Dancers leapt and pirouetted across the Rose Room April 15 for upper school Night of Dance and dance company auditions for the 2024-25 school year. In addition to holding upper school auditions, dance directors Andrea Locke and Ashley Fisher held middle school Night of Dance auditions April 17 in the Rose Room.
Locke and Fisher hold auditions every spring and determine which dance class—or dance company—a student may take the following year. For eighth graders, juniors and seniors, dance is an elective. For freshmen and sophomores, dance can replace the fitness requirement.
Before they audition, students fill out a questionnaire about their motivations and growth as dancers. Eighth graders may audition for Dance Company 1, freshmen may audition for Dance Company 2, sophomores may audition for Dance Company 3 and juniors may audition for Advanced Study in Dance.
Students are evaluated based on a rubric split into five sections, each worth five points: physical potential, dance technique and skill, musicality and rhythm, recall of movement sequences and stage presence and discipline. Additionally, students are how they demonstrate passion for dance, such as making an effort to learn new techniques.
According to Locke, 39 people auditioned for upper school dance companies, and 25 auditioned for middle school dance companies.
“Over the last few years, [the number of students] has increased,” Locke said. “Since the pandemic, I think people are much more willing to come out and be together.”
Freshman Alex Sunshine has been dancing at Archer for three years and said her first time auditioning for upper school dance company went smoothly.
“It was definitely very energetic in the room, and the vibes made it really comfortable and fun,” Sunshine said.”I enjoy being able to take time out of my day while I’m still at school and be active with my Archer sisters.”
Junior Allie Yang has been a part of Archer’s dance program for six years. She has auditioned for upper school dance company three times and has always been accepted into her company of choice. She said that while she never feels nervous over the outcome of the audition, she feels nervous when students in different grades watch her dance.
“I think laying your heart out on the line when it’s already in an audition type of climate is very stressful,” Yang said. “To get over that, I realized my friends are all here. These are the same people I’ve been dancing with for the past six years. These are the same girls that will have my back if I fall out of a turn or if I stumble in a leap. And, ultimately, it’s not a big deal because the people that matter most to me are there.”
Locke said it is important for dancers to support each other’s performances through affirmation like clapping and cheering. She also elaborated on the different aspects of the rubric.
“It’s a sense of openness that they have and flexibility in their ability to express themselves in the capacity that they have right now, at whatever level that might be,” Locke said. “The other thing is a sense of presence and a sense of engagement. It’s about engagement with other people, especially when it comes to when we look at the long term audience, but also with each other. I love the culture of cheering people on and being supportive.”
Yang said with support from her dance peers, she developed a passion for dance that was reflected in her most recent audition.
“I personally do dance with Archer for the family that it provides. I’ve met some of my best friends from our first audition for troupe in sixth grade,” Yang said. “At the audition, we were cheering so loud for each other, whether we knew each other or not. When you’re bonded by Archer Dance, which is already such a strong program, you really feel the need to make it your best show, even if it’s just a two hour audition.”
