AUDITION
Virtual audition
Mutual Dance Theatre seeks skilled and creative Modern Dancers for its 2024-2025 season.
Mutual Dance Theatre is formerly known as MamLuft&Co. Dance and Contemporary Dance Theater.
Preferred submission deadline: February 28, 2024. (Earlier, if possible, is better!)
Company orientation and start of season: Thursday, August 1, 2024.
ABOUT MUTUAL DANCE THEATRE (briefly)
Mutual Dance Theatre is formerly known as MamLuft&Co. Dance and Contemporary Dance Theater. MDT is the resident company of the organization, which also presents outside artists from across the country (see mutualdance.org/season). The resident company works with local artists and national artists commissioned by the organization. The Artistic Director is Jeanne Mam-Luft.
We invite you to explore the rest of this website, the information below following the audition instructions, as well as our social media platforms, to learn more about us. (Facebook and Instagram)
VIRTUAL AUDITION GUIDELINES
Mutual Dance Theatre strives for an equitable audition process with minimal financial strain on the applicant.
Thus, we invite audition materials to be submitted virtually. We ask that you send us the two components below in a single email to jeanne@mutualarts.org. Please feel free to upload your videos through any platform that is convenient for you (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.).
While not required due to the costs it may incur, dancers may also attend an in-person class. See “Open MDT classes” here and notify jeanne@mutualarts.org prior to your participation. Please make sure to choose an “MDT Modern” class that is noted as an open company class and one that lasts 75 minutes long.
The earlier we can receive your video materials, the better! We hope to make decisions no later than April 30, 2024.
— We regret that we are unable to provide specific feedback to each dancer. —
BIPOC persons strongly encouraged to apply!
1) Learned Phrase
Please learn and record the phrase below. TIP: You can utilize the YouTube speed controls and rewind as needed.
Please make sure to show us:
- Range in all meanings of the word — whether it be low-high, strong-delicate, light-heavy, fast-slow. (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE'D LIKE TO SEE.)
- Performance qualities / full-bodied dancing.
- Nuance.
- Expression.
- Precision and release at the same time.
Music for the learned phrase:
“La Digitale Pourpre”
by Marsen Jules
REMINDER: Range is the most important aspect we want to see, so please do not let the music adversely affect you. By ‘range,’ we mean it in every sense of the word.
2) Choreography
Choreograph a variation on or extension of the phrase that Steven taught you in the video above. Your creation can be in contrast to his, just imagine you're creating the next section of the work, not a repetition of his work. Again, please demonstrate all forms of range: dynamics, expression, levels/height, accents/phrasing, speed, and so forth. Take this as an opportunity to also demonstrate your physical facility.
3) In-Person Class
While not required, it may also be helpful for the dancer to attend an in-person class. See "company classes" on our adult classes page and notify jeanne@mutualarts.org prior to your participation.
4) By invitation: Application
An application will be sent to you if we are interested in learning more about you. Please add jeanne@mutualarts.org to your address book to avoid having the messages go to spam.
Important Information to Consider
Are Company Members paid positions?
Company Members are paid for performances, payable in either a lump sum or via a monthly honorarium.
We are absolutely upfront that the fees are not enough to make a living. However, our rehearsal hours and expectations are formed such that dancers can find work. (Rehearsals are 3 days a week for 12 hours total including Company Class. While we maintain professional expectations for rehearsal attendance and timeliness, we are very sensitive to work arrangements.)
Our goal from the formation of our company has always been to create paid opportunities for dancers, as well as stable, regular training and artistic practice. One of our current top priorities is to build to sustainably fund wages. We do have many teaching positions available and pay our teachers well. We never charge our Company Members for training (this is NOT a pay-to-play arrangement). We will work with Company Members to find other solutions.
What is Mutual looking for in a Company Member?
RACIALLY DIVERSE.
The ideal vision of this company is very racially diverse. We fully recognize the conflict this value has in respect to the section above regarding pay. The Director is a person of color: she has (and continues) to experience the extreme difficulty of being a part of a dance company whose funding does not yet support living wages. Her life experiences in facing barriers to dance fuels this organization’s priority to advance opportunities for people of color in the field. We work to create as many paid opportunities as possible.
THOROUGHLY ENJOYS THE REHEARSAL PROCESS. CREATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE.
We believe strong work (especially new work!) most often demands a long process of discovery. Company artists must love process work and understand that our mode of working is usually not to come in with 5, 6, 7, 8 choreographed and ready-to-go.
Our creative process always involves each ensemble member in a collaborative sense. We prefer to work with dancers who are not asking for what exactly to do, but interested in offering their own explorations.
ADAPTABLE. QUICK LEARNERS.
Things can change in just moments. We prefer to work with dancers who deal with change well.
And while we love process, we often have to learn quickly, particularly because of limited rehearsal time. (That rehearsal time is limited so that you can go out, work, and have a life!)
Also, the company is a repertory company, wherein visiting guest artists will set work on the Company. The re-setting of pieces can happen very quickly in just 1-2 sessions.
DEEP-DIVERS.
Learning quickly doesn’t mean you can’t dive deep! We love thinkers who really go deep into their creation and performance process!
TECHNICALLY STRONG.
We are seeking dancers with strong Modern technique of the more progressive variety, including release, somatic-based styles and Contact Improvisation-based partnering/weight-share and inversions.
ENJOY NON-TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCE.
We are known to perform in non-traditional arrangements, such as in studio settings in-the-round. We prefer dancers who embrace this rather than those who only value the proscenium.
THANK YOU! We know it’s a lot! We encourage you to apply even if you don’t know if you are everything described above.