I'm Confident in Myself, My Body, My Actions, and My Decisions

I’ve always loved & admired Brinn Nicole @lovebrinnnicole. Brinn is an LA-based professional choreographer & dancer who instructs heels #pumpfidence classes & has danced for a long list of A-list celebs. I've admired her performance, style, & confidence (& more) since I was in college in 2013. I would watch her videos in my college apartment & try to imitate her dance style in my mirror.

In 2018, she announced that she was hosting a small group intensive for dancers. As soon as I heard that I knew I had to go. I was scared s h i t l e s s. I could dance in heels, but I had no formal heels training. I just knew that I loved her energy & her performance skills & I HAD to learn from her. I pulled out my credit card, & made the decision right then & there that I was going.

If I wasn’t stressed enough about this intensive already, I missed my first flight (LOL) & my luggage got lost on the way to LA. It was a four day intensive that consisted of mostly dancing & training in heels for 5 hours per day. 

The first day was the HARDEST. I had no formal training in heels, just a few classes prior, so my ankles were not as strong as they should have been. Dancing in heels is WAY different than dancing in sneakers. By the end of the first day, my ankles were shaking & even gave out a couple times. It was a HUMBLING experience to say the least. I kept going. I showed up the next day ready to learn & soak in all the knowledge I possibly could from Brinn.

By the end of the intensive on day 4, I was a stronger dancer, performer, & person. My ankles, & mind, stayed strong throughout the rest of the intensive. Even though I was completely out of my comfort zone & inexperienced, I came out better for it. I built confidence through inspired action, trusted my body to carry me through, acted on my desire to train with Brinn, & decided I could do it. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

6 TOP TIPS TO PREP FOR DANCE TEAM AUDITIONS

TIP #5 (OF 6)

Fitness:

• You want to look & feel your ABSOLUTE best! 

• I decided to do the FITNESS bucket AFTER the DIET bucket because abs are built in the kitchen!! It’s true. If you neglect your diet, you won’t SEE results as best as you could if you paired diet and fitness together.

  • That being said, the two are not mutually exclusive. I am strictly talking about these topics regarding dance team auditions!! I am ALLLL about WORKING OUT, MOVING YOUR BODY, and STAYING ACTIVE to FEEL GOOD!!!! And not to LOOK like a Barbie unless that’s your perogative!!! ALL BODIES ARE SEXY!

  • Ok now that we have that cleared up….

• For dance team auditions, you want to be in the best shape of your life. There are two reasons why: STAMINA & APPEARANCE. 

  • STAMINA: Dance endurance is HUGE!!! You should be able to dance 1-2 minute dances FULL OUT, HIGH ENERGY, BIG ENOUGH for the person at the TOP of the arena to see you! 

    • Dancing is its own BEAST! Dancing full out and doing any other form of cardio are not equal. This goes back to why dance training is so important!

  • APPEARANCE: this is sometimes the hard truth. If you are a pro dancer, you WILL most likely be dancing in form fitting outfits, including half tops, shorts, leggings, strapless tops, and more. You will most likely have expectations from your team to keep up physical fitness and appearance. MOST IMPORTANTLY — YOU WANT TO FEEL CONFIDENT, SEXY & STRONG!!! As I said before, you want to look and feel your absolute best!

• Start a fitness routine that makes you feel good from the inside to out! If you hate running or it messes up your knees, there are SOOO many other options right at your finger tips. If you follow me regularly or have taken one of my fitness classes, you know I love athletic barre classes and endurance strength mixed with cardio bursts! I also love indoor cycling classes, pilates, yoga, dance cardio, etc. Find your happy place with fitness. 

If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Follow me at @misschristiegirl & send me a DM!

6 TOP TIPS TO PREP FOR DANCE TEAM AUDITIONS

TIP #4 (OF 6)

Lifestyle:

• You are an athlete!! Make sure you nourish yourself like you are one! 

• Do a little experimenting and researching what feels good for your body

  • Eat for energy — you will be dancing and working out a lot so make sure your body has enough nutrients and sustenance to get you through

  • Do you love cheese (I do), but feel like shit after eating a cheesy, cheeseburger pizza? (I do. Hello, heartburn.) Take note on this. Maybe go for a different kind of pizza next time? Or opt for less slices of that pizza and add more veggies! There are soooo many substitutes for popular foods these days. 

  • I know from personal experience that if I cut bread, dairy, and alcohol that I will feel better, more cut, and have MORE energy. 

    • Yes, this is tough. Yes, I usually do this during the THICKKKKK of the season and for auditions. Yes, I do allow myself freedom and moderation in my diet throughout the year.

  • It’s more about feeling good and having ENERGY to get you through!

• Go back to do your research about teams. All teams are different on HOW they approach diet, appearance, and fitness. 

  • Find out if your dream team treats and manages physical appearance. ALL teams are different!

  • Explore/ask around exactly how the team your auditioning for manages your weight and/or measurements throughout the season.

    • Put your happiness FIRST. If you’re someone who fluctuates in weight (all women do!!) throughout the week, but your dream team does weigh-ins every week, do a deep dive within yourself. Figure out if this is something YOU are ok with. If it is, great, get ready to be held accountable. If not, be honest with yourself, you might be happier on another team that manages physical appearance differently.

• At the end of the day, dancing professionally is a JOB. Your diet and physical appearance are something you will be asked to keep up. 

If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Follow me at @misschristiegirl & send me a DM!

6 TOP TIPS TO PREP FOR DANCE TEAM AUDITIONS

TIP #3 (OF 6)

Dance:

• When it comes down to it, your goal is to be on a dance team so you want to be the best dancer you can possibly be!

• I recommend training to be a well-rounded dancer in pom, jazz, hip hop, and technique. Train more and develop your skills more in the style that your dream team is the strongest in

• Practice makes progress, if you plan on being a collegiate or professional dancer, my best recommendation is to train like you are a collegiate or pro dancer. 

• If you’re in high school that means being on a school team/all star team/ competitive team. 

• If you’re in college that means training at a local studio/virtually with a choreographer that has the style of the team you want to be on 

• Attend all clinics or as many as you can if you’re out of town. Ask for feedback while you’re there from the coach mainly, but additionally the other people who are leading the clinic who are accepting questions

  • There’s usually lines that form around these people. It’s worth your time to talk to these people

  • It’s a great time to receive feedback and show your face to the coaches

• Attend as many auditions as you can if you’re auditioning for a pro team. The best way to get audition experience and build confidence is to go through the audition process

  • Dance classes are great for training, but the audition will feel different. Make sure you’re exposed to auditioning

• If you don’t make a team, take a moment to reflect. I’ve been there!! Think about what you’ve gained from the audition process and how you will move forward as a better dancer. 

  • It’s ok to be sad, but the important part is picking yourself up and trying again.

If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Follow me at @misschristiegirl & send me a DM!

6 TOP TIPS TO PREP FOR DANCE TEAM AUDITIONS

TIP #2 (OF 6)

Mindset: 

• Close your eyes 

• Visualize your DREAMS

  • where you want to go

  • what you look like

  • how you feel

  • how you’re dancing 

  • what arena you’re in

  • what are you wearing 

  • who is cheering you on?

  • how many people are in the crowd?

  • are there spotlights?

  • are you smiling?

  • are you breathing?

  • How do you feel when they call your name to make the team?

  • What do you do?

  • Who do you tell? 

  • What are your thoughts?

• Believe in yourself

  • Now that you can see yourself achieving your dreams, it’s up to you to take ACTION

  • Confidence

  • Believe that it’s already yours

  • Action!

If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Follow me at @misschristiegirl & send me a DM!

6 TOP TIPS TO PREP FOR DANCE TEAM AUDITIONS

TIP #1 (OF 6)

Research:

• It’s so important that you do your research before you audition for a team (college or pro) 

• Research the team on their website, research the coach, and YouTube every dance you can find 

  • What’s their style?

  • What requirements do they have for you to make the team?

  • Age requirements?

  • Training requirements? 

  • Special technique or trick requirements? 

  • What kind of uniforms do they wear?

  • Physical fitness requirements? 

  • Are there prep classes?

  • How many people are on their team? 

  • All girl? Co-ed? Do they compete? Which competition? 

• Follow the team on every form of social media they have available. Follow the coach too. 

  • Watch the dances

  • The kind of uniforms they wear

  • Interact with their posts 

  • See what choreographers they are working with 

  • Follow the dancers on social media 

• Research will help you prepare before you even step foot into the audition 

If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Follow me at @misschristiegirl & send me a DM!