In past posts we’ve covered what to wear for audition photo shoots. Ten days ago I did a shoot with two outstanding students who will be graduating from Ellison Ballet School in NYC this year and looking for contracts. These ladies were perfect examples of different body types needing different leotard styles to complement their shapes, and they graciously agreed to be ‘models’ for me to show you what I’ve been talking about (thanks Lauren and Sara!).
Lauren Archer finds the best look for her body with a Yumiko spaghetti strap leotard.
As you can see, Lauren has a wider shoulder than hip girdle. We tried many leotards on Lauren, and thought that these four, ranging from least to most favourite, left to right, illustrated my point. Keep in mind that we are looking to balance out the body shape, shoulders to hips. As you can see in the first Yumiko (and this is a fave leotard that I see all the time), the cut outs on the sides accentuate Lauren’s shoulders, but we hit a winner with the last spaghetti strap style. Because the straps are further in on her shoulders they create the balance we are looking for.
Sara Tryon finds the right shape for her body with a Yumiko 3/4 sleeve leotard.
With Sara we were looking to do the opposite, wanting to ‘pull her shoulders wider’ to create that balance. Here we found that styles that accentuated her narrower rib cage were not as flattering as the 3/4 or long sleeves. Straps that sat wider on her shoulders were also a better choice.
Please keep in mind that while a leotard may be great standing straight on to the mirror, it may need to be re-assessed once you start hitting poses and moving in it. Keep looking to make sure you are seeing the look and balance you are going for throughout the shoot!
Tagged: audition tips, auditions, ballet, Ellison Ballet, leotards, Yumiko
