The dance audition was packed with hundreds of hopefuls.  It was a little chaotic and one of the organizers had to use a megaphone to address the large crowd in the auditorium.  “Alright, group 155 to 194, come this way.” 

Whitney looked down at the crinkled piece of paper she held with 174 on it and stood up nervously as she pinned it to her shirt.  She had never been to an open-call audition before, but thought it would be a good experience even if nothing panned out.  This was a particularly large crowd and the audition was for a few different gigs, but details were not released to individuals until after they survived call-backs. 

She took a deep breath as her group was ushered into a large dance studio space.  She eyed the dancers around her.  They all seemed very experienced and seasoned and she could feel the intimidation settling in. 

One of the female panel members stood up to give the group direction.  “Thank you all for coming – our choreographer, Zack, is going to walk you through a few moves and then keep the steps building.  We’re going to have you all learn it as a group and then we will call you all up in groups of ten to perform it in full.  At the end we will let you know about call-backs.”

Whitney stood amongst the group trying to learn the steps.  She was focused, but the adrenaline was pumping through her.  It was nerve wracking to learn choreography on the spot, especially when she could sense the other dancers picking it up faster.  Zack was breaking down steps very quickly.  It was difficult, but she liked his style.  It would be great if this was the style of dance she would be hired to perform. 

“Group time,” the woman on the panel called out, “Let’s start with 155 – 164.”

Whitney readjusted her long brown hair in her ponytail as she stood on the sidelines, waiting for her turn.

**

 He stood behind the two-way-mirror, staring at all of the dancers.  He was looking for one female dancer, but would not settle.  He wanted the best and intended to find her.  His eyes wandered across the first set and watched as the 2nd group walked out.  168, 169, 170 – they were all good looking women, but not what he was looking for.  His eyes stopped on the last dancer in the row.  174.  She was not the sharpest dancer, but she was smooth and danced without over-confidence.  He could sense that she was a little naïve and a little nervous and he liked it.  He licked his lips a little as he watched her hips moving to the music.   

“Justin, see anything you like?” one of his assistants asked. 

“174. That’s the one I want – make the call,” he said, without taking his eyes away from the young woman he was watching.

His assistant dialed and watched as the female panel member picked up the phone while she watched the dancers.  She looked up at the two-way-mirror and nodded and then hung up. 

**

“Now, group 175 through 184,” the woman yelled out.  Whitney retreated off the dance floor and leaned down to grab her water bottle.  She looked on at the other dancers as she took a few sips to cool down.  She felt good about her performance, but she was unsure of how she faired against the other more seasoned dancers around her. 

As she watched them dance, she started to feel her confidence dwindling.  One last group to go and then it would all be over for now.  She sighed as the last group went, watching the panel judges making notes and whispering to each other. 

“Okay, the following are receiving call-backs.  Thank you to all of you for coming out.  Those that receive call-backs, please check-out with one of our personnel to receive further information,” said the same woman.  She looked down at her clipboard, “161, 167, 168, 172, 174, 184, 193, 194.” 

Whitney’s heart skipped a beat.  She couldn’t believe she had just heard her number called.  Her eyes lit up as she headed over to check-out.  The others received a piece of paper with dates and directions for their follow-up.  When she approached, the young man giving out the information looked up at her.  “174, I don’t have follow-up for you,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, but I heard my number called out,” she said, nervously.  Maybe she was hearing things and they hadn’t called out her number?  Her heart was starting to race.  She watched as he flipped through his clipboard.  She was beginning to lose hope when she felt a tight grip on her wrist.  Zack, the choreographer, pulled her away so that they could speak privately.

He handed her a business card.  “You’ve been chosen for an exclusive call-back,” he said.  He lowered his voice to a harsh whisper, “If you’re serious about dancing, be at the address on that card tonight at 11.  Show the card to the bouncers and they’ll get you into the VIP section where you need to be.” 

“What kind of a gig is this?” she asked.  She was nervous and excited at the same time.  The card was for the Sapphire Lounge.  What kind of a call-back happened at a nightclub?  He walked away from her before she could ask any more questions. 

**

10:55 P.M.  She nervously walked up to the door, breezing past the line.  The bouncer looked down at her and she looked up with wide-eyes as she handed him the business card she had received earlier.  He looked her once over and lifted the velvet rope so that she could walk through.  She walked in hesitantly and glanced to either side, not sure of where to head next.

“Whitney, are you Whitney?” she heard another woman calling out to her. A gorgeous blonde, wearing a black corset and a denim mini skirt, extended her hand to her.  “I’m Casey.  Come with me,” she said, pulling her to follow.    

The two went through a private door to the back of the club and walked down a long corridor before heading into a private dressing room.  Casey looked Whitney over.  “We need to just adjust the look a little,” she said, as she pulled the clip out of Whitney’s hair and went to grab some eyeliner. 

“Am I dressed okay?” Whitney asked, looking at her simple black halter dress in the mirror.  She nervously ran her fingers through her long brown hair, teasing it. 

“We’ll just readjust it a little so your bust gets a little more attention,” Casey said, as she returned with the eyeliner.  She applied the eyeliner and then retied Whitney’s halter in the back.  “There,” Casey said, admiring her mini makeover on Whitney in the mirror. 

“So what exactly is the gig?  Do you need dancers in the club to promote it?” Whitney asked.  She was still very confused. 

“Why don’t you have a seat?” Casey asked, motioning towards one of the chairs in the room and she seated herself in the other.  “Alright, so here’s the real deal.  You have been asked to come here because a person of interest would like you to be one of his dancers.”

Whitney’s eyes lit up.  To be hired as a full-time dancer would be an absolute dream come true. 

“So, tonight is your final audition.  You need to go out in the club and dance.  Dance like everyone is watching and then, if he likes what he sees, you’ll dance for him privately in one of the VIP rooms.  Then you will meet back with me to go over all the details.  Okay?”  Casey asked, seeing if Whitney would be up to the challenge.

Whitney was still nervous, but knew that she really only had one choice.  She headed to the dance floor.

**

She was having a good time letting loose and dancing on the main floor, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.  “He’s ready for you,” she heard Casey whisper into her ear.  She followed her back towards one of the VIP rooms.  Whitney’s nerves were setting in and she felt her knees shaking a little.  She tried to calm herself as Casey lead her into the private room.

“Justin, this is Whitney,” Casey said, making introductions.

Whitney’s eyes widened at the sight of Justin Timberlake, sitting by himself on a sofa with a drink in his hand.  The gig was to be one of Justin’s dancers?  Whitney was starting to feel excitement and adrenaline taking over.  This was the opportunity of a lifetime.  This bizarre call-back in the club had been a way to keep the audition as private as possible.  She felt relieved and nervous at the same time as she prepared herself to dance, once again. 

“Whitney, let’s see what you can do.  Casey, leave us,” he said, motioning with his glass for her to leave.  Casey nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.  He smirked as he watched Whitney start to move. 

**

Whitney finished the dance routine and looked over at Justin to see his response.  His eyes were difficult to read.  He looked at her with his head cocked to one side and then smirked once more.  He stood up with his empty glass.  “Casey will be back here with you in a moment.  Now, Whitney, if you will excuse me, I am in need of a refill.  Have a nice evening.”  He walked out the door with a little wave. 

Casey walked back in moments later.  She had a folder in her hands and laid out papers on the tabletop.  “Come on over here,” she said, motioning for Whitney to have a seat.  “So, this is the paperwork.  It’s a pretty standard contract, but then there are also things regarding confidentiality agreements, salary, and those sorts of details.”

Whitney started to read the details of the job description over and raised an eyebrow.  She was a little confused.  “So, I thought this was a back-up dancer gig?” she asked. 

Casey nodded, “Yes, we are all dancers for his new tour.” 

“Oh, you are too,” Whitney felt a little more at ease knowing that Casey would be one of her co-workers.  “But, I’m a little confused by the other stipulations.”

Casey paused before speaking again, trying to find the best way to phrase her explanation.  “When you work for Justin, he takes care of you.  You get to work with the hottest choreographers, endless networking opportunities, amazing travel, too.  He insists on paying for everything – not just your base salary, but we all have expense accounts, credit cards, phones, you name it.  In return,” she stopped, seeing how Whitney would react.  “In return, we do not just dance on stage.  We cater to his every whim.”

“Like personal assistants?” Whitney asked, continuing to browse through the pile of papers. 

“Sort of.  It’s more like we’re his support ladies.  You do what he wants, when he wants, where he wants,” Casey said.  Whitney looked up at her, hesitation in her eyes.  Casey softened her tone, “Look, I’ve been doing this for over a year now.  It’s a great lifestyle.  And with the upcoming tour it is the best time to be working for him.  How long have you been struggling to make it as a dancer?  This is the best break you’re going to get under the best circumstances.  Once you work for Justin, you can work for anyone.  Look at the salary figures, you won’t find another job like this.”

Whitney looked down at the base salary and almost jumped out of her chair at the numbers.  The money was overshadowing all of her doubts and hesitations.  Being able to have a financially secure dancing job for an extended period of time was an opportunity she would not walk away from.  She took the pen in her hands and signed the contract, sliding it back over to Casey.

Casey smiled and took the papers in her hands.  “Alright, we’ll get you started tomorrow.”

**