Back in the Game

Lindsay Live | Oct 13, 2009 | 0

Me as a young dancer before a performance of "The Nutcracker"

A few months ago, I had an epiphany. After an inspiring photo shoot with Richard Calmes ( www.richardcalmes.com), I realized I needed to dance, act and perform again, so I immediately got myself into gear. If you know me,  you know that when I commit something, I do it wholeheartedly and dive in headfirst, even if it's a little bit scary. And that's exactly what I did with this new goal. Without wasting any time, I had some headshots taken, got myself an agent and waited anxiously for my first casting.

Then I got the call. My agent told me to be at Ripley Grier Studios in Manhattan on Saturday morning, 10 a.m. ready to dance. "No problem," I said. "I'll be there!"

I didn't know what to expect. It had been a while since my last audition, which was mostly likely for a ballet summer program - much different than auditioning for a Broadway show. That's right, a Broadway show! I was nervous, but managed to somehow keep my cool as I entered the studio and started to warm up...

Then they called us in. It was a very small audition, no more than 12 girls, all of whom were very well trained in ballet. We were taught a pretty long piece of choreography from the show, which we performed one at a time. (Talk about diving in headfirst! It's my first audition back and already I'm doing difficult Broadway choreography alone for a panel of extremely important people?? I almost couldn't believe it myself.)

Then, a few of us were asked to execute a triple pirouette (I was one of those people, which I think is a good sign!), and then asked to recite a few lines. I gave it my all, no holds barred, and walked out feeling like I couldn't have expected anything more of myself for my inaugural casting. I had a few minor bobbles here and there, but overall no major mishaps. Even more importantly than that, I had fun. I felt like I was supposed to be there.

I haven't heard anything back yet, and I'm certainly not getting my hopes up. It's not like the old days when I'd cry for hours if I got rejected or wait-listed for a summer program. However, being older in this industry is a double edged sword. The pro is that I don't take myself nearly as seriously and I have way more life experience to draw into my performing. And the con is just that - being older. My body doesn't work the same as it did when I was 16, and soreness sets in more quickly and more easily. Now more than ever I realize how important it is to stay fit, keep working on increasing my stamina, and take care of any minor pain before it becomes a full-blown injury. Like Martha Graham once said, your body is your instrument.

I plan on keeping mine well tuned as I gear up for my next audition. I'm officially back in the game and it feels great!

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Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Enthusiast, Performance (all tags)