Sky<\/a> in Hell\u2019s Kitchen, where members can lounge on a massive outdoor pool deck and take in views of the skyline.<\/p>\nThe seven judges are all instructors themselves at the ten Life Time gyms around New York. They have different fitness specialties and bring their own unique perspective to the judging panel, said Johnny de Triquet, who leads studio classes in Manhattan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal at Lifetime is to have people engaged in more than one format, more than one studio,\u201d said de Triquet, who specializes in cycling. \u201cI\u2019m not a yogi, but I can bring a different perspective to a yoga audition that a true yogi 200-, 500-hours-certified may not have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judges at the Life Time tryouts all teach their own classes around New York. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
They\u2019re looking for someone who not only is skilled and has the right energy, but is also a \u201ccommunity builder,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That said, skill comes first, said de Triquet. But it\u2019s still a 50\/50 split with personality.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to have the certs, you have to have the legwork. That\u2019s bar none. But that personality really drives it over the top,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what keeps people coming back for more. So it is a balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reformer instruction is a coveted role. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Paola Escobar auditioned for barre and Reformer. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
A glimpse of New York\u2019s fittest<\/p>\n
And boy, did the personalities show up.<\/p>\n
Mochi Liu, 41, came in a skin-tight bodysuit complete with a golden design of a skeleton emblazoned across his body.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not for shock value \u2014 it\u2019s \u201ca visual cue\u201d for his yoga classes, he explained. \u201cI always find this much easier if people just look at me during a demonstration and know which part of the body they\u2019re moving,\u201d he told The Post.<\/p>\n
Others prefer to leave the costuming at their day job, like Tracy Dunbar, 35, who tried out for strength and cardio. He\u2019s currently dancing at the Metropolitan Opera.<\/p>\n
Mochi Liu wore a bodysuit with a golden skeleton emblazoned across his body. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Mackenzie Rogers auditioned for yoga. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the dance background, I\u2019m so anatomically focused and kinesthetically aware,\u201d he told The Post. \u201cI think being a performer and being a dancer gives us a unique perspective and unique connection to our bodies just innately.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some bring ballet experience, others pack a punch.<\/p>\n
Larry Pande, 42, came for yoga instructor tryouts but is a trained Muay Thai fighter in his free time. That might be why he takes a more uncommon approach to yoga.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pretty militant actually,\u201d he said. \u201cYoga is something where you can get hurt and I think [some teachers have] this fun and bubbly approach \u2026 but like you can rip your knee apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larry Pande tried out for yoga instruction though he also practices Muay Thai. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Tracy Dunbar, 35, tried out for strength and cardio. He\u2019s currently dancing at the Metropolitan Opera. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Marianel Marquez also tried out in the strength and cardio category. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
People of all ages and backgrounds arrived to take a shot at becoming an instructor at one of New York\u2019s most exclusive fitness clubs.<\/p>\n
Bethany Lockhart, 56, started Zumba 12 years ago to save her life. She was 240 pounds at the time, but she\u2019s since lost over 100 pounds.<\/p>\n
Others just moved to the city. Paola Escobar, 23, moved days earlier from El Paso, Texas. She started doing Pilates two years ago after landing a front desk job at a Pilates studio in Texas.<\/p>\n
Justine Sun, a 30-year-old HIIT instructor, moved to the city recently from Tokyo, where she lived for a year. She joined groups for runs, like a 5K around the Imperial Palace, one of the most famous running routes in the city.<\/p>\n
Bethany Lockhart tried out to become a Zumba instructor. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Justine Sun auditioned to become a HIIT instructor. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was such a nice community. That was what really drew me \u2026 building something with people around you. No matter where I go, I try to do that,\u201d she said. That\u2019s changed her approach to teaching too: \u201cI\u2019m not this scary instructor that\u2019s like, at the top of the room \u2026 I\u2019m just like everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sun and Liu are two of the many instructor hopefuls who are currently clients at the gym, and are hoping to feed back into the ecosystem in an entirely new role.<\/p>\n
What auditions look like<\/p>\n
The contestants \u2014 sorry, candidates \u2014 try out in one of three broad categories: strength and cardio, pilates and barre, and yoga, which drew the biggest turnout.<\/p>\n
Richel Mari Ruiz pushes fellow candidates to their limits during his audition. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Each group gathers in their respective studio room, and candidates are called up one by one to mic up, put on their selected song, and jump right into a workout. Other candidates follow their instruction as \u201cstudents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany Hogan, a yoga instructor, said she was advised to do her audition as if it was the middle of a normal class. Under normal circumstances, both the teacher and students might be working up to those moves for 30 minutes or more. In an audition, it\u2019s straight into the climax.<\/p>\n
\u201cClass is really taught as a story, as an arc \u2026 that is near impossible to do in an audition,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n
Brittany Hogan auditioned for yoga. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Byron Pineda auditioned for strength and cardio. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Still, people do their best to curate their few moments in the spotlight, from picking just the right song to coming up with a cute tagline to encourage students.<\/p>\n
Mackenzie Rogers, 36, had auditioned for a yoga spot at this gym before. She said learning from others in auditions and classes has made her ready for this one. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always a great learning opportunity,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are plenty of transitions that I have adopted after seeing them here, and in an audition setting.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some agonized over details, others take the \u201calways ready\u201d approach.<\/p>\n
So many people came for yoga auditions, they were split into two studios. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done several hundreds of auditions in my career. So I always feel like if I [stay] prepared, it\u2019s as simple as picking a couple of exercises, picking a good motivational song to go with, and then just kind of like let the both mesh together,\u201d said Byron Pineda, a strength and cardio candidate.<\/p>\n
No matter how much they prepare, though, there are always a few curveballs. <\/p>\n
Escobar was called up to go first for Pilates at Life Time \u2014 which was also her first group audition \u2014\u00a0though she expected to be able to see someone else before her.<\/p>\n
Usually before a few minutes are up \u2014 often less than one minute has passed \u2014 de Triquet will raise up his hand to say \u201cThank you, next.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi Dunston works on the operations team at Life Time and hopes to earn a spot as a mat Pilates teacher, too. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Richel Mari Ruiz is a ballet dancer and barre instructor hopeful. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
Cassidy Riggs was introduced to Pilates by her mom. She moved to New York two years ago from Utah. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
So\u2026 who made the cut?<\/p>\n
Of the 250 who originally came to the audition, 40 athletes were called back across the three categories.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, six offers were accepted in the strength and fitness category, including Byron Pineda.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done hundreds of auditions over the years, in front of a panel such as this,\u201d Pineda said at the first round. \u201cWhen it comes to teaching classes, don\u2019t try to compete with others\u2026it\u2019s about being better than I was yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four offers were extended to yogis. Mackenzie Rogers, who was trying out for a second time, accepted hers.<\/p>\n
One candidate finally got and accepted an offer after trying out three separate times \u2014 a good reminder to the hopefuls heading back to the subway that at Life Time, trying again is part of the best success stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the hottest auditions in New York City isn\u2019t on Broadway \u2014 it\u2019s at a luxury gym…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[128257,13143,68,176,13530,2953,232,57,9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-341821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-auditions","tag-competitions","tag-exclusive","tag-exercise","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-lifestyle","tag-metro","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}