MY AUDITION by Maria Camila Arboleda Gil

The last year in January, I auditioned in the folkloric ballet of Antioquia who is tasked with 

carry to various countries of the world a sample of the multicultural richness of Colombia, in order to show in each scenario the positive image of the country and promote intercultural dialogue using dance as a common language. I wanted do the audition because I have loved dancing all my life, I started dancing when I was 3 years old and now i am 18 years old.

I have dancing in the folkloric ballet of Antioquia, I started at school and then I did many auditions and raised as a dancer in small companies, children and young company, then it was time to grow more and that day, I went to present the audition to belong to second company.

The requirements for the audition were:

*Be aged between 16 and 24 years old

*Be a height (1.60mts women) (men 1.70mts) Minimum

*Have mastery of ballet, folklore, dance hall, dance   contemporary and urban

*We had to carry a song with the rhythm that we wanted and prepare an individual choreography.

I was very scared but also very confident about my talent. This morning when I got there, we went to room for warm and stretch. In this place I saw about 60 people or more, people from different schools and the same. After to warm and stretch, we were called for our names, they put us a number, my number was 26. When we went to the main room, there are eight jurors (directors, teachers and principal dancers)

The audition was separated for three stages, the first stage the jury qualified folklore and traditional dances, when the first stage ended the jury eliminated some people.

The second stage the jury qualified classical ballet, ballroom dance and physical conditions, I mean, stretching and the end the jury eliminated more people.

In the last stage we presented an individual dance who the jury qualified. We presented different dances, some people presented classical ballet, others presented contemporary dance and others folklore, I was dancing Currulao that is my favorite in folklore. Currulao is a dance that came from Africa that is the representation when slaves when conquered their wives through a handkerchief, this was their communication and stomping the man did to show joy and enjoyment.

I passed the audition, I did not believe, I was really happy.