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On Tuesday (Nov. 29), The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts welcomed team members from Walt Disney Creative Entertainment to campus to conduct a career-training workshop with current dance students.
The company, which is the theatrical and technical live entertainment production division of Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), produces large-scale shows, parades and fireworks displays for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and cruise lines around the world.
Disney choreographers, casting directors, show producers and athletic trainers conducted mock dance auditions, provided dance critiques and offered practical career advice to students—ranging from résumé preparation to audition-day tips to information on Disney’s opportunities for dancers and performers. The career advice reached a granular level, with reps discussing even the pros and cons of body art and piercings and Disney’s own policies for dancers.
The event is an extension of the now-annual Disney Imagineering Day at CalArts and the Blue Sky Project with the CalArts School of Theater. The partnership between WDI and the School of Theater has led to several career opportunities for students.
In the video above, Disney Creative Entertainment Choreographers K.C. Gussler and Paul David Bryant teach a jazz-style dance to BFA-4 dance students during a mock audition.