Cal Shin

In Which I Became a Dancer for a Month

Getting involved in the performing arts as a student is easy, and you don't need any experience!

Auditions for a variety of performing arts groups, ranging from theatre companies to a cappella and anything in between, are open to everyone during the first 2-3 weeks of classes in the fall. I would not have thought of myself as a theatre kid, but I decided to audition for a staged reading the day after the first day of classes. The audition process was really simple: I had to read for a character I wanted to audition for, and then I was asked to read for a few other characters.

We had a month to rehearse. So, how did rehearsals work?

There were three different types of rehearsals: group readings, in which people in a certain scene gathered together to read a specific scene of a play; character work, in which every cast member met with the directors one-on-one to work on monologues; and choreography. Because our play was about a group of dancers, there was some choreography involved.

Choreography rehearsal!

As someone who has never danced before, I was initially nervous about the amount of dance experience required, since the play consisted of characters with a significant amount of dance experience. However, the movement director ensured that the choreography was simple, easy to learn, and comfortable for everyone.

All of our hard work paid off during our performance. Our initial performance date was completely sold out, so we ended up opening our dress rehearsal to audience members as well! I personally had a blast throughout the whole process.

Dress rehearsal!

I was initially surprised when I got a character other than the one I had chosen to audition for. Looking back, however, I am glad I got the character I did. Playing her was honestly extremely empowering.

I stood on top of a chair during my monologue!