Auditioning for a job at one of America’s major ballet companies is a grueling experience combining the harshest aspects of a Hollywood screen test, an Olympic floor routine, and the judges’ table at American Idol. Dancers at these auditions must perform extremely difficult maneuvers en masse, and are dismissed casually and without explanation if they don’t meet one of the dozens of physical, artistic, and athletic criteria of the people judging them. Thousands of dancers graduate from top schools every year – only a few will land full-time jobs. When you come right down to it, dance is one of the most competitive job markets in the arts world.