Applying and Auditioning as a Transgender Dancer

Sometimes it can be scary to put yourself out there as a trans dancer. I certainly find it hard, especially as there are certain people I'm out to and others who I am not. This makes it difficult to apply and audition for schools, workshops, and other dance-related courses. Now, I'm no expert, but I'm proud to announce that I have one audition under my belt and it was a success! I am now dancing with students who are below me in age, but I'm dancing with the most successful Irish dancer in the history of Irish ballet. She's an absolute inspiration and although I've only attended one class with her, I have learned so much and I can't wait to do more!

Applying is probably the hardest part of the process for somebody who isn't cisgender- it's the awkward time when you decide how you want to portray yourself and how much you want to say. My first piece of advice is to do your research. See if they have an equality policy (you can usually find this on their website). Stalk their Facebook and see if they have any pictures of trans students or if they openly support LGBT+ movements. It's best to know before you apply that they will accept you for who you are.

If they seem open and accepting towards trans students, apply! Send an email explaining your situation and go for it. Otherwise, it is perhaps safest to inquire under another name that your family may not know you by. I applied using the name 'Sam' which is not my birth name nor my legal name, and only a few people know me as that. I found that it helped me to let go and to relax- they saw me as a boy, not a girl-pretending-to-be-a-boy when they saw my male name.

The Royal Academy of Dance recently published their latest edition of Dance Gazette, and in it they have a wonderful article all about transgender dancers. They even have a story from a boy around my age who is also a transman and is training to be a professional- how inspiring for all of us in the transgender community! The link is right here: http://www.rad.org.uk/more/dance-gazette
I encourage all of you to read it and tell the RAD what a refreshing piece it is- who knows, perhaps we'll hear more on the subject soon?

Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post, and to all those trans people auditioning now or in the future- Good Luck!

~Sam