Houston Ballet Open Auditions

[Beezie]

Saw this posted, in case it is relevant to anyone: (via Facebook)

Dancers, mark your calendars! Houston Ballet will be holding Company Open Auditions for the 2024-25 season on Sunday, February 25th, 2024. 🗓️

Auditions will take place here in our beautiful studios at the Margaret Alkek Williams Houston Ballet Center for Dance.

Full details here: https://www.houstonballet.org/about/employment-opportunities/dancer-employment/

[Peanut68]

How refreshing to hear of a true 'Open' Audition where you can rock up & give it a go! Sadly rather an expensive & long journey to get there for UK dancers of course....!

[Beezie]

Probably worth an email to make sure they sponsor visas and also see how many dancers have been accepted through past open auditions (don’t know if it is a shot-in-the-dark or 1-2 positions per year.). But it is one of the best companies in the US, imo.  It’s nice that it is accessible to all, in some form or fashion.

[Viviangrace]

Thanks for the post about an open audition (Houston Ballet)!  Revisiting this topic somewhat....

I have a question upon just reading and it may need a separate heading/post....and I'm a little late in reading this!

 

Do you think one has a better chance of being seen at an open audition like this  (at the Company's home studio) or attending one of the job fairs (example:  Barcelona's Grand Audition, which Julie Kent - director of Houston Ballet Company is attending)????

 

I think the Grand Audition type of job fair requires a preliminary screen and acceptance, where the open audition example could allow anyone/everyone - just wondering about the numbers and having enough barre space, being seen, ect...for both options.  Or if possible logistically and cost-wise should one try to attend both?  (maybe not this Houston Ballet example - very far and $$)

 

Anyone with any first hand experiences to share?

 

[Beezie]

Personally, I would only suggest it if you could simultaneously do other auditions or if it was synergistic with a holiday to the US.

 

For Houston Ballet, they also have a summer program.  I could be incorrect, but I think some summer students are converted over to the student company (Houston Ballet 2.)   I’m sure HB could answer such questions if asked….but exposure via a summer program may be more worthwhile than traveling for a large open audition.  At least you get the whole 2 week experience.
 

There are a good number of strong local dance programs within a 3 hour drive of Houston, so I think competition will be strong.   I do think a RB dance style pairs nicely with Houston Ballet though; whereas a subset of the US schools will be more Balanchine or jazzy/showy.

[Lifeafterballet]

My two graduate children both did invited auditions and individual auditions within company class in the US and Europe. The company class ones were I feel the ones with the most likelihood of getting a contract. Ds got his first contract from an invited large audition and his second from being invited to join company class after the season had started. Dd flew to the US for a week and managed to squeeze in 3 auditions, all in the same state but that still required an internal flight. She did that solo at 19.
Planning is key. Getting in as many as you can in one trip, being cheeky and asking for company class. Dd got offers of a trainee, not paid, and a contract in her rounds. All just before Covid. 
She attended Houston Ballet Academy on a short term offer from YAGP and didn’t like it. The standard of their senior students was very high and the teaching was excellent but it was Houston itself and the lack of freedom, not getting to go outside much that she didn’t like. There were a lot of restrictions on students for their safety. 
Ds was in a Studio Company in the US for a season, cut short by Covid. It was very expensive. The visa, the flights, deposit for an apartment, health insurance, transport etc etc 

He got paid $1,000 per month. But not over Christmas when they were closed. The season is August to May and then it’s off you go home with no income for 3 months to reapply for your visa again and start the paying out. 
His European contract is paid all year round. He’s been lucky in that it has paid enough for him to survive on and he hasn’t had to leave due to a visa expiring. 
It’s a minefield. But you learn quickly. Especially when you have to do it twice like we did 😅 

Never again 🤣 

[Viviangrace]

Thanks again - helpful information!

[Ruby Foo]

51 minutes ago, Lifeafterballet said:

My two graduate children both did invited auditions and individual auditions within company class in the US and Europe. The company class ones were I feel the ones with the most likelihood of getting a contract. Ds got his first contract from an invited large audition and his second from being invited to join company class after the season had started. Dd flew to the US for a week and managed to squeeze in 3 auditions, all in the same state but that still required an internal flight. She did that solo at 19.
Planning is key. Getting in as many as you can in one trip, being cheeky and asking for company class. Dd got offers of a trainee, not paid, and a contract in her rounds. All just before Covid. 
She attended Houston Ballet Academy on a short term offer from YAGP and didn’t like it. The standard of their senior students was very high and the teaching was excellent but it was Houston itself and the lack of freedom, not getting to go outside much that she didn’t like. There were a lot of restrictions on students for their safety. 
Ds was in a Studio Company in the US for a season, cut short by Covid. It was very expensive. The visa, the flights, deposit for an apartment, health insurance, transport etc etc 

He got paid $1,000 per month. But not over Christmas when they were closed. The season is August to May and then it’s off you go home with no income for 3 months to reapply for your visa again and start the paying out. 
His European contract is paid all year round. He’s been lucky in that it has paid enough for him to survive on and he hasn’t had to leave due to a visa expiring. 
It’s a minefield. But you learn quickly. Especially when you have to do it twice like we did 😅 

Never again 🤣 

This seems like invaluable information but my overwhelming reaction was Wow! All you must have been through! Congratulations on surviving!

[Derin's Mom]

On 01/02/2024 at 00:36, Lifeafterballet said:

My two graduate children both did invited auditions and individual auditions within company class in the US and Europe. The company class ones were I feel the ones with the most likelihood of getting a contract. Ds got his first contract from an invited large audition and his second from being invited to join company class after the season had started. Dd flew to the US for a week and managed to squeeze in 3 auditions, all in the same state but that still required an internal flight. She did that solo at 19.
Planning is key. Getting in as many as you can in one trip, being cheeky and asking for company class. Dd got offers of a trainee, not paid, and a contract in her rounds. All just before Covid. 
She attended Houston Ballet Academy on a short term offer from YAGP and didn’t like it. The standard of their senior students was very high and the teaching was excellent but it was Houston itself and the lack of freedom, not getting to go outside much that she didn’t like. There were a lot of restrictions on students for their safety. 
Ds was in a Studio Company in the US for a season, cut short by Covid. It was very expensive. The visa, the flights, deposit for an apartment, health insurance, transport etc etc 

He got paid $1,000 per month. But not over Christmas when they were closed. The season is August to May and then it’s off you go home with no income for 3 months to reapply for your visa again and start the paying out. 
His European contract is paid all year round. He’s been lucky in that it has paid enough for him to survive on and he hasn’t had to leave due to a visa expiring. 
It’s a minefield. But you learn quickly. Especially when you have to do it twice like we did 😅 

Never again 🤣 

 Dear Lifeafterballet,

My daughter received an invitiation to HB2 in GrandAudition, and i understand HB2 is a part of the Academy. We are not familiar with US schools so I understand that students (still students) will be having an education of 2 more yeras where in Europe this is mostly under the name of junior company. But in Houston Ballet this HBA2 is a semi-school semi company programme. If she accepts and starts then I understand we will be paying for 2 more years. Do they get a certain amount of money if they are connected to company and attend the shows? What should we expect as expenses... this is bugging me.

If there are people to enlighten me, it will be more than appreciated.

The school, the dorms (or the student finds an accomodation on their own etc) all are a big question mark for me at the moment.

[Lifeafterballet]

1 hour ago, Derin's Mom said:

 Dear Lifeafterballet,

My daughter received an invitiation to HB2 in GrandAudition, and i understand HB2 is a part of the Academy. We are not familiar with US schools so I understand that students (still students) will be having an education of 2 more yeras where in Europe this is mostly under the name of junior company. But in Houston Ballet this HBA2 is a semi-school semi company programme. If she accepts and starts then I understand we will be paying for 2 more years. Do they get a certain amount of money if they are connected to company and attend the shows? What should we expect as expenses... this is bugging me.

If there are people to enlighten me, it will be more than appreciated.

The school, the dorms (or the student finds an accomodation on their own etc) all are a big question mark for me at the moment.

Hi Derin’s Mom,

If you google Houston Ballet Academy Fees and go to the Professional program you will see the tuition costs for Professional 1 and 2 and HB2. $8,200 per year for HB2. Then scroll down and you can see all the additional costs like accommodation etc. You are right that it is part of the academy. They dance in the same studios as the other levels. I believe the students get the opportunity to dance with the company as students in U.K. ballet schools do but i bet like RB, BRB and ENB they don’t pay them. 
They do mention a stipend payment. My son’s US junior company gave him a stipend payment which worked out at $1,000 per month. He couldn’t live financially independent with this. And this was pre pandemic. But there were no tuition fees to pay like there is at HB2. 
If your child has completed ballet training and graduated then this will be another 2 years of training and money on top with no guarantee of employment. Having experienced my son dancing in the US with the very short seasons, visas, insurance and not being paid all year round I personally wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.
Its so hard. Especially when our children have completed their training and just want to continue to dance. Wishing you the very best of luck with your choices x
 

[Derin's Mom]

2 hours ago, Lifeafterballet said:

Hi Derin’s Mom,

If you google Houston Ballet Academy Fees and go to the Professional program you will see the tuition costs for Professional 1 and 2 and HB2. $8,200 per year for HB2. Then scroll down and you can see all the additional costs like accommodation etc. You are right that it is part of the academy. They dance in the same studios as the other levels. I believe the students get the opportunity to dance with the company as students in U.K. ballet schools do but i bet like RB, BRB and ENB they don’t pay them. 
They do mention a stipend payment. My son’s US junior company gave him a stipend payment which worked out at $1,000 per month. He couldn’t live financially independent with this. And this was pre pandemic. But there were no tuition fees to pay like there is at HB2. 
If your child has completed ballet training and graduated then this will be another 2 years of training and money on top with no guarantee of employment. Having experienced my son dancing in the US with the very short seasons, visas, insurance and not being paid all year round I personally wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.
Its so hard. Especially when our children have completed their training and just want to continue to dance. Wishing you the very best of luck with your choices x
 

Thank you very much. All helpful and i will be thinking over it.