Disneyland offer of 500 showbiz jobs draws 1,600 hopefuls

From seasoned musicians to amateur disco dancers, more than 1,600 people are vying for 500 performing roles at Hong Kong Disneyland.

Management of the theme park, expected to open late next year or in early 2006, have already interviewed 500 aspiring parade dancers. There will be a second round of auditions tomorrow to pick musicians, from harpists to woodwind instrument players. A last round in January will choose show dancers, singers and actors.

The park aims to employ 180 parade dancers, 170 other dancers, 60 musicians, 35 vocalists and about 40 stunt performers.

The park is still finalising the specifics of its Broadway-style show, which will be in English but with dialogue kept to a minimum.

About 90 per cent of the candidates were local, said Laurie Jordan, vice-president of entertainment for Hong Kong Disneyland. Ms Jordan said she was optimistic about finding the right talent despite Hong Kong's relatively small population of 6.8 million.

'The talent and the level of enthusiasm are comparable to those in the United States,' she said.

'We saw a broad spectrum, from a young lady with several years of dance training to a young man who loves going to discos but has no formal training at all. We want to see that spark. You don't have to show a degree.'