So, you started ballet in your late teens or even your early twenties but you've been training intensively. Now you're wondering if you could make this your career. Or, perhaps you started late and are wondering if it's worth your while to go full-time - or is it too late? This article is for you. Starting late can rule out some options. You probably won't get into any of the world's most renowned ballet companies (although, I would love to be proven wrong here, so please don't let me stop you trying!) However, there is a world between getting in to The Paris Opera and throwing in the towel to get a day job. And in that gap there exist an array of opportunities to create a viable career in dance. (And I'm not talking about being a teacher or a choreographer - not that there's anything wrong with those careers - but in this post I'm going to talk about actually getting paid to dance). Below I have compiled a list of all the options that I can think of! Happy reading. :) 1. Medium or Small Ballet Companies National companies aren't the only ones worth dancing for. Many state, city or regional companies have beautiful dancers in their ranks. Don't get me wrong, getting into these companies can also be extremely competitive: I'm not saying this is a viable option for everyone. However, what I am saying is, don't despair if you can't get into a big company: there are other medium and smaller companies which you could still have a shot at. Just because you can't get into your big national or even state company doesn't mean you can't dance - it might just mean that you need to cast a wider net. In Europe, where the arts are well funded, there are a lot of regional, state funded ballet and contemporary companies where you might find work. 2. Semi-Professional and Amateur Companies Some of these companies might not pay very well, or even at all. A semi-professional company might, for example, pay for performances but not rehearsal time. Whether you're willing to do unpaid or low paid work is a personal choice. You might need to weigh this up against what it means to you to be doing what you love and what training and experience the company can offer you in return. It's also worth noting that a career path can sometimes fluctuate between low paid, unpaid or well paid work depending on what your priorities are and where you're headed. You might, for example, decide to work your way up the ranks of a semi-professional or amateur company to gain some experience and technique before moving onto other places. 3. Internships and Finishing Year Programs Ok, this option isn't actually paid work, however, I've included it here because I think it can sometimes provide a valuable toe-in for work later on. A lot of companies offer finishing year or apprenticeship programs. In such a program you will usually train and perform alongside full company members but not get paid yourself, or you might even have to pay to be there. Similarly to choosing whether to work for an amateur company, what compromises you make are up to you. Some dancers might find a program like this can be a useful springboard into either the company they intern with or another company down the track. 4. Consider other genres. Don't get me wrong - just because you've trained in ballet doesn't mean you're going to walk into any contemporary audition and get the part. Contemporary and jazz dancers have spent years honing their craft too. If you want to do this properly, you might need to take a year or two to re-train. However, once you've done that, watch your options multiply! Contemporary A lot of ballet dancers have at least dabbled with contemporary dance as part of their training. Many ballet companies also perform neo-classical/ contemporary-style works as part of their repertoire. Really mastering contemporary can be a challenge for dancers heavily steeped in classical technique. However, if you can do this, there exist a vast array of contemporary companies out there, from the prestigious and world-renowned, to the small grass-roots collectives. Musical Theatre Ballet dancers who can sing and act (or are willing to learn...) can be well suited to musical theater because of their strong technical background. And just as with ballet, there exists a full range of musical theater companies to consider, from huge, touring companies, to theme parks like Disney, cruise ships, right down to regional and local companies. Commercial This genre arguably contains the biggest variety of work. It includes backup dancing, cruise ships, music videos, theme parks, podium dancing, cheer squads and dance troupes or crews who perform at community or corporate events. Commercial jazz often has a sexier style which is quite different to ballet. However, dancers from a ballet background who are willing to retrain in this style can make excellent commercial dancers because of their clean lines and strong technique. Some of the best commercial jazz dancers I've ever seen have had solid ballet training behind them as well as jazz. 5. Why not create your own company? The possibilities for what you can do here transcend all genres of dance and are as endless as your imagination. It's arguably best to start with something small and build from there. You could put together a ballet or contemporary company and perform at your local Fringe Festival. Or create a musical theatre ensemble, hire a space, sell some tickets and put on a show. Get a group of commercial dancers together and create a stage act for hire at community and corporate events. Something which starts off as a small, simple project can gather momentum and grow if managed intelligently. How to create and run a successful dance company is probably a separate blog post (or more!) in itself, but needless to say, this type of project requires initiative, creativity, organization and business sense. 6. Consider Related Fields Rather than re-training in another genre of dance, you could use the skills you have to move into an allied field. If you're willing to put in the work to retrain in, say, acting, physical theater or circus, you won't be working as a dancer per se but you will get to perform. These disciplines might even present you with opportunities to perform dance within another context which you hadn't even thought of. For example, a lot of circus performers incorporate dance into their acts. Or, imagine landing an acting role where you get to play the part of a dancer! Ballet dancers can do very well in allied fields like circus because of their beautiful lines. Life is what you make it - go for it! Some of the options listed in this article might feel like quite a compromise if you had your heart set on dancing with a big ballet company. However, these options can represent the possibility of being paid to perform in front of an audience - a dream which can be worth making some compromises to achieve. I hope that this article has given some of those reading some inspiration and hope to pursue your dreams! Life is what you make it - go for it!
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AuthorI've been dancing since I was little. I've danced with Melbourne Dance Theatre, Look Left Dance Circus Theatre and Lyrebird Dance Theatre as well as and freelancing around Melbourne as a dancer and circus performer. This blog contains some of the lessons I've learned on my journey and some of the things I wish someone had told me earlier! |