How do you become a contemporary pro when the style isn't even unified? That's exactly why versatility counts. How an audition really unfolds.
"How do you even become a pro in a style that doesn't have a fixed form?" That's exactly where the answer lies: because contemporary has no single codified technique (Guide 1), companies aren't looking for one skill, they're looking for versatility — classical base, release technique, floor work and improvisation all at once. If you only speak one movement language, that's the first thing that stands out at auditions — and not in a good way.
A typical audition unfolds in several parts: a technique class (often with a ballet component), a repertoire phrase to learn quickly, and an improvisation round. Exactly the three building blocks you've developed one at a time across the earlier guides — technique, floor work, improvisation — come together here to be tested.
What companies actually evaluate is rarely "who does the most perfect shape": what's asked for is technique, how fast you pick up choreography, stage presence and real improvisational ability. A solid, professional showing with a clear artistic voice often counts for more than technical perfection alone.
For context, a look at the German scene: Sasha Waltz & Guests, founded in 1993 in Berlin by Sasha Waltz and Jochen Sandig, is one of the best-known German contemporary companies and shows how varied a company career can look here — from the independent scene to international stages. The path there is rarely a straight line, running instead through workshops, summer intensives and plenty of rejections.
Keep a solid classical base, release-technique experience and confident floor work all running in parallel. Companies with varied repertoire look for exactly this range, not one perfected technique.
Technique class, repertoire phrase, improvisation — in this or a similar order. Prepare for all three separately, not just the technique that comes easiest to you.
Use the tools from Guide 6 (Laban building blocks, tasks instead of "free" improvising) deliberately during the audition. Improvisation isn't a sideshow in the selection process — it's often the moment where artistic voice shows most clearly.
Many engagements don't come from formal job postings but from personal contacts made in workshops and multi-week intensives. There, choreographers see you work over days instead of minutes.
Multiple rejections before landing an engagement are the norm, not the exception. Ask for brief, concrete feedback after every rejection — that's common practice at many companies and more useful than guessing.
Audition periods often bring concentrated training into a tight timeframe — exactly where distributed practice with real recovery phases (Guide 8) pays off, instead of grinding everything down in the final weeks. Overtraining right before an audition more often leaves you below your best form than getting there in structured preparation.
The profession is financially and emotionally demanding — project-based contracts, many rejections, shifting cities. Deliberately build a support network that goes beyond pure technique.
Actively ask for feedback after every rejection — short, concrete, direct. Many choreographers are happy to give it when asked, but almost nobody offers it unprompted. That feedback is the fastest way to improve deliberately instead of randomly.
And the circle closes here on purpose: the openness you started contemporary with in Guide 1 — no fixed form, lots of improvisation, curiosity about different techniques — turns out to be exactly what companies look for at auditions. Train Smart. Play Hard. carries you from your first trial class all the way to the stage.
Technique, how fast you pick up choreography, stage presence and real improvisational ability — not the one perfect shape. Versatility across multiple techniques often counts for more than specialization.
Usually in three parts: a technique class with a ballet component, a quickly learned repertoire phrase, and an improvisation round. Prepare for all three separately.
Several — that's the norm in the application process, not a lack of talent. Concrete feedback after rejections helps more than counting the raw number of attempts.
Not necessarily, but workshops, summer intensives and company bases often cluster in larger cultural cities. A network built from these encounters frequently brings more engagements than applications alone.
Contemporary Dance: What It Is and How It Stands Apart