Wow, okay, disclaimer before we start this post. When I arrived in Iowa this August to start international student orientation, it was my first time being at the university in person. I know that quite a few of my readers visited or will visit Iowa before making your decision about which university to go to, but my choice was based on reviews, websites, emails with some faculty members and basically my gut.

So when I say that these dance auditions for the prospective incoming freshmen wanting to major/minor in dance next year were exciting for them, they were even more thrilling for me because I got to experience the auditions without the stress of wondering if I got in!

Members of the undergraduate dance organization, led by Alyssa Simpson and assisted by Erin Evans, were in charge of running the undergraduate auditions, making sure that the day ran smoothly. (The professors were the ones judging the applicants, but UDO was responsible for ensuring that the auditions progressed as they should). Our jobs varied from setting up the registration desk to checking in the auditionees in the morning, calling out numbers for the solo auditions, managing music, filming dances, selling dance department merchandise and answering questions from interested parents. I ended up helping with registration and desk duty, in between dance and academic classes that day; I can say with conviction that that Wednesday was the busiest day I’ve had in Iowa yet!

 

The auditionees were divided into two groups, one consisting of the BFAs and one consisting of the BAs and Minors. One group did the Modern Dance portion of the auditions first while the other did the Ballet. After that, most of the auditionees had a break while those attempting to get the ICA Scholarship performed their solos in the Gym. Then everyone had an hour off for lunch, followed by a Q&A session for both parents and prospective students. The students had the next half-an-hour devoted to a written examination and finally finished the day with an improvisation session that ended at 3:30pm. (Wow! Long day….)

I got there at 8:40am to help with registration. Several other UDO members were already there, having set up the table already. It was super exciting ticking everyone’s names on the list and telling them which studio to go to. Some of those auditioning were already students at the university, but not in the dance major program or were minors. I recognized three University of Iowa students, but the coolest thing was that one of the applicants was the sister of our UDO president and our president was with her to help her register! (Lowkey made me miss my family but it was super sweet of Kira to come with her sis…).

The auditions were extremely thrilling. Even though I didn’t get to see any of the auditions, it was really fun to help out behind the scenes and appreciate how far I’ve come in a year since my auditions last year.

Helping out at the auditions made me realize yet again how lucky I am to be here. Even on a hard day, there are always friends and family who have helped me get here. I really enjoyed talking to my fellow UDO members, learning more about the auditions process and generally having a good time as a UDO rookie and Dance major newbie.

I hope this blog post helps some of you prospective Dance BFA/Major/Minor auditionees out there…and feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the process! As an International Student Ambassador as well, I can totally help with any queries or just in general talking about the university….

Till next time!

Tons of smiley faces,

Emily