My Experience Auditioning for the Conservatory of Dance
November 28, 2023
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I auditioned for the Conservatory of Dance (COD) at SUNY Purchase in February of 2020. I’m a senior now, but I remember that day very vividly. It was Valentine’s Day, so I wore a pink leotard for good luck. I started my day by waking up and driving to Purchase from Philly. My dad drove, and I did my hair in the car.
Once I got to Purchase, I checked into the audition, got my number, and waited in Studio B with all the other dancers auditioning that day. My friends from home who were freshmen in the COD at the time came to give me a hug. They could tell I was nervous, and told me I would do great and to just have fun. In the studio, all the auditionees stretched, warmed up, and nervously chatted while waiting to be called. I ended up clicking really well with a girl from upstate New York - so well that after we both got our acceptance letters, we DMed each other on Instagram and arranged to be roommates! She ended up being my roommate for the next two years, and she would still be if she hadn’t gotten #bookedandblessed.
Since I was pretty early to the audition, I waited in Studio B and warmed up for about 45 minutes. This was nice, because it meant on the drive up we were not stressed about getting there on time. Then, Nelly Van Bommel walked in. At the time, Nelly was the director of COD. This year the directorship changed, and now Darrah Carr is the director. Nelly is still a full-time faculty member, teaching composition and improv.
When Nelly came in, she assigned everyone in the room a studio, as they were splitting the auditionees into smaller groups for the technique portion of the audition. I went to Studio E. The faculty that were teaching my audition were Joseph Malbrough and Larry Clark, two icons in the COD. Joseph taught the ballet section of the audition, which was an hour, with barre and center combinations. Some of the classic center exercises they will always teach in an audition include adagio, pirouettes, petite allegro, and grande allegro. After the ballet section, we had a 5-minute water break to prepare for the modern section. Larry taught the modern section, which was also about an hour. It was a mix of Cunningham technique, and also just traveling across the floor and seeing how we can use the space.
Once we were done with the technique portion of the audition, we went back to Studio B to have a break while waiting to hear who was called back for the solo portion. We all waited for about 30 minutes, and then they posted our numbers on the door. After seeing my number, I prepared to show my solo. They called us into the studio one at a time, and when I was called they also asked for my music, which I had downloaded onto my phone, as well as on a CD. There were five full-time faculty members watching this portion of the audition. Before showing my solo, they asked me a few general interview questions like, “Why do you want to go to Purchase?” I then performed my solo, they thanked me, and I was free to leave the audition.
Because I auditioned on a Friday, I stuck around campus until 7:30pm so that I could see a Dance senior project show. I think that staying to watch this show was the best decision I made, because after watching what the students dance and their choreography, I knew it was a community that I wanted to be a part of.
-Ambassador Céline
Conservatory of Dance ’24