A cover letter, or email, is the first thing an artistic staff is going to see from you. It’s their first impression of you before they open you resume, photos, or watch your video. You would be amazed how much that can impact their opinion.
When I danced for BalletFleming, I did a lot of admin work including screening the audition emails before I sent them to the Artistic Director. You would be AMAZED the number of people who could not write a clear, concise email to request an audition.
I was very lucky to learn the importance of a well-written email early on in high school. The only way to communicate with teachers in cyber school was via email. Our onsite academic director taught us how to email the teachers: be clear with what we were asking, and be respectful even if you were super mad they had not graded a paper you handed in a month ago. We also had career workshops where we learned how to write resumes, cover letters, make audition reels, search for auditions, and apply to colleges.
Everyone should know how to construct a well-written cover letter or e-mail so here are a few tips:
1. Have a header that you can put on all of your audition materials. It’s like fancy stationary, but for all of your online audition materials. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy or elaborate. Though make sure it’s in a font that can be easily read. Make sure the header includes your name, email address, phone number, and physical address.
2. Check each company’s website to see who you should be addressing the letter to. It takes five minutes to check the name of the Artistic Director. No one likes receiving emails that say To Whom It May Concern.
3. Start the letter by stating you would like to audition for the company, what position you’re auditioning for, and how you would like to audition. Also include why you want to dance for this company. This is your opportunity to show you’ve done your research.
4. Talk about yourself! In the next paragraph, brag about yourself. Do a short summary of who you are as a dancer: where you’ve trained, what companies and choreographers you’ve worked with, etc.
5. Include a list of items that are attached to the email or in the package if you mail your materials. This way the artistic staff knows what you’re sending them. In this paragraph include any Youtube or website links you would like the artistic staff to view.
6. For the final paragraph, have a respectful sign off. Thank the artistic staff for reviewing your materials and you look forward to hearing from them.
7. This doesn’t have to be a long letter. Companies get bombarded with audition materials. Keep your letter short and to the point, one page maximum.
8. SPELLCHECK! This should be a given, but triple check a million times. Have a few friends or family read your letter and other audition materials over to check for mistakes. Mistakes can make your overall work ethic look sloppy.
Keep these tips in mind while writing your audition cover letter/email. May the odds ever be in your favor for your upcoming auditions.
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