Is this the way dance is in education?

Question:

Is this the way dance is in education?

My daughter recently tried out for a spot on a university dance team. Because of a scheduling conflict the tryouts were cut short. Her solo was cut off after only 15 seconds, as were many others. It seems as though the people in charge of the auditions either don't know what they are doing, don't care about what they are doing, or they had their decision made before the dancers auditioned. Maybe they just didn't think she has the right body structure. She is only 5"4. She loves dance and was very successful in high school. She has fabulous leadership abilities and wants to teach dance. By the way, her dance teacher was great and she was short too. Is appearance everything? If you are a person who has experience in these matters, please clue me in on it.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: There are lots of possibilities, but I can share what I've experienced. It's possible the university teachers value a different style of dance from what your daughter has trained in (the university I danced at looked for strong modern and ballet technique, and lots of great jazz dancers were cast aside). It's possible, like you mentioned, that the team has already been somewhat decided on. In some cases, appearance makes a big difference (ie. if you're attending a Disney audition), but if anything, being very tall will be more of a problem than being short. I know lots of professional dancers who are shorter than 5'4"! It's possible that it's a case of big fish/small pond syndrome: being a good dancer is unfortunately very relative. A person can be the best dancer at their studio, then go to an audition where there are 200 other best dancers from other studios, and all of a sudden there's a lot of competition.

If it really bothers your daughter, she could make an appointment with one of the people in charge and find out what she could have done to improve her chances. It's a sensitive subject--best if she asks (not you), and she'll have better luck if she asks for constructive criticism.

What I've found out over the years is that you can't take audition results personally...they're based on personal opinion. Some people will think your daughter is a great dancer, and others won't, and their opinions are based on a lot of variables. It's discouraging, but it doesn't mean anything, and certainly doesn't mean she can't be a dance teacher.