Research · 200+ dancers

What artists told us about auditions.

Every recommendation in the playbook is anchored in something artists have actually experienced. These are the numbers behind the pages — each one links back to the chapter it shaped.

Cost & access
89%

have skipped an audition they could not afford

The single biggest access barrier we heard.

Act I · Access and inclusion
41%

spend €100–€250 per audition on average

Act II · Invite ratio
37%

spend more than €250 per audition on average

75%

say travel is the single biggest expense of auditioning

59%

spend more than €1,000 across a single audition season

Act II · Budgets & time
Clarity of the call
56%

do not clearly understand what companies are looking for in audition calls

Act II · Writing listings
69%

said salary information up front is important or very important

Act II · Publish a salary range
Digital first round
4%

definitely believe companies watch their audition videos fully

Act II · Ask for the right materials
On the day
83%

prefer a smaller group of ~30 with no quick cut over a large group with fast eliminations

Act II · Rethink the in-person format
2%

said they can always show their full artistic self at auditions

32%

said an unclear schedule was the biggest thing that impacted their performance

Act III · The schedule
32%

named feeling rushed as the biggest thing affecting how they showed up

32%

said companies almost always provide enough warm-up time and space

Act III · Buffer & warm-up
After
72%

said rejections usually leave them mentally drained or questioning themselves

Act IV · Rejection with respect
3%

felt companies fully understand the mental impact of auditions

Source: Lanced field research with 200+ dancers, 2024–2026. Findings drawn from surveys and conversations across ballet, contemporary, commercial, and cross-disciplinary practice.