by Hannah Mary Simpson. @hannahmary32.
CHICAGO. – Local actor Lucas Morrison reported feeling confident, energized, and exhausted (“but in a good way!”) after wrapping up at his second ECC of the day amidst an already very busy Audition Season - where the choreographer noticed exclusively his terrible dancing and not his "great energy."
“All right, I’ll confess, I’m more of a Very Strong Mover than a ‘capital D' Dancer,” admitted Morrison, clad in new character shoes. “That’s why I like wearing my LaDucas. This way, I sure do look like a Dancer, even if I don’t feel like one. But hey, showing up with a big smile, snazzy shoes, and a ‘yes and’ attitude is half the battle.”
Vicki Rogers, award-winning choreographer and dancer, weighed in on the talent she had seen that day.
“Oh, that guy was an actor? I thought I was watching a flailing baby giraffe in ill-fitting oxfords,” stated Rogers, while placing Morrison’s head shot in the “No” pile. “I always give auditionees the freedom to do a ‘mover-friendly’ button of the combination, but I always have at least one guy who opts for the triple pirouette into a split instead,” added Rogers after giving Morrison a tepid “great job” and a lukewarm fist bump.
Sydney Mendez, a fellow auditioner who has spent the last 14 summers training with American Ballet Theatre, had her own thoughts on the matter.
“Well, it’s not the first time I’ve been accidentally body slammed by a Mover on the marley, and it certainly won’t be the last,” said Mendez after sending a passive aggressive tweet about spatial awareness in dance calls. “Sure, I had to hit the button of the combination while lying face-down on the studio floor, but I’m a professional who keeps it together. What dancer hasn’t had this experience? It’s just fodder for my memoir at this point.”
At press time, Morrison provided us with an exclusive look into his pre-audition warmup routine.
“Casting instructed us to arrive no earlier than 30 minutes prior to our 12:00pm call, but I like to stand out and take initiative,” said Morrison while patting his head and rubbing his stomach. “That’s why I got here at 7:43am. And hey, you know what they say about the early bird catching the worm!”
Morrison then gave himself a high-five and proceeded to do The Worm, hoping Rogers would notice his quirky sense of humor and personality hire potential. She took notice, pinched the bridge of her nose, and heaved a great sigh.