in a position to meet up and reconnect with individuals I hadn’t seen in years who had been additionally touring. I additionally ended up assembly dancers at an audition in a single metropolis after which staying in contact and sharing Airbnbs and hostels with them in different cities. Bonding over a cup of espresso after getting lower from an audition could make a traumatic audition expertise really feel lighter. These connections may come again years later. When I moved to Augsburg, I realized that one of many dancers I’d met on my journey via a mutual pal had additionally gotten a contract there. We ended up residing collectively for 3 years and turning into actually shut buddies. And over the course of my time in Augsburg, one other three dancers who I had met years earlier than started working with me. We all say that the dance world is small, nevertheless it appeared a lot greater after I first traveled to Europe. Leaving the North American dance bubble introduced with it numerous new individuals. Slowly, I started to understand that the community actually does prolong worldwide. It’s via real, usually serendipitous, connections that I’ve discovered work and, extra importantly, long-lasting friendships and creative collaborators.
Companies usually publish on web sites like au-di-tions.com or Instagram accounts like @danceauditionss, so these are a great place to start out. German theaters publish most of their positions on both buehnenjobs.de or tanznetz.de/de/supply, and numerous firms additionally publish about auditions on their web sites. Some may not publish, so if it’s an organization you’re actually all in favour of, you’ll be able to at all times attain out and see if they’ve info. Because there are such a lot of firms in Europe, it’s laborious to seek out out about all of them. A great way to find firms is to take a look at the biographies of the dancers in an organization you do learn about.
Another piece of recommendation I’ve is to avoid wasting your receipts. The dearer transactions on the journey (flights, housing, and many others.) usually ship e mail copies, however save the small issues, too! With groceries, meals out, public transportation, museum entry tickets and anything, you’ll doubtless solely obtain a bodily receipt. If you do find yourself getting a job throughout the journey, you’ll be able to declare all of those prices in your German tax return and more than likely on your own home nation’s as effectively.
If you’re interested in working in Europe and may work out a method to save sufficient cash, I positively advocate visiting. Although I didn’t get a contract on my audition tour in 2018, the journey ignited one thing inside me. I knew this was what I wished my subsequent step to be, and I used to be in a position to see that it was doable. Of course, some dancers have the other response. They go to Europe and notice it’s not for them. Visiting will provide you with a greater sense of what you need.”
Evolution of dance
“I moved to Germany and spent the primary six months adjusting to my new life. Then, COVID modified all the things. We went into lockdowns, and most of my time was spent inside my tiny condo. Slowly, life right here has began to really feel like a brand new regular, however I do suppose the dance world has shifted and advanced.
I’ve felt a shift within the collective consciousness of dancers’ rights and our positions within the theaters. Months of quarantine supplied time and necessity for dancers to develop into extra conscious of our rights and our collective power. Many dancers have develop into extra energetic within the German dancers’ union, and teams like Dancers Connect — a gaggle based in 2017 (which gained nonprofit standing in 2022) that goals to offer a platform for dancers from theaters throughout Germany to advertise dialogue, self-education and motion in the direction of motion –– have gained visibility and help.
The pandemic has additionally affected the audition course of. Today, firms usually choose fewer dancers (based mostly on CVs, cowl letters and video reels) for his or her auditions or maintain a lot smaller, non-public auditions over the course of some weeks. Over the previous few seasons, some auditions have even been held on Zoom and different video platforms, which was nice for individuals residing in different nations who wouldn’t have been in a position to journey. More firms at the moment are additionally asking dancers to study and movie materials earlier than inviting them to audition. I auditioned for Staatstheater Augsburg by video, however on the time, this was actually uncommon. While I do see that the majority firms are transitioning again to the outdated system of auditioning with extra giant open calls, I feel the pandemic opened administrators up to the thought of utilizing know-how to audition dancers.”
By Charly Santagado of Dance Informa.
