One of the hottest auditions in New York City isn’t on Broadway — it’s at a luxury gym on Wall Street.
Hundreds of the city’s fittest recently descended on the FiDi location of luxury gym chain Life Time, hoping to score a job teaching their workout of choice.
Gathered in a dim, sleek lobby, candidates from all walks of life awaited their allotted two minutes to dazzle a panel of six judges — though they often get significantly less time to make an impression.
Christi Thibodeau, one of the judges, told The Post she can tell if someone has what it takes “within the first five seconds.” She leads one of the brand’s most popular classes, CTR (Core Tone Reform), for locations around the country.
Thibodeau is looking for someone with “the ability to command a room with just one single word,” she said. “When you feel the energy shift the moment someone steps on stage, you kind of know that they have it.”
Scores of fitness fanatics turned up for the chance to show they have that X-factor. It’s all very reminiscent of stepping up to the mic with fingers crossed for a golden buzzer on America’s Got Talent, or a ticket to Hollywood from American Idol.
Interest was so high that Life Time was forced to cap auditions at 250. More than 30 of their current instructors were previously hired through this thrilling — and nerve-wracking — process.
Who’s got what it takes to be on top?
What the judges are looking for
Life Time is a posh gym, with a slightly higher per-month rate than Equinox locations in the city. Memberships start at $348 a month.
The FiDi location offers amenities from childcare to a chiropractor and rehab office, and a recovery room that offers dynamic stretching and recovery tech like hydromassage beds and CryoLounge chairs.
Life Time’s most famous location is Sky in Hell’s Kitchen, where members can lounge on a massive outdoor pool deck and take in views of the skyline.
The 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.
“The goal at Lifetime is to have people engaged in more than one format, more than one studio,” said de Triquet, who specializes in cycling. “I’m 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.”
They’re looking for someone who not only is skilled and has the right energy, but is also a “community builder,” he said.
That said, skill comes first, said de Triquet. But it’s still a 50/50 split with personality.
“You have to have the certs, you have to have the legwork. That’s bar none. But that personality really drives it over the top,” he said. “That’s what keeps people coming back for more. So it is a balance.”
A glimpse of New York’s fittest
And boy, did the personalities show up.
Mochi Liu, 41, came in a skin-tight bodysuit complete with a golden design of a skeleton emblazoned across his body.
It’s not for shock value — it’s “a visual cue” for his yoga classes, he explained. “I always find this much easier if people just look at me during a demonstration and know which part of the body they’re moving,” he told The Post.
Others prefer to leave the costuming at their day job, like Tracy Dunbar, 35, who tried out for strength and cardio. He’s currently dancing at the Metropolitan Opera.
“With the dance background, I’m so anatomically focused and kinesthetically aware,” he told The Post. “I think being a performer and being a dancer gives us a unique perspective and unique connection to our bodies just innately.”
While some bring ballet experience, others pack a punch.
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.
“I’m pretty militant actually,” he said. “Yoga is something where you can get hurt and I think [some teachers have] this fun and bubbly approach … but like you can rip your knee apart.”
People of all ages and backgrounds arrived to take a shot at becoming an instructor at one of New York’s most exclusive fitness clubs.
Bethany Lockhart, 56, started Zumba 12 years ago to save her life. She was 240 pounds at the time, but she’s since lost over 100 pounds.
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.
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.
“I thought it was such a nice community. That was what really drew me … building something with people around you. No matter where I go, I try to do that,” she said. That’s changed her approach to teaching too: “I’m not this scary instructor that’s like, at the top of the room … I’m just like everyone else.”
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.
What auditions look like
The contestants — sorry, candidates — try out in one of three broad categories: strength and cardio, pilates and barre, and yoga, which drew the biggest turnout.
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 “students.”
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’s straight into the climax.
“Class is really taught as a story, as an arc … that is near impossible to do in an audition,” she admitted.
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.
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.
“It’s always a great learning opportunity,” she said. “There are plenty of transitions that I have adopted after seeing them here, and in an audition setting.”
While some agonized over details, others take the “always ready” approach.
“I’ve done several hundreds of auditions in my career. So I always feel like if I [stay] prepared, it’s 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,” said Byron Pineda, a strength and cardio candidate.
No matter how much they prepare, though, there are always a few curveballs.
Escobar was called up to go first for Pilates at Life Time — which was also her first group audition — though she expected to be able to see someone else before her.
Usually before a few minutes are up — often less than one minute has passed — Johnny will raise up his hand to say “Thank you, next.”
So… who made the cut?
Of the 250 who originally came to the audition, 40 athletes were called back across the three categories.
Ultimately, six offers were accepted in the strength and fitness category, including Byron Pineda.
“I’ve done hundreds of auditions over the years, in front of a panel such as this,” Pineda said at the first round. “When it comes to teaching classes, don’t try to compete with others…it’s about being better than I was yesterday.”
Four offers were extended to yogis. Mackenzie Rogers, who was trying out for a second time, accepted hers.
One candidate finally got and accepted an offer after trying out three separate times — a good reminder to the hopefuls heading back to the subway that at Life Time, trying again is part of the best success stories.
