Video transcript
NSW Public Schools State Dance Ensembles – Audition 2022 – primary students yrs 4-6 in 2022 – (Angela’s Video Option 1)

[intro music]

ANGELA HAMILTON: Hi, guys. I'm Angela, and I'm going to be taking you through your audition choreography today. So this is going to be about a 1-minute phrase. Just try to execute the choreography as accurately as you can and try to also get the dynamics and the qualities that I'm trying to convey in the movement.

OK, so start standing in parallel. We're going to lean out to the right and unfold the arm and rest your ear onto your arm. And this is a nice long 8-count-- 6, 7, 8, then we're good. Spiral the arm in towards the waist as you move to your left to go reach. Look underneath your arm. Extend the right leg. Press on to a demi-pointe, and we do a little bold change as we contract the side of the body.

Then we step back. We rush the left leg back through first, so it passes through first. We're going to go into an arabesque balance facing your corner. We go down into a penché about 8 counts. And then when you can't go any further, you're going to drop and contract, fondu on the right leg. Bring the foot through retire. Step through, and we go out into plié. So that's facing your corner.

So in a deep second plié, then we pull the legs up to parallel. Yeah? It's like a little [inaudible] coming in to parallel. At the same time, the arm goes circle. You're going to high release with the chest. Bring the arm through. You do a little body ripple. Contract to go out.

So both legs are bent. Both knees are parallel, and you're making a straight horizontal line with the arms. You're going to go out. Straight away, come up. The arms go fix to your side, nice and strong. And that's a staccato movement. So boom, boom.

Straight away from there, you're going to go back with the left leg, back off, Back with the right leg. Let the body follow, so it looks like this. From there, you go down onto your knee. Bring the right leg in. So it's like you've got a suction on the knee. You're bringing it in like you're going to wind up in order to go that way. From here, we go step out. You do a little monkey spin to stand up.

Let's go back to the beginning. So we start in parallel. We're going to go slow unfolding out to the right. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, curl in, contract, step, back through first into penché, down, down, down, scoop. Step out, shift, round and contract, through, up, buckle, and draw in, out, monkey up to stand.

Then from here, so you're leaning slightly this way. You're going to go chaseé to your left. This is quite quick. So you go chaseé, coupé, jump, jump, land. So it looks like this to here.

Then straight away, you're going to go step, circle the arm, elbow, hooks up to come through and grab the head. And you're in a fifth position there. So we've just done our monkey turn to stand up. You go chaseé, coupé, up, land uh, huh. OK, so it's quite a staccato, quite sharp.

So we're here. Then dynamic changes. It's going to be soft and slow, opening up, leaning to the side, and extending the leg. So depending on your space, that leg can be up here. Could be 90 degrees. It could be nice and low, maybe if you have furniture around. OK

So adapt it to your space. I'm going to do my nice and low. So we've gone boom, boom. We're here. We go unfurl, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Lean as much as you can. Soft arm, soft hands to go step-- fall this way. Step, and 1, 2, 3, 4, jump and turn, turn.

Let's do all of that again from our monkey turn on the floor to stand up. We go chaseé, coupé, jump, and circle, and unfurl, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, step, boom, boom, boom, boom, jump, turn, stop. Whoa! OK, let's go back to the beginning. We'll go through everything nice and slow.

So we start in parallel. We got out 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, curl and through, and step up, penché, and through, contract, buckle, through, monkey, up, and uncurl, and step, jump, turn. Flex the foot there, so we're sitting. So placed on top of each other like so. Flex that foot.

Then we're going to go here. Open-- so from here, all you're doing is stepping forward. You turned out. You're going to lean to your right, shift the arms. Head is leaning to your right. Then we swap. Lean the other way. Open the knees. Open the arms.

Then from here, we go coupé, retiré, lunge, big nice fourth lunge. You going to go front foot, flex, turn in, swap the legs. Flex, turn out with the right leg to go onto the right leg-- fondu attitude. So from here, we go coupé and up. Lunge, flex, flex, and fondu attitude.

When you do your fondu attitude, resist it. Hands are pushing as though you're pushing through water, underwater swimming. And you're going to turn and look to your right like you're trying to see your foot or see something that's flying by. So lean and look. Let's do all of that with music.

[music playing]

We count 8 after the beat comes in. 5, 6, 7, 8, go. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. so try that a few times for yourself with the music just that much before we go on and learn the next part.

OK, guys. So let's do the second half of the phrase. So after you go and retiring into your lunge, you got to flex, flex, open, attitude fondu. From here, you're going to go step underneath onto your knee. So underneath onto your knee, arms circle to come down into fourth on the floor.

Straight away from here-- so don't get stuck. Straight away from here, you're going to go extend your right leg. Reach low and low. Reach behind you to go hands a little tabletop position on both feet. Don't stick your bottom in the air. So nice and flat, flat with the head.

You're going to go hop, step out into a nice open fourth. Both feet are on demi-pointe to go open high release. And you've got nice spread out fingers there like you're opening yourself up to the sky. So it looks like this. So we've gone round, attitude fondu. We go down, down, reach, and pit.

From here, you're going to go arm circles in. Contract as you go-- legs swap. So you come into this position. Contract over. To come up, this arm's going to come through. Your right hand is going to just trace down your forearm as you come up through contraction into a balance on demi-pointe as far as you can go. And then release that hand, break.

You're going to stay on to demi-pointe. You're going to go nice and soft through the arms and the hands. This is your own way, to carry across to the other side-- a little wave like you're waving in the wind to go contract down stay on demi-pointe to there. So that's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 to come up-- break 2 3, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Change to the other side-- 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, come down into a contraction. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. So let's try that much. So we've gone step fondu attitude. We go down, down, reach, through, feet, through, up, contract, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, and break. 2, 3 4 5 6 7 8 melt, 2 3 4-- Stay on demi-pointe. Not like me-- 5, 6, 7, 8. So try all of that with the music up to there, adding that next bit on.

[music playing]

5, 6, 7, 8. OK, so that's the whole phrase, guys. Try to learn it as accurately as you can. Do what you can with your space. If you need to adjust something slightly, that's totally fine.

Try to get those dynamics, those qualities. Try to really perform your phrase and potential primary ensemble dances-- best of luck with your audition.