- Hello sweet babies.
I am hosting another live dance workshop on May 23rd
from 10AM to 1PM Pacific Standard Time.
My special guest is Chenelle Monique Young.
She is a professional dancer, choreographer,
signed with a talent agency, and she just got back
from touring with Oprah.
I don't know if you've heard of her, uh Oprah Winfrey?
So you don't want to miss out on my chat with her.
That first hour is gonna be an interview.
We're gonna talk about building confidence
and carving your little path into the dance industry
because she is out there and she's killing it.
That second class is gonna be
a triple threat technique class led by yours truly.
We're gonna work on turns, leaps, and flexibility.
So you don't want to miss out.
And that last hour of course is gonna be
an open level contemporary class.
You're gonna learn a brand new exclusive routine.
The last workshop was so much fun, you guys.
I can't wait for this next one.
So make sure to swipe up if you're on Instagram
or go to the link in my bio to get your ticket.
And if you're watching this on YouTube
check out the video description.
There's also a promo code in there.
See you soon.
So you wanna make the dance team.
So you wanna to be on that team that gets first place.
Maybe you wanna join your studio competition team,
or your high school team,
or even make the college dance department.
Well this is your dance team flash company,
flash department, flash anything, survival guide.
(upbeat music)
Before we jump into actual technique,
there are a couple things you wanna know
before the audition even begins.
There are three very importante things.
Number one, be on time.
But guess what?
On time is late, early is on time.
you wanna be a good 15 to 20 minutes early for your audition
so that you can settle in and be ready to go.
The second thing is your dress code.
Typically auditions will have a dress code
so keep your eyes peeled for instructions
from the teacher or the company director.
And follow the dress code to a T.
It's generally form-fitting clothing, maybe all black.
Make sure to check out an audition packet
or whatever paperwork has been given to you
so that you don't stand out in the wrong way.
The last thing is, speaking of audition packet,
do the prep work.
If you have forms to fill out, a resume to create,
letters of recommendation to get.
Whatever information is given to you,
do not wait till the last minute.
Have all the prep work done ready to go,
so that they know that you're professional and committed.
So generally for a dance team especially a competition team,
even a high school or college department,
so basically any dance career,
you wanna have three things down pat,
and that's your flexibility, your turns and your leaps.
You don't have to be perfect.
Let's put that here for everyone in the back.
You don't have to be perfect.
A lot of teams and departments and companies
are looking for people with potential.
So you just have to make sure to have good technique
and to do your best.
Don't worry about being perfectly polished.
Let's do a very classic flexibility exercise.
Alright so, these are a very classic
plie battements across the floor.
What you want to make sure is
that your arms are so straight.
And you can see that my muscles are engaged.
Make sure you don't have floppy or droopy arms.
Extend up, shoulders down, chin up.
You're going to plie, brush through first position
and battement with a straight leg.
What the judges are gonna be looking for
is that you're not doing this.
No hunching over.
Okay we go plie, brush, battement.
Lift your chin.
Point your toes.
Straight knees.
The next one is those turns.
You really want to make sure you're spotting friends.
So when you spot you're locking in
on something stationary the whole way around.
Make sure to have a clear spot so the judges can see
that your eyes are focused.
For your turns generally you might go across the floor
but a good exercise to practice is just stationary.
We go tendu, plie.
You're gonna do a quarter turn.
Quarter turn, down.
Tendu, plie, quarter turn, down.
Shoulders down.
High passe.
And your head needs to go faster than your body.
Now you're gonna do a half turn.
Back, squeeze, half turn.
Front, single.
And double.
Land.
Last category is your leaps.
So for your leaps you might be doing
a high chaines, low chaines leap.
But we're gonna start with our basic one
which is just a chasse, step, leap.
So you go step together.
In this the judges are going to be looking
for straight, knees, pointed toes,
and that your feet are in a soussus.
So squeeze, kiss your feet together.
And it's a chasse with arms and Ls.
Generally for dance teams,
I'm going off of my alma mater,
you want to have very sharp arms.
So none of this loosey goosey situation.
Dah, dah.
Sharp, dynamic, and clear okay?
From there we're gonna go chasse.
You're going to step through the middle and a nice plie.
If you want to go up you have to go down.
Plie, developpe that leg through
into a leap.
Your arms come to a V.
Again with straight arms.
And guess what?
Again from my alma mater, blades baby.
Blades have to do with your actual hands and fingers.
So none of this as much as I love my ballerinas.
Make sure you have sharp blades.
Fruit ninja movement, yeah?
- [Girl] Definitely.
- [Cameraman] No.
- Okay
All right, Brian, five,
I'm gonna be going that way with our leap.
Five, six, seven, and chasse.
Chin up.
So you're probably going to be performing
a piece of choreography.
Maybe you learned it the day of.
Maybe you learned it prior.
What you want to do now is perform.
If you're auditioning for a company,
or a team, or a department, they want dancers
that can perform and express.
I'm going to give you a little tip
for your facial expressions go through the alphabet.
A,
E,
I,
O,
and U.
Without overdoing it okay?
So say for example the choreography is
step touch, step touch
and pas de bourree, pas de bourree.
What you don't want to do is this.
I can't even do that with a straight face.
Do not be a robot.
Sometimes when we get nervous our face goes blank.
So add some energy and life in there.
Great.
Give me like a five, six, seven, eight.
- [Cameraman] Five, six, seven, eight.
- Dah, dah, dah.
Bump, dah, dah, dah.
So much more fun to watch.
So much more fun to do.
Practice your facial expressions in the mirror.
You're gonna feel like a dweeb, but that's okay.
All right, babies, just a quick fired list of tips.
Be confident.
When you walk in the room, chin up.
Judges can smell fear.
Even if you're scared show up scared and do it.
Number two get yourself...
Number two get yourself seen.
Don't be pushy about it but don't hide in the back.
Get to the front line.
Get to the second line.
Make eye contact with the judge.
Give them a smile.
Show them that you're there and you're ready to go.
Number three is say thank you at the end.
Don't just dip out of there.
Show them that you're respectful.
And number four is to just remember
that a dance team is a commitment.
So show them that you are ready to be a team player.
You can be the most beautiful dancer in the world,
but if you have a bad attitude
you're not gonna make the team.
So have a team spirit.
And good luck?
Oh my god.
And don't do that at the audition.
(upbeat music)