6 Virtual Auditioning Tips From the 6 Quiner Sisters
Sibling rivalry? More like sibling revelry! The six Quiner sisters seem to genuinely love dancing with and for each other. And a good thing, too, considering they’ve all been quarantining together at home in New Jersey since the pandemic began. Over the last year, these already-impressive dancers have become total pros when it comes to virtual auditioning. Now, they’re sharing some of their self-taping secrets with Dance Spirit readers.
Jillian
Age
: 23
Favorite style:
Contemporary
Summer plans:
“I’ll be teaching and taking class in the summer intensive at our studio, Hunterdon Hills Ballet, as well as attending Nationals for The Dance Awards and NYCDA.”
Top tip:
“As a teacher who’s been watching dancers virtually, one thing that you don’t notice as much is if someone’s on the counts, because there’s a delay. So other things come into bigger focus. Clarity of lines and positions becomes really important. Especially because the connection isn’t always smooth, on Zoom you often find yourself seeing dancers more as a series of pictures than if you’re just watching them in person.”
Michelle
Age:
21
Favorite styles:
Ballet and contemporary
Summer plans:
“I’m a second-company dancer with American Repertory Ballet. Because of COVID, we started the season a little bit later, so I’ll be dancing there through most of the summer.”
Top tip:
“Arrive in the Zoom meeting around 15 minutes early. It just shows that you really care and you want to do well.”
Savannah
Age:
18
Favorite styles:
Ballet and contemporary
Summer plans:
“I’ll be doing the ABT summer intensive—hopefully in person! I’ll be at The Dance Awards, too.”
Top tip:
“It’s really important that you have good lighting when you’re filming something or when you’re on Zoom. If it’s dark, it’s really hard to tell a lot of the details of how you move. Always make sure that you have a lit-up room, so you’re not in silhouette.”
Rachel
A
ge:
16
Favorite styles:
Ballet and contemporary
Summer plans:
“I’ll be doing ABT’s summer intensive too, plus NYCDA and The Dance Awards Nationals.”
Top tip:
“A clean background is important because furniture behind you can be distracting. A lot of people hang up curtains and sheets or something. Those are really helpful with making you stand out from what’s behind and around you.”
Caroline
Age:
13
Favorite styles:
Ballet and contemporary
Summer plans:
“I’m also going to be doing the ABT summer intensive, and Nationals for NYCDA and The Dance Awards.”
Top tip:
“Make sure you’re warm and stretched, because sometimes Zoom class doesn’t warm you up as much as if you were in-person. So you always need to make sure you’re warm and ready to go.”
Elliana
Age:
11
Favorite styles
: Ballet and contemporary
Summer plans
: “I’ll be doing ABT’s junior summer session on scholarship, and Hunterdon Hills Ballet, and I’ll probably be doing NYCDA and The Dance Awards Nationals.”
Top tip:
“If you’re having a hard time seeing what people are doing, it’s easier if you connect to a TV. You just need an adapter cord connecting the HDMI port of your laptop to the TV, and then you can stop hunching over the computer screen trying to see the details of the movement.”
The Quiner Sisters
Vandy Photography, courtesy Quiner sisters
