Hear it from the faculty

The wall between concert dance and commercial work is a myth — the most hireable dancers I know erased it before they graduated. In an audition, I'm watching for someone who can be technically exact and genuinely alive in the same 8-count. That crossover is the job.

Limon work is built on breath, weight, and succession — the body as an instrument of gravity and release. When I watch a prescreen, I'm asking: does this dancer understand that movement comes from somewhere deeper than the shape? Somatic awareness is not a style. It's the foundation.

Jazz is not a warm-up style — it's a full artistic language with deep cultural roots. The dancers who stand out in our program understand that. I'm looking for someone who can embody rhythm, not just mark it, and who brings a performance quality that makes you lean in.

The African diasporic traditions I've trained in taught me that movement is never neutral — it carries history, community, and story. When I watch an audition, I'm asking whether this dancer is bringing their full self into the room, or performing a version of themselves they think we want to see.

Classical training gave me precision. Working with Ballet Hispanico gave me permission. The dancers I want to train are the ones who understand that technique is not a ceiling — it's a launching point for everything that makes your work distinctly yours.

Ballet at the highest level is not about perfection — it's about the pursuit of it in real time, in front of an audience. The dancers I've seen succeed at the professional level are not the ones who never make mistakes. They're the ones who recover with intention and keep giving.

European companies look for dancers who have done the internal work before they arrive. We don't have four years to help you figure out why you dance. Come in already knowing. Your technique will continue to develop — your reason for being here needs to be clear from day one.

I've trained across jazz, ballet, modern, and contemporary — and what I've learned is that the style always serves the intention. In auditions, I'm watching whether you can shift your instrument across vocabularies without losing yourself. That range is what opens doors.

Juilliard gives you a container. The Princess Grace Fellowship taught me that what you put inside it matters far more than how perfect the container is. When I watch BFA auditions, I ask one question: is there a person in there who has something to say — or are they performing the idea of a dancer?