Hearing Crickets? When (and How!) to Follow-up After an Audition
At this point in the season, you’ve likely been to dozens of auditions and are anxiously awaiting contract offers. I know from experience - playing the waiting game is sooo hard, especially when there’s so much uncertainty. (My first audition season, I didn’t receive any offers until June - I truly had no idea what my life was going to look like in the coming months).
It’s important to remember most companies are holding a long string of auditions at multiple sites. They may be waiting to see every dancer on their tour before making any final decisions. It’s important to respect the time it takes to do their due diligence!
At a certain point, one simple follow-up email may be appropriate. You want to make the best possible impression, so let’s talk about when and how to approach a company professionally after an audition.
When:
When exactly should you reach out? Here are the times that I would advise sending an email:
It’s past the date the company stated you would hear from them by
At some auditions, the audition director will clearly state that you will hear from them in X amount of time. If that date has passed and you have not heard back, a follow-up email is appropriate
You have a deadline on another offer
When being offered a company contract, you will often be given a deadline to respond so that the company can offer the spot to another dancer if you choose not to accept. If you have a deadline looming but are still hoping for an offer from another company, reach out and let them know the situation.
It’s been 3-4 weeks with no word
Often companies won’t give you a timeline on when you should expect to hear from them if you will at all. If the audition seemed to go really well (aka you made it past the final cut) and are truly interested in dancing for the company, 3-4 weeks post-audition is an appropriate time to follow up.
(Don’t forget to take note of the company’s entire audition tour schedule. If you audition near the beginning, it is likely you won’t hear back until later when they have seen every dancer. In this case, you may want to give them a little more time to make decisions.)
Pro tip: As soon as your audition ends, set a calendar alert (I love Google Calendar!) to remind you to follow up. Even if you tell yourself you’ll remember, it can get lost in the shuffle when you’re trying to balance dozens of auditions with everything else you have going on. Putting it in the calendar allows you to set it and forget it until it’s time to revisit it!
Remember that you should only follow up with companies you would be willing to seriously consider a contract offer from. If the audition wasn’t your cup of tea, it’s completely OK to cross that company off your list.
How:
Here are a few rules of thumb for your follow-up email:
Address the Artistic Director by name
Addressing your email with the name of the Artistic Director (as opposed to a generic intro) is a small, but important, personal touch that will be noticed.
Re-introduce yourself
Don’t assume they remember you. Companies are seeing hundreds of dancers and it’s impossible to remember everyone. Make sure to re-introduce yourself and include the site that you auditioned at.
Attach your headshot and resume
Don’t make them go searching for you! Include your headshot and resume to help quickly jog their memory and make their life easier (a super important quality that companies are looking for in a dancer!)
Note something specific that draws you to the company
Show that you’ve done your homework! Share something specific that you enjoyed about the audition or about the company as a whole. Whether it’s their mission statement, repertoire, or culture, sharing what appeals to you about the company will help you stand out.
Include contact info
Even though it should be on your resume, including your contact info in the body of the email is another way you can make it quick and easy for them to get ahold of you!
Your follow-up email doesn’t need to be a novel - keep it short, sweet, and without expectation!
Need a script? I’ve included an editable cover letter script in The Ultimate Audition Guide (along with everything else you could possibly need for audition season!)
Final reality check: You’re probably not going to hear back from a lot of the companies you audition for. If you receive an answer, great! But if you don’t, don’t take it to heart. It’s truly not personal - ballet companies are notoriously underfunded and short-staffed. The inability to reach out to every dancer who auditions has more to do with them than you.
As always, focus on what you can control (in this case, sending a killer follow-up email!) and remember that you are not the right dancer for every job and that every job is not right for you. Every audition is just one person’s opinion of you, and opinions are subjective. Open yourself up to looking beyond what you think your dance career is “supposed” to look like, stay open to any and all possibilities, do the work regardless of the outcome, and create the opportunities you wish existed!
Meet the Author
Caitlin Sloan is a Dance Educator and Career Mentor based in Madison, WI.
Caitlin received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Grand Valley State University and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri.
She danced professionally for nine years with companies including Ballet Tucson and Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance). Caitlin has taught at schools all over the Midwest, most notably serving as Director of The School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet and Youth Company Director for Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. She is currently on faculty at the School of Madison Ballet.
Caitlin founded The Brainy Ballerina® in 2019, a virtual resource providing support and guidance for aspiring ballet dancers. Follow @thebrainyballerina on Instagram for your daily dose of dance career guidance and inspiration.
