Owlnotes.com

Professional Dancer and Pilates Instructor.

I work for two different dance companies. My primary responsibilities include attending warm-up class, rehearsals, performances and teaching residencies. At rehearsals, I must learn, master, artistically interpret, and collaborate on creating choreography. In performances, one of my responsibilities is executing the choreographed pieces to the best of my ability. The dancer has a responsibility to infuse the choreography with freshness and the sense that it is a living, breathing, ever-new, ever-changing entity. It is also the responsibility of the dancer to embody the choreography in the same way that an actor embodies a part. For teaching residencies, the goal is to teach within the style of the company you are representing, so that requires some forethought and planning.

One of the main problems I face is scheduling. The dance companies I work for often have overlapping performance dates or rehearsal times. I also have to factor in my Pilates teaching schedule. Very few dancers land dance jobs where they work full-time for one company and can live off of that salary alone. Most dancers work for multiple choreographers and/or companies, and have additional part-time jobs. You also need to stay in good physical shape and prioritize going to technique class and the gym.

You have to be extremely organized and vigilant, adaptable and cooperative. Being a fast learner is helpful, so when you have to attend rehearsals for a shorter period of time, you still get the necessary work done. Lately, I have been working on being more assertive and asking for what I need.

Most modern dancers are extremely hard working, down-to-earth, friendly, supportive people. Their personalities can range from being granola-eating hippies to extremely meticulous perfectionists who, under other circumstances, you might find in an accounting office. I work with both types and more. My interactions with my fellow dancers are always filled with laughter and fun. I tend to gravitate towards dancers who are light-hearted and encouraging. I watch and learn from dancers who are perfectionists and go-getters. I try to avoid confrontation and work toward open channels of communication between myself and other dancers, so that they feel free to give me feedback about my dancing and vice-versa.

One company has a very structured and organized rehearsal process. A lot of time is spent on details and precision of the movements, spacing, musical counts, etc. Each rehearsal is carefully planned out with tasks that need to be accomplished that day. Another company has rehearsals where dancers improvise with each other and by themselves to generate movement material and thematic ideas. The rehearsals are freer in their structure and run like a stream-of-consciousness writing assignment. Ideas are tossed out, played with, transformed or discarded. I think both of these working atmospheres, or a combination of both, are typical in the field of dance.

Anything you can easily move in—t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, leggings, leotards.

I spend most of my time at work in the rehearsal studio. This is very typical. One company rehearses 20 hours a week. The other one doesn't rehearse weekly, but will rehearse five or six hours a day in weeklong or two-week intensives.

I think you become a professional dancer when you decide that this is what you want to do with your life. The rest of it is just trying to make things happen for you. I was fifteen when I decided that I wanted to dance professionally. I had just taken a three-week ballet summer camp. Prior to this camp, I had only ever done improvisational dance. Something about the intensity and rigor of the ballet camp and the beauty of the dancers that I saw on videos made me want to "be like them." After I decided I wanted to dance professionally, I had the usual high school task of figuring out where to go to college for dance. I knew that I didn't have enough training to go immediately into the field. For personal reasons, I decided to go to college in my hometown at a private university with no dance degree, only a theater degree. I kept doing improvisational dance during college.

When I finished my undergraduate degree in theater, I immediately started looking at schools that had dance programs. I eventually found myself pursuing an undergraduate degree in dance at the University of Iowa. After a year and a half of undergraduate work, I was feeling more confident about my skills as a dancer, and I went to Chicago. I auditioned for everything and got an apprentice job with a company. I danced with them for six months. After that, I went to graduate school for dance at the University of Iowa. My years spent at the University of Iowa, both as an undergraduate and graduate student, were pivotal in the actualization of my dream to dance professionally. These years provided me with the training and experience I would need and also helped increase my self-confidence. I had professors that encouraged me to dance professionally, and I started networking with choreographers who came to Iowa as guest artists. This networking came in handy when I moved to New York.

If my dancing jobs progresses as I'd like, I will be able to dance full-time and support myself by dancing alone. I would like to dance with a company or companies whose work I truly believe in. The companies would rehearse regularly and travel around the world performing. It would also be fun to receive a Bessie Award (a prestigious New York dance award) at some point.

I apprenticed for a dance company in Chicago for six months, and I learned that it is important to know what kind of work the company does and what style of dance they are primarily interested in before I accept a position. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that, because there are few jobs, you should take the first one that comes along. It's easy to be swayed by the idea of getting paid to dance, since it is so rare, but you have to like what you're doing and the people you're working with or you won't be happy. The company I apprenticed with in Chicago did not have a dance aesthetic I was interested in, and therefore the work was not fulfilling for me. It is important to know what you are interested in and pursue that.

I don't think there are any typical career paths for dancers. If there is a more common one, it is probably the path of dancing, or attempting to get paid to dance, for a couple of years, and then moving on to a job that is more lucrative. It is sad, but true. Those who do press on seem to do it for the long haul. They might naturally progress from dancing for a company to being a teacher or rehearsal director or choreographing and creating a company of their own.

I woke up and went to a post-modern dance class taught by Jen Nugent from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Then I took the subway to a health club uptown to teach Pilates from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. After teaching, I ran on the treadmill. At 3:00 p.m., I grabbed some lunch and took the subway back downtown to rehearse for one of my dance companies. I was learning some material off of a DVD for an upcoming performance, and I needed to prepare before rehearsal with the cast so I could focus on partnering and spacing with the group. I rehearsed with the group from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Then I headed home for the day.

As a professional dancer, variability in your schedule is inevitable, and you have to be willing to lead a life that is often unpredictable and uncertain. To provide an example of the difference in my daily schedule, I will describe what I did Tuesday. I woke up at 5:30 a.m., picked up a rental car and drove to East New Brunswick, New Jersey for a teaching residency. At 8:30 a.m., another dancer and I reviewed the material we were going to teach. We taught from 10:00 to 10:40 a.m., and headed back into New York City. We rehearsed for one of my dance companies until 5:00 p.m. After rehearsal, I taught Pilates from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

This depends on the day, and for which company I am rehearsing. I only dance part-time with one company, so I rehearse on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for a couple of hours—usually from 1:30 or 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. My other company rehearses in weeklong intensives. During these intensives, we rehearse five or six hours a day in the late afternoon and evening.

One company has a class from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on the days we rehearse, but I take additional ballet and modern classes. I am not loyal to a certain dance studio, but to teachers I know I like. Usually, I take class from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and/or from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Three to four hours a day on average.

My workload doesn't change if I have to perform later that day or evening. I still have to teach Pilates or rehearse for the dance company that is not performing. I try to go to a technique class on the day I am performing to help prepare me for the evening of dancing. I have to be at the theater two to three hours before a show. I change into warm-up clothes, grab my iPod, and begin my own personal regime of stretching and strengthening exercises. Sometimes there is a group warm-up class. After my warm-up, I go into the dressing room, drink some water or juice, and eat a snack bar or piece of fruit. Then I put on make-up and do my hair. About 10 to 15 minutes before the show, I do a second warm-up that is a condensed version of the first. Then I take a big breath and go onstage. When the show is over, I stretch out before heading home.

Change out of my street clothes and begin to stretch and warm-up.

Yes. With one company, we get a 25-minute break halfway through the five hour rehearsal period. With the other company, we take breaks for five minutes when we need it, or if it is a longer rehearsal, we will take a 20-minute dinner break.

I have a different schedule every day, and that often changes from week to week.

Too little. You usually get paid hourly. From what I have heard and experienced, wages typically range from $10 to $25 an hour. The number of hours you work varies from 10 to 30 hours a week.

When you travel or perform, you usually get paid a performance fee and receive a travel stipend or per diem for food on the road. Travel fares and hotels are always paid for. Some companies have health care plans, but not many.

It doesn't change much over time, because there is a very limited amount of money a dance company has to begin with. They can't afford to give raises or bonuses. I suppose if you become better known as a dancer and gain greater recognition, you might be able to ask for a higher hourly wage.

This really depends on the project or piece you are working on. It varies drastically. It all depends on when you are trying to premiere a work and how fast the choreographer works.

This past fall, I traveled about one week out of every month. This spring, I will probably travel an average of two weeks a month. I don't know if this is typical.

I don't have a family of my own yet. I am very busy, so I don't get to speak with my parents or siblings on the phone as much as I used to. I don't see them very much either. I live in New York City, and they live in Iowa and Colorado. Because I don't make that much money, I only see them once or twice a year. My social life is my dance life. I live with three other dancers, and I rehearse with dancers. The only non-dancers I interact with regularly are my Pilates clients and fellow teachers at the Pilates studios, who are usually also dancers.

I don't think social participation is necessarily expected of anyone in the dance arena, but it is incredibly advantageous. Networking is key in the dance world. You get jobs by knowing people and being seen in class, performances or auditions. You get jobs because of recommendations from choreographers you've worked for in the past.

Yes, you are obligated to stay physically fit to dance. This includes going to technique class and the gym. You could spend up to four hours a day on this alone, which is, on average, between 20 and 25 hours a week.

There is very little stability in my job. There is not much money in dance, and there are few jobs available. Your job also depends on your staying in good health and not getting injured.

There is no designated vacation time. Some companies take days or weeks off every couple of months, and some don't rehearse regularly.

You retire from a career as a professional dancer when your body can no longer endure the high physical demands of the job, or when you tire of it. Retirement is not at any particular age or after any specific number of years. It is not something I can pre-plan. The only retirement benefits I can think of are softer skin on the soles of my feet and the disappearance of backaches. That is not much to look forward to. I would rather keep dancing.

Last weekend was the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) weekend here in NYC. Presenters from venues all over the world come to watch excerpts of work from dance companies in New York and other parts of the country as well. One of my companies worked intensively for three days, and it was very fulfilling to immerse myself in the process. I think our showing was well received which can lead to more bookings, more performances and travel opportunities for us.

I have sacrificed certain things, but not everyone must sacrifice these same things, if anything at all. Why not have your cake and eat it too? Personally, I have decided that making a lot of money through a career in dance is not important to me. Having free time to sit around and watch T.V. or read a novel is also something I don't mind giving up. I was married before, and realized it wasn't supportive to my dance career, but that is most definitely not the case for everyone.

I believe that the number of people pursuing careers as dancers or choreographers is growing, but the financial support for dance as an art form is shrinking, which makes for a very tough situation. There is a surplus of dancers and a depleted supply of money to support us all. This makes getting a job even more competitive. I am not sure where this insurgence of new, young dancers is coming from. Maybe it stems from all of those fantastic 80's movies glorifying the life of a dancer or the accessibility of college dance programs. Why the interest in the art form is shrinking is questionable as well. Does having the media at our fingertips crush our interest in live performance, particularly live performance that requires a sense of patience to appreciate? Are choreographers making inaccessible dances? These are all possibilities.

Technology is making it harder and harder to get people into the theater to see dance. Who needs a dance performance when we have every episode of Lost on our iPods and iPhones? However, when people do show up at the theater they see that all that fabulous technology can be utilized in dance performances as well. Companies are incorporating more and more multi-media elements into their dances, from individual headsets for each audience member to great computer generated projections as backdrops or part of the actual piece. All the technology challenges the dancer. The live performer has to be as interesting to watch as the technology, which is no easy feat. At the same time, the use of technology provides audience members with a more accessible entrance into a piece. Audiences are familiar with watching a video projection, so when this is used in dance, the audience has a way of relating to the piece.

Well, New York City is still to this day considered the mecca of dance and the performing arts in general. But, there are great dance companies in all of the major cities in the United States. Europe is also an incredible place to dance because, unlike in America, dance companies are financially supported in Europe. I would say that the chance of obtaining work as a professional dancer is actually no more likely in NYC than in any other city in the United States. Although there is more dance in NYC, there is less space and money to support it, and there are a plethora of dancers. I think the best thing to do is to figure out what company you want to dance for, and move to wherever that choreographer or company is located. It doesn't matter where you are as long as you are dancing.

I now know whose work I am interested in being a part of. If I had known that from the beginning, I could have focused all my energy towards getting to know those choreographers, taking their classes, their workshops, etc.

Anyone is well-suited for this career as long as he/she loves dancing enough to pursue it, no matter what the outcome of that pursuit may be. You have to love dancing for yourself, and not for praise from others. You have to love it enough that even if you don't get "the job" or "the audition," you will still want to dance as much as you can.

I know many different dancers with many different personalities, traits, skills and characteristics. It is valuable to love dancing. Many people make a lot of sacrifices in order to dance and if you don't love it, it is probably not worth it.

Keeping at it, knowing that this is what I wanted and deciding to do it in any capacity I could, working hard, but also loving the hard work.

I think some of the most important factors used to hire people in the field of dance are: being easy to work with; bringing something of yourself to the choreography; retaining choreography; being creative and collaborative and bringing this to the process; dancing well in the movement style presented; and being an inspiring performer.

Some auditions are very formal, some more casual. Some provide all the material you will be learning, and others require you to have a solo prepared or to be ready to improvise. You pretty much have to be prepared for anything. One of the most helpful things for me at an audition is to immediately appreciate the dancing, the beauty and the bodies of my fellow perfomers. It is so easy to start to compare yourself to others in the auditioning environment. Admiring and appreciating the talents and beauty of others helped me not to judge them or myself. Just being grateful to be in a room with so many amazing people kept me more relaxed, responsive and receptive, and less uptight and nervous.

From my experience, I don't think GPA is important at all. I would say the reputation of the college you went to plays a much bigger part in obtaining a professional dance job. Here in New York City, studying at Julliard, New York University or Fordham University goes a long way. This is only with some choreographers. Other choreographers could care less where you went to school; they are more interested in how you move, who you are, and how you work.

Staying relaxed enough to continue to show the judges who you really are as a dancer and performer. Entering a non-judgmental state allows you to be fully present. This presence is magnetic, and the judges will notice you because you are not worrying about being correct, but you are dancing with joy and fullness of heart.

Most books about dance careers are autobiographies of dancers and contain all there is to know about how challenging and rewarding the life of a dancer can be. My personal answer is that no book can ever describe the utter bliss of being physically invigorated by movement, music and performing. Also, no book can ever truly explain the experience of intense self-doubt that can accompany certain periods of time in a dancer's life.