One thing that NYC is big on is opportunity. Nearly everyday there are auditions, go-sees, EPAs, you name it, its probably happening in the city. But what a lot of newbies don't realize initially, is that many of these opportunities are not the type that you spend a week preparing for. In fact, a lot of NYC "chances" are right in front of you, and then...whoooosh, they're gone, just like that. So you constantly need to be ready. It goes without saying, that in NYC, you should ALWAYS carry a couple headrez(headshot resumes), some people go the business card route(also a viable option), and it usually a pretty good idea to have a couple sheets of music with you that you can pull out at any time. I'm speaking from experience here. When I first moved to the city, it didn't really dawn on me that I would need to carry around a binder with my headshots, sheet music, monologues, etc. But I quickly learned that if you aren't ready, you will be missing great opportunities to step up in an instant. One of the big differences between LA and NYC, is that the geographical lay-out of LA, makes it impossible to have spontaneous, spur of the moment, casting opportunities. In LA auditions are always posted a couple weeks out, everyone needs time to drive around the city, traffic is always a factor, etc. But in "the city," it is not uncommon for your agent, or best friend, to call you and say, "can you be at Chelsea Studios in 30 minutes, Rob Ashford is having an audition." True story: efore she went nutso, Britney Spears had an audition in NYC just prior to the VMAssacre. Dancers, including my old roommate, got called in an hour before the audition. Seriously, things happen THAT fast in the city...because they can. Everyone lives within 20 miles of mid-town, and so casting agents take advantage of that. So the lesson is...ALWAYS be ready. Furthermore, if you are interested in teaching and choreographing, ALWAYS have your class music or I-pod(and connection cables!!!) with you, in your bag, and a few combos pre-choreographed. I have picked up so many classes, in situations where a teacher failed to show up and I was prepared. This leads me to my final suggestion: Just Do IT!!! Now if someone had a heart attack in the middle of Time Warner Center, and people were asking for a doctor, I certainly would not step up and say "sure, I can do it." That just isn't within my capacity(although, can you imagine how cool that would be, Dr Dance, random side note, I actually KNOW a brain surgeon who is a fierce dancer, google Kalvin Latimer see for yourself) BUT, and here's my point, if someone is running around saying, "OMG, Leslie Feliciano can't make it to class, we need a teacher, who can do it," that is a BIG FAT OPPORTUNITY staring at you in the face. So, if you are prepared, and have your tihs together, then "just do it." Step up, don't second guess your abilities, and take advantage of the opportunity that just fell in your lap. This is what separates the dancers who "make it" from those who don't.
"What you are thinking about, you are becoming" Muhammad Ali
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