The Black Foxes Audition - Marching Storm Band

Black Foxes Audition Requirements

All candidates must have applied to Prairie View A&M prior to the audition. If a candidate has not applied, they should do so immediately. Applications can be completed online at The Undergraduate Admissions website. Note that candidates’ admission to Prairie View A&M University will be verified prior to the audition. A candidate who is a current University student or transfer student must have an overall GPA of 2.5 or greater.

All candidates should be aware that Marching Storm Camp will be held beginning end of July and extend through the beginning of the Fall semester. It is possible that FRESHMEN members may be invited to attend the Marching Storm Summer Bridge Program beginning in early July. All parts of Marching Storm Camp are mandatory should a candidate be chosen as as a member of the Black Foxes.

Auditions will be held in two rounds. The first round will be held virtually via video submission. The final round will be held in person on the campus of Prairie View and is by invitation only.

Registration for Auditions

The date for on-campus 2nd round auditions is Saturday April 13th. Please follow us on our IG page, @pvblackfoxesofficial for updates as they become available.

Application and Round 1 video submissions will be accepted beginning March 1st, 2024 until March 31st, 2024.

Fill out our online application, which can be found at Black Fox Audition Application. We are only accepting applications online. It is highly important that you read thoroughly, complete and submit this application prior to submitting your Round 1 video.

There is a non-refundable $25 audition fee. Fee should be paid via the online payment site which is also accessible at the end of the application. At the end of the application you will be prompted to upload a copy of your payment receipt. No checks, money orders or cash will be accepted. Once you complete the application you will be sent an automated email with further instructions for uploading your video submission. Be sure that you receive the automated confirmation email!! If you do not receive this email, it is possible that your application may not have been submitted properly and you should re-submit your online application.

The first round will be done via video submission. You will submit 2 videos: A solo routine and a list of basic skills. Your solo video is to be 1 and a half minutes long. Be prepared to upload your video submissions to an UNLISTED YouTube link.

After Round 1 judging is completed, we will be notifying candidates if they are selected to move on to the 2nd/final round via email. Please make sure your email address works and the inbox accepts new messages. We are not responsible for email addresses that are incorrect or can not accept new emails.

If you are selected to move on to the final round, you will attend the audition IN PERSON on campus Saturday April 13th.

You still need to submit your application and your $25 application fee prior to submitting your video

Regarding your videos here are a few DOs and DON’Ts:

DON’T enhance your videos with filters or anything fancy.
DON’T SPLICE TOGETHER OR EDIT YOUR VIDEO. We will deduct points if we notice that you have spliced pieces of video together to make one video. You can re-record as many times as you want, but ultimately your final recording should be ONE CONTINUOUS EXECUTION of the routine and not a spliced-together video of several attempts. If you don’t understand this please ask.
DON’T use an old video of yourself, e.g. you at a competition or doing a field show routine with your band. Make sure that the candidate we see on the video is the candidate that would appear in person.
DO introduce yourself at the beginning of your video. Include your name, age, school and hometown.
DO make sure that your entire body can be seen for the entire 1.5 minutes of your routine. This means there needs to be proper space between the camera and you. However, DON’T have TOO much space between you and the camera such that we cannot make out what you are doing.
DO show us your personality and what is special about YOU! Remember, it is your time to shine and show us skills that you may not have to execute in the other audition rounds.
DO feel free to use themed costumes or props (if appropriate) if it enhances your overall performance.

See below for more guidelines for your solo routine.

2nd Round – What To Bring

A headshot photograph. Photographs will not be returned. Please note that “selfies”, and photos printed on copy paper are not suitable to be submitted as a headshot. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact us for guidance.
A copy of your most recent transcript (current Prairie View and transfer students only). Please note that all current Prairie View student candidates must have a 2.5 GPA to audition. High school candidates must be accepted by the University before the audition date. No GPA required for high school candidates accepted into the University.
Bring lunch, water, and snacks in preparation for a long day.

Attire

Candidates are asked to wear the following:

Black sports bra or midriff dance top
Black Boy Shorts or briefs
Flesh colored (suntan, nude, etc.) dance tights
Black or Tan jazz shoes or Black dance sneakers. Please note, proper footwear is very important in an audition. Please NO basketball sneakers, fashion sneakers (Keds, Converse, etc.) or fashion shoes/boots. Ballet slippers are allowed if you do not own jazz shoes. It is suggested that you bring both jazz shoes and dance sneakers (if you have both) to accommodate any floor surface. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible during your audition.
No jewelry is permitted, except for small earring studs.
Please come properly made up for your audition. You should strive to look your best in regards to hair and make-up.

Auditions

Preliminary Auditions will be conducted as follows:

Video 1 – Solo Dance – Dancers will present prepared choreography showcasing their dance strengths and performance quality. Solo can be costumed and/or themed but it is not required. Your solo should be one minute and 30 seconds long.

Solo Guidelines
- Please refrain from using vulgar or otherwise inappropriate music.
- Solo routine should showcase your strengths and personality. It is your chance to show the judges your uniqueness.
- Sometimes less is more. If a prop or theme interferes with the execution of your routine, consider eliminating the prop or changing your theme.

Video 2 – Basic Skills/Across the Floor – Dancers will receive a separate email listing the skills to perform that demonstrate proper dance technique, agility, showmanship, energy and proficiency in standalone skills and moving combinations. Candidates may be asked to execute one or more of the following skills, however; please note that other dance skills may be added to the list at the time of audition.

Splits (right, left, center)
Jazz Walks
Chassé
Pas de Bourrée
High Kicks (Battemént)
Chassé Split Leap
Chassé Split Leap in 2^nd position
Toe Touch Jump
Chainé Turn
Piqué Turn
Pas dé Bourrée, Single Pirouette
Pas dé Bourrée, Double Pirouette
Heel Stretch
Axle
Turning leap in 2nd position (Video)
Turning “C” Jump (Video)

Note: If you need assistance with some of the ballet terms, you can google/search for them and locate definitions, pictures and videos of the ballet moves. An excellent YouTube channel that features videos of these moves is the “Just for Kix” Youtube channel.

Final Round (In Person) – The final round will consist of the following segments: Basic Skills, Group Dance and Stand Routines, Interview.

Basic Skills – Each dancer will again be asked to perform selected basic skills from the list above.

Group Dance – Dancers will be required to demonstrate proficiency in 2 phases of this round:

Stand Routines – Dancers will be taught short stand routines indicative of the Fox dance style. This will allow judges to see how well a candidate can perform in the expected style.
Short Routine – Dancers will also be taught a short routine representative of the Black Foxes field show routines that candidates will be seeing for the first time at the audition. This will allow judges to see how quickly a candidate picks up choreography and assess their ability to memorize and retain what they have learned.

Dancers will be evaluated on how they perform with group members, how quickly they pick up the material, and how well they perform the material, showmanship and poise.

Interview – Dancers will be asked questions by the judges to evaluate their speaking ability, poise and maturity.