Three Little Words
Our best vacation? Taking a cruise. A fantastic time. Relaxation and excitement. Treated like royalty. Slept in late. Fabulous ship entertainment. Three more words? Jean Ann Ryan.
I met Jean Ann Ryan in the late 1970s. She was hired to choreograph an annual woman’s club production. I was a new member of the club. With my background in dance, the club members decided I would be her assistant.
She was petite, vibrant, smart and loaded with talent. We soon became good pals and because she lived quite far away, she spent the weeknights at my house. We had many a late night sitting around the kitchen table chatting about our experiences while munching on homemade chocolate chip cookies. She preferred hers straight from the freezer. While Jean Ann never gained an ounce, my munching is still quite evident today.
Although most would consider a woman’s club job like that to be a small-time gig, it turned out to be a huge opportunity for Jean Ann. The husband of one of our members was the vice president of Entertainment for Norwegian Cruise Lines. Need I say more? He was so impressed with Jean Ann and her talent that he offered her a job producing shows for the company. Once she put her foot on the ship, she never looked back.
She choreographed her way up the ladder and formed Jean Ann Ryan Productions, one of the top entertainment production companies recognized around the world today. JAR Productions was the first to introduce full-scale Broadway shows in repertory with lavish Las Vegas Revues on the high seas, revolutionizing the cruise ship entertainment industry. Her talent is not limited to the cruise industry; JAR produces special events, industrials, theater and TV productions, hotel revues and theme park shows in the states and abroad.
With credentials like that, who better to ask for auditioning hints when writing a Commercial Dance article? No one. Here’s what she says:
When hiring for Jean Ann Ryan Productions, we look for many different things in a performer. When we cast it is like putting together pieces of a puzzle. Each casting is unique and requires something special from each performer. When all the pieces fit, the puzzle is complete and the result is a strong dynamic cast unlike any other. There are, however, the following basic criteria that we look for in each performer:
1. Well trained, disciplined dancers with a strong background in both jazz and ballet. Dancers that go home after a day of rehearsal and do their homework and return the next day prepared. Performers must also have a spark about them that makes them stand out above the rest. We are known for hiring the highest caliber of talent. Our choreographers work with such superstars as Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears. They expect us to deliver a cast that is superior.
2. When we are hiring performers for the cruise ships, we look for dancers that display a positive and friendly disposition. You can tell a lot about a person just by the way they handle themselves at an audition. At times it does not matter how great an individual can dance. If they do not respect their fellow performers, they will not do well on a ship.
3. Also important for us is how a dancer looks at an audition. Not to say that a performer must be wearing expensive dance clothes, but they must look clean and neat. Auditions are not the time to wear ripped leotards.
4. We look for dancers that are not afraid to think outside the box and experiment in different ways so they can continue to grow as performers. We nourish our talent and there is nothing more rewarding for a director, choreographer or producer then to see how a young talented performer has blossomed.
I enjoyed my tête-à-tête with Jean Ann…I hope you did too. Three more words? Thanks for chatting! daniebeck@dance.com