"There's No Reason for Dancers to Fear Singing"

I cannot carry a tune. Like, not even a little bit. Sometimes at night I like to blast a little Celine Dion (“It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” is in heavy rotation on my iPod these days) and fully rock out while my boyfriend cringes and tries to convince me that I “sound really, really good.”

I know he’s lying.

It’s OK.

I’ve always wanted to have a pretty little angelic voice, but I’m tone-deaf and, frankly, I’m just too loud to be able to alter my pitches. I’m more of a lyric-yeller than a singer.

But you should strive to be a better-rounded starlet than I am. If you’ve ever dreamed of taking your dance skills onto a Broadway—or regional—stage, you’re going to have to be able to convince a casting director that you can, in fact, hold the correct key during “What I Did For Love.”

For most people, singing isn’t something that comes naturally. It’s something you have to study and work at and oh hey, we can help with that! (Rest assured that “we” does not mean me—it means someone with actual vocal talent.)

JoAnn Hunter has performed in 12 Broadway shows, including Chicago, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Damn Yankees and Miss Saigon. She dances, sings and choreographs, and has trained with vocal coach Liz Caplan, who she says “completely shaped my voice to be Broadway-worthy.” Hunter gave us a few choice bits of wisdom to share with you…

• “Growing up, I was asked to sing at my dance recitals, so I thought I could sing. It wasn’t until I started taking voice lessons that I realized I had no idea there was a technique in singing just like there is in dance.”
• “The key to singing is breathing. Dancers have a tendency to breathe from their chests and keep their rib cages up. That’s incorrect for singing. Singing taught me to use my diaphragm, which gave me more stamina—I was able to get more air in my system and breathe slowly.”
• “The vocal cords are muscles you have to warm-up. Once they’re warm, you can manipulate them, just like you do with your body in dance.”
• “There’s no reason for dancers to fear singing. You just need to get out of your head. Get out of your own way first.”

And Hunter’s best piece of advice:
“You can be the best dancer ever, but if you want to be in a Broadway show you have to hone your vocal talent. There are 16–20 dancers onstage during a show, and everybody has to contribute on that stage both physically and vocally. Learn how to act a song.”

So remember how I said we can help you be a really good singer, just like JoAnn Hunter? Well, she trained with Liz Caplan and we’ve got Super Smart Liz ready to teach you, too—from the comfort of your own living room (or shower, which is where I prefer to do most of my singing). Click here to buy the Singing for Dancers app.