If you turn on the TV, you would think America has gone dance crazy. Dance contests are taking over the nation on almost every station.

These dance shows are even making a scene in Utah. Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" held an audition in Salt Lake City last month. An increasing number of Utah residents have started to audition for these national dance competitions, many of which have gone on to compete. Although auditioning for a national TV show can be strenuous, those who've auditioned share their five secrets to a successful audition.

Secret 1: Scheduling

Bradley Gregory, an 18-year-old BYU freshman from Alpine, said he tried out for the "So You Think You Can Dance" audition. He is part of the back-up dance team at BYU and said practicing for a tryout while going to school takes a lot of work, so scheduling was a big part of being able to audition. Even before the audition, he said he would wake up at 5 a.m. just so he could make it to his team practices at BYU, go to class, and then meet with his partner so they could teach each other their solo pieces for the audition.

"It takes patience, a conscious effort to schedule your time," Gregory said. "Even on the day of the audition, we got up really early and practiced before we got there. We went to our team practice first, so our coach wouldn't be mad, and from there, ran to get to the audition. We ended up in the back of the line, but we still got to try out."

Many who have tried out and made it to these competitions have also come from a performing arts studio in Orem. Center Stage Performing Arts Studio is no stranger to having its students audition for national TV shows.

Kim DelGrosso, co-owner and artistic director of Center Stage, said the studio has had many of its dancers make it in the entertainment business. One performer, Jared Murillo, is a principal dancer in the "High School Musical" series. Some other performers include Julianne Hough and Marie Osmond, who were in ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and Hefa Tuita, who will be on a new show on Nickelodeon.

Secret 2: Know your audience.

Two Center Stage dancers, Christian Denice and Kelli Baker, have also auditioned for a national dance show. Denice, 19, and Baker, 18, were partners at the audition. They said they rehearse five days a week, seven hours a day. When it comes time to audition, Denice said they immerse themselves in the type of audition they are trying out for.

"You need to do your research," Denice said. "Anything put on TV means that bigger is better. You need to understand what and who you're auditioning for, what they're looking for, and be prepared mentally and physically. I try as much as I can to surround myself in what the judges are looking for so it's not so unexpected."

Secret 3: Be teachable

Baker, who also auditioned for "High School Musical," said being teachable is another big aspect in succeeding at an audition.

"The choreographers know exactly what they're looking for," Baker said. "You have to be exactly that or they're not going to want you."

Before auditioning, Gregory made himself teachable by asking others for their opinions on what he should do at the audition of "So You Think You Can Dance."

"I talked to one of the music department guys what I should do on stage," Gregory said. "He said, 'Use the floor, that's what they want to see. Make eye contact with them, and have a lot of personality. Also, don't mess up,' which was really good advice."

Gregory also said waiting to audition made the goal of making it onto the show much more difficult.

"It's so ... different than watching it on TV," Gregory said. "Waiting to try out is really long. We were the last dance group to audition, so we were there all day long. It was playing with my mind the whole time. When we first got there we were really excited and ready to dance, but after waiting for so long, we were ... psyching ourselves out."

Secret 4: Be prepared

Baker agreed with Gregory and said a good idea is to always be prepared.

"You never know how long the audition will go, so be prepared with food and water," Baker said. "Improv is a big part of auditioning, but 90 percent is coming prepared for the audition. Headshots are important because the judges base so much on headshots. When you're gone that's all they have left of you."

Secret 5: Confidence is key

People thinking about auditioning for a national TV competition should expect long days and keep their emotions in control, Gregory said.

"People who look too nervous will get kicked off," Gregory said. "They're looking for a lot of confidence on stage, but not cockiness. No one likes arrogance."

Copyright Brigham Young University 7 Apr 2008