We’re happy to contribute this post, and this series on Careers for Dancers, to DanceAdvantage’s Teach-a-Thon! See the link at the end of this post for more on this great blogging event!

You’ve been dancing since age three. Your classmates have never seen you without your dance bag.

Now, you’re ready to graduate from high school and decide on a future. Until now, dance has been your life–

but will it be your career?

Many dancers reach this point and wonder if the life of a professional dancer is right for them.

If you want to know the pros and cons of a career in dance, then this post is for you. This is the first in our week-long series of posts on career advice for dancers.

Job Outlook for Dancers

When you’re choosing a career, you should, above all, find something that excites, interests, and motivates you. But, you should also research the statistics on your career to make sure you’re ready for any challenges.

At some point, you should look at the projected outlook for your chosen career field. The projected outlook tells you if people who perform this job will be needed in the next five to ten years. Economists working for the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) come up with these numbers for each job in the US, including jobs for professional dancers.

The BLS’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition projects that jobs for professional dancers will grow by about 6-percent through the year 2016. At a 6-percent growth, jobs for professional dancers will grow more slowly than the average for all occupations in the US. This means that competition for dance jobs should increase in the coming years.

Pay for Professional Dancers

The BLS also tracks the average pay for each job in the US. The Occupational Outlook Handbook shows a pretty wide range of numbers on earnings for professional dancers (and you can see the full earnings report at this link).

You can find a simplified, summarized version of this earnings report from the College Board. In their summary, the average hourly income of a professional dancer in 2007 was $14.74.

Challenges Facing Professional Dancers

If you want to work as professional dancer, there are several challenges you should consider, including career length, job security, competition, and travel requirements.

Career Length

The average length of a professional dancer’s on-stage career is not very long. According to average estimates, most dancers stop performing by their late thirties.

There are always exceptions, of course, and some dancers continue into their 50s or after. But in general, the physical and emotional stress of performance and competition, along with frequent injuries, make for short careers.

It can be difficult to follow your passion into a career that is relatively short. But, on the positive side, retirement often gives dancers the chance to pursue other interests. Very often, professional experience leads retired dancers into brand new fields. And, a retired dancer may have an edge when starting a second career, because he or she knows how to manage competition and stress.

Job Security

Another challenge for professional dancers is that they are often unemployed or underemployed for periods of time. If you’re the type of person who wants a permanent position with a high level of security, then the life of a professional dancer might not be for you.

Competition

A third challenge for professional dancers is the competition they face. Dancers outnumber dance jobs

throughout the world, and to get hired you must constantly work to be the best. You’ll have to deal with a lot of stress.

If auditions and critics leave you shaking, then a career of constant competition may not make you happy. But, it’s true that some people thrive under pressure, and if this is you, then a life in dance might be right.

Travel Requirements

Another point to think about if you’re considering a career in dance: you might have to move often. Do you have family needs or personal responsibilities that you will want to fulfill at home? If occasional moving and frequent travel would keep you from the things that are important to you, then the professional life of a dancer might not fit with your personal life.

Most dancers say that they love traveling. Some dancers get to tour the world while performing, and it’s exciting to see new places. If you live in several cities as you search out new positions, you’ll learn a lot about the world’s diversity. But to keep up with change, you’ll need to be flexible and open. (And, you’ll have

to limit the number of possessions you lug from place to place.)

Challenges in Every Career

Keep in mind that the challenges that we’ve listed are just that: they’re the challenges in the life of a professional dancer. But every single career, from dancing to dog grooming, has its own challenges.

To choose the right career, you need to identify its challenges and see how they match, or conflict with, your personal goals, interests, and responsibilities. If you thrive on competition, if you like change, and if you are willing to live with great flexibility, then the life of a professional dancer might be right for you.

Determined to Dance?

If you’re ready to take on the life of a professional dancer, then you have the support of many great organizations. For some resources on choosing a college, auditioning, and making the best use of your training and performance opportunities, visit the following links:

• DanceUSA: At this link, you’ll find DanceUSA’s advice on choosing a college and beginning a career in dance. Throughout the rest of DanceUSA’s website, you’ll find lots of information for professional dancers, including job and audition listings at this link.
• National Association of Schools of Dance: Organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities. This group establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials.
• Dance Education in Canada: Overview of dance training opportunities in Canada
• Dance Training in England: Overview of dance training opportunities in England
• Career Transition for Dancers: When you’re at the end of your career as a professional dancer, this is the place where you’ll begin your research. Career Transition for Dancers has helped professional dancers identify their strengths and interests, get grants for school, and set out in fulfilling second careers.

Not Sure Now?

If you’re second-guessing your old dream of becoming a professional dancer, keep reading. Do you know about the careers out there for people who support the world’s dancers? Are you ready to learn about these important jobs?

Come back tomorrow for the next post in this series on Careers for Dancers. We’ll talk about jobs within dance companies.

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Teach-a-Thon

Throughout this week, we are participating in DanceAdvantage’s Teach-a-Thon, a week-long blogging event that offers advice to all of the dance students heading back to classes soon.

As you read our posts on Careers for Dancers all week long, make sure you also check out posts by the other Teach-a-Thon participants.