Macy's Passport 2010

Even though summer school took up about 80% of my time in LA, I still managed to audition for a few dance jobs. The audition for "Macy's Passport presents Glamorama" occurred toward the end of July, and amidst the rigorous 6-week A session program at UCLA I attended the cattle call. While the audition was for 9-16 year olds, and I am years above that upper age limit, my appearance allowed me to (and continues to allow me to) go on the "kids" audition.

The choreographer was Tony Testa, the same talented chap who I worked with on "Dance on Sunset." I really admire Tony because he is a pure artist. He takes his art more seriously than the average LA dancer and is very driven. His work is always challenging and fun, and I was so happy to hear that he was the choreographer for our particular segment.

The audition process was pretty strenuous. There was a panel of judges seated at the very front of the Powerhouse gym room, all of whom were important Macy's representatives. The Artistic Director, Brian Friedman, was also present. Having worked with and assisted Brian on projects and conventions, I was hoping that I had a better chance than the other dancers. Connected or not, I danced extra hard and tried my hardest to stand out among the 150+ dancers. After three rounds of cuts, I along with eight other dancers were the last ones standing. Booked.

The event is a charity fashion show put on by Macy's that benefits an organization. The organization varied in each of the 4 cities: Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. At first, I was mortified that I was going to have to rehearse and travel with kids that were 18 years old and under. Not to say that the kids themselves were hard to deal with, because they were in actuality lovely kids, but their mentality and mindset are juvenile. Being a third year college student I have very little in common with them. Luckily, the "adult" female dancers also danced in the Madonna Material Girl segment, and all the dancers in the show regardless of age traveled together. My good friend, Chantel Aguirre, was among the "adult" dancers. Other "adult" dancers that I got along really well with were, Dominic Chaiduoung, Nick Lanzisera, and Jason Glover.

Traveling and dancing with the Macy's group was an absolute blast. Each city had its own charm, and we usually had time between rehearsals and shows to explore the downtown area. I especially remember Minneapolis because I was flown out early to rehearse with the harness (I had a special part in the show as a Butterfly). I had an extra day and a half to relax and play in downtown Minneapolis by myself. I ventured to the library, went to coffee shops to read my book, and even walked to a local farmer's market. Here are some pictures of me and the other dancers:

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Another great part of the job was the Macy's Passport After Party that occurred after each show. The after party was supposed to be for people who "donated" the most, or more simply, those who paid the most for their tickets. The parties were lavish and always a fun time. There were delicious hors d'ouerves, fancy goody bags, bubbly drinks, etc. Macy's knows how to throw a good party.

My overall experience with Macy's passport was amazing, and I am so glad that I got to share it with the people that I did. I'm not sure if I would want to audition for it again next year, but I suppose that I'll cross that bridge when I have to.