Rebecca Lazier, Choreographer        Photo: Anna Finke

What do you look for in a dancer? How do you find your dancers?

From Rebecca Lazier (Brooklyn, NY):

That is a tricky question! There is certainly a "je ne sais quoi" aspect to noticing which dancer that inspires me. I can see two equally accomplished dancers but one will be compelling to me as a potential collaborator and another will not. I tell my students there is no formula to being the best dancer at an audition. I want students to have the confidence that sometimes there isn’t anything you can do better, it isn’t about you and they shouldn’t take rejection personally. It is crippling to think every time you audition or are passed over for a project it means that you are not good enough. That isn’t it! It simply isn’t a match and that has nothing to do with their expertise. I watch some of the most fantastic dancers in the world and know I wouldn’t choose them for a project. Yes, I would love to be commissioned to choreograph with any dancer and love that challenge, but when selecting dancers for my projects there are practical factors and unexplainable elements. On the practical side I look for mastery of physical skills in an amalgam of modern forms. I also need an equal amount of abandon, fearlessness, and ability to throw one’s self off balance. I love precision and freedom. I look for people who know how to take care of themselves, can warm themselves up, and are actively taking care of their own bodies and pursing their training. Many of my dancers are also creators themselves.

From Alexandra Beller (New York, NY):

It’s hard to describe. Usually I find them first in class, so their beautiful, liquid, idiosyncratic, personal dancing and ability to fill the material with themselves usually strikes me first. Then, I often notice their ability to create narrative out of simple movement, without text, which I don’t give in technique classes. Then I get a sense of them over time, often long periods, like a year or more. Often then I will ask them to come in and play with the group to get a feel for them, or there will be a guest role in a piece and I'll ask them to rehearse or perform it. Then I’ll ask them to join. I rarely, if ever, audition.

From Onye Ozuzu (Chicago, IL):

I look for a sense of grounded-ness, the ability to initiate movement from multiple places in the core, a sense of integrated and useful alignment, facility going into and coming out of the floor, a sense of ease, a clear articulation of poly-rhythm and groove. I look for an intuitive as well as inquisitive artist, one who comes to the table always as a collaborator, and one who is “leaning in" to the emerging work, one who raises the stakes just by the intensity of their concentration on what may happen.

From Daniel Charon (Salt Lake City, UT):

I think work ethic and trust are as valuable as talent and ability. Someone who works really hard and is behind me is so important. I would rather have a healthy attitude in the studio than talent that doesn’t work hard or comes with attitude. I want a dancer to inspire me and tell me things I didn’t know about my own choreography. I want them to push me to unexpected places. I also think it important to have fun and enjoy the process so all of these things collectively contribute to that.

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