3 Things Dancers Need to Know When Pursuing a Professional Career
There’s A LOT I wish I knew before starting my professional dance career. There’s the practical advice - how to read a contract, how to cope with injuries, how to decipher a company’s financials. Then there are the mindset shifts that I needed to make. Going from a pre-professional student to a professional dancer is shocking. My first years felt like survival of the fittest - I was either going to sink or swim. Fortunately, I learned how to swim as well as some valuable lessons along the way. If you’re pursuing a professional dance career, here are three things you need to know:
1. You are allowed to love your job and also make a living
It’s time to stop buying into the starving artist myth. Just because society undervalues the arts and in turn artists, it doesn't mean you should undervalue yourself. If we want others to start taking the work we do seriously, we first need to take ourselves seriously! The arts (including dance) are a billion-dollar industry.
Remember: as an artist, you are also an entrepreneur. Especially in the age of social media, you are constantly curating your personal brand, marketing your dancing, and working to put the best possible version of yourself out into the dance world. You’re not selling out by knowing (and asking for) your worth. You’re contributing to keeping the arts alive and thriving by treating them as a viable career opportunity instead of a hobby.
When you begin to think of yourself as the CEO of your dance career, you will feel empowered and in charge of cultivating a career that aligns with your vision for life!
2. Your intuition is one of your best assets
When I first embarked on a professional dance career, I was sure that I wanted to dance for a classical ballet company. That is what I had been training for since I was ten years old! However, I realized pretty quickly into my first contract that a classical ballet company was not for me. I was craving more - and that’s when I discovered Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance). I had the opportunity to watch the dancers rehearse and I had chills - I had never felt more strongly that this was what I was meant to do with my dance career. Joining a contemporary ballet company meant I never did another Nutcracker or classical ballet - I had to let go of the idea in my head of what I thought my career should look like in order to embrace the career I was meant to have.
If something feels right (or doesn't feel right!) listen to your gut. It may be different than what you had imagined, but it just might lead to more fulfillment than you could have dreamed.
3. You might not have it “all” - but you can have what’s most important to you
As with everything in life, the journey to a dance career is anything but a straight line. It's filled with twists and turns, curves, and loop-de-loops. When you first start out, you may not land your ideal job right away. As long as it is leading you to your ultimate goal (and not crossing any of your boundaries), that's ok! As you progress in your career and gain more experience, you will be able to be more discerning with your choices.
Always remember - you get to define what success means to you based on what will make you feel fulfilled, happy, and aligned with your beliefs. As you go along, you’ll have to make choices. You may not find a job with every single item on your wish list - but you can have what's most important to you.
For example - throughout my career, I discovered that what was most important to me was:
Dancing new and innovative works by amazing choreographers
A work environment where I felt safe and was encouraged to take risks
A schedule that gave me time to spend pursuing passions outside of dance
Being a part of a community that celebrated and supported the arts
Opportunities to expand my skills beyond dancing and into education and leadership
There are absolutely other items on my nice-to-have list (like dancing for a unionized company, more performances, larger audiences, etc.). But by gaining clarity on what success really meant to me in a dance career, I was able to land a job that was the perfect fit for me.
Not sure what’s most important to you at this stage? Or even what you should be looking for in a professional career?
Enter the Intentional Career Handbook. This 19-page handbook includes 12 topics and 50+ question prompts designed to give you intention and clarity in your goals as you pursue a professional dance career. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the choices available to you as a professional dancer, this handbook will help you get crystal clear on what you want out of your career.
Meet the Author
Caitlin Sloan is a Dance Educator and Career Mentor based in Madison, WI.
Caitlin received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Grand Valley State University and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri.
She danced professionally for nine years with companies including Ballet Tucson and Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance). Caitlin has taught at schools all over the Midwest, most notably serving as Director of The School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet and Youth Company Director for Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. She is currently on faculty at the School of Madison Ballet.
Caitlin founded The Brainy Ballerina® in 2019, a virtual resource providing support and guidance for aspiring ballet dancers. Follow @thebrainyballerina on Instagram for your daily dose of dance career guidance and inspiration.
