Hudgins says that successful auditions really begin in the classroom, or---in the case of the self-taught dancer---during practice. Class time is where dancers first experience the need to remember combinations and choreography. Beginning dancers often follow more advanced students at first, but eventually develop the ability to remember choreography on their own. Dancers need to listen to a teacher's explanation of the steps, watch the demonstration of the movement and mimic the movements. Knowing dance terms is also vital, as dance teachers will use dance terms to explain the combinations. The ability to remember choreography increases with dancers who can verbally repeat the order of the terms. Class time is also the time to learn the style of a particular dance genre. For instance, ballet and hip hop differ beyond just the steps. The two genres use the body's energy differently, which effects the presentation of choreography.
The amount of choreography presented at an audition can be overwhelming. Dancers can make it more manageable by breaking combinations into sections. Divisions can be made by counts in the music; major transitions in levels, such as going from standing to rolling on the floor; or a major change in staging, such as sliding or running across the floor.
Dancers should mentally and physically review choreography every time the instructor demonstrates or repeats the steps. A technique called "marking" involves reviewing the choreography with the body at less than full-out energy. If there is limited space, mimicking the motion of the legs and feet using only the hands may help cement the choreography in your memory. If more than one group is auditioning for a dance, perform with the last group so that you can watch the dance and mentally mark the combination before it's your turn. The goal is to get the movement into your body as soon as possible.
Dancers naturally develop preferences in how they use their body. During an audition, a dancer needs to set aside her preferences and try to make her body execute the choreography as the instructor has demonstrated. At the same time, she shouldn't become overwhelmed by perfection. Some dancers worry so much about technique that the presentation, use of the body's energy and individual stylistic nuances suffer.