[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, OK? And this is a nice long 8 count-- 6, 7, 8.

There we go. 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 ball change as we contract the side of the body, OK?

Then we step back. We brush 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 retiré. Step through, and we go out, out into plié, OK? 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 shunt 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.

OK, 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 fixed to your side, nice and strong. And that's a staccato movement, OK? 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, yeah? So it looks like this. Dom-dom. From there, you go down to your knee. Bring the right leg in, OK?

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. OK?

Then from here-- so you're leaning slightly this way. You're going to go chassé to your left. This is quite quick. So you got chassé coupé. Jump. Yeah? Jump. Land.

So it looks like this-- ssh, ssh. 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 kind of a fifth position there. OK?

So we've just done our monkey turn to stand up. You go chassé coupé, up, land, up ha. OK? So it's quite staccato. It's 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. Yeah?

It 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.

OK. Let's do all of that again from our monkey turn on the floor to stand up. We go chassé, coupé, jump. And circle, and unfurl 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Step 1, 1, 1, 4, jump. Turn. Stop. Woo!

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 3. And step. Half penché. And through. Ba, ba, shh, ha. Contract. Ha, ha.

Buckle, through, monkey, up. And ha, ha, ha, ha, uncurl. And step. Ba, ba, ba, ba. Jump [inaudible]. Flex the foot there so we're sitting. Yeah? Arms are placed on top of each other, like so. Flex that foot, yeah?

Then we're going to go here. Open. Yeah? So from here, all you're doing is stepping forward. You're turned out. You're going to lean to your right. Shift the arms. Yeah?

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. Yeah? Big, nice fourth lunge.

You're 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, OK? So from here, we go coupé and up, lunge, flex, flex, and fondu attitude. OK?

When you do 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, yeah-- like you're trying to see your foot or see something that's flying by. So lean, look.

OK? Let's do all of that with music. Count 8 after the beat comes in. 5 6 7, 8. Go 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7. 1, 2, 3.

[music playing]

Yeah? 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 retiré into your lunge, you got a 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 fall 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 lower and low. Reach behind you to go. Hands are 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. Yeah? And you've got nice spread-out fingers there, like you're opening yourself up to the sky OK

so it looks like this. So we've gone round, attitude, fondu. We go down, down, reach, and bom, bom, open. From, here you're going to go arm circles in. Contract as you go legs swap. Yeah? 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 head. Break.

You're going to stay on 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, kind of like you're waving in the wind.

To go, contract down. Stay on demi pointe. Yeah? To there. OK? So that's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 to come up. Break 2, 3, 4, 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. OK?

So let's try that much. So we've gone step, fondu attitude. Fondu attidude. We go down, down, reach through, feet through. Open. Contract. Up, up, up, up, up, up, up.

And break 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Melt 2, 3, 4-- standing point, not like me-- 5, 6, 7, 8. OK? So try all of that with the music up to there, adding that next bit on, OK? And then we'll do the next part.

[gentle music]

[energetic music]

5, 6, 7, 8.

OK, senior dancers, so the last part of your phrase and also. A tiny little improv activity I'm going to add on to the end-- OK, are you ready? So we've come up into our balance. We go break. This is nice and soft. Show the dynamic, the difference there.

To go down, melt down. Stay on those demi pointes. Then we're going to go down, in, out, développé with the leg. Show me your beautiful extension, OK?

To your corner-- this arm-- right arm is going to open up. Hold and sustain a beautiful fondu arabesque-- fondue arabesque. Let the leg go higher. Am we're going to go down, jump into turnout, pirouette en dehors. I want to see as many pirouettes as you can do, nice and clean, beautiful technique, no cheating your technique, please. OK? So double, triple, whatever you can do pirouette, pirouette, pirouette.

Then you're going to go step. We're going to do a little développé. So this développé is going from here out, fondu parallel, OK? The arm développés, as well. It goes from your shoulder, through elbow, fingers. You lean away from the leg, OK?

So we've gone-- let's go back-- from here-- bounce, bounce, bounce, melt. You're going to go in, out, step, through, balance, arabesque. And drop, jump, pirouette, step, développé. And back to the beginning move-- out. Lean on your arm 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. OK? That is your final move.

So let's do that one more time. So we go from coming up, yeah? Balance. Break. Float, float, float, float, float, down, float, float, float, float, float. In, out, through, arabesque, fondu, drop, jump to prepare, pirouette, step, développé. And out 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Yeah? Everything compacts in.

So that is your last choreographed move. From there, I want you to give us 16 counts at least of your improv or your own choreography. OK? Either one is fine. It's just for us to get an idea of your personal style, OK?

So from here, I want you to go into your own improv, whatever that is. But I want you to use similar dynamics than what we've been using so far in the phrase, OK? So those dynamics are the contrast of soft, flirty, drawn-out, sustained, and slow, with sharp, strong staccato movements, OK? So I want you to use that as your inspiration, your foundation for your 16 counts.

OK, so seniors, let's do the whole phrase with music, and then I'll leave it to you to go over the choreography and fine tune it, make it work for you.

[gentle music]

[energetic music]

Improv. Thank you so much, seniors. All the best, and good luck with your audition.