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!

If you’ve been here over the past few days, maybe you’ve read the first three posts in this series on career advice for dancers. If not, check them out too:

• Challenges of a Professional Dance Career
• Jobs in Dance Companies
• Jobs for Dancers in Media and Communications

With this post, we’re continuing our conversation on careers for dancers who aren’t sure if they want to dance professionally.

Today’s topic: jobs for dancers in the fields of medicine and health care.

Dance Therapy

The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) believes that the body and mind are interrelated. Because dance requires your mental, emotional, and physical faculties, dance/movement therapy is used to treat people with developmental, medical, social, physical and psychological impairments. A dance/movement

therapist might work in mental health or physical rehabilitation centers, educational programs, nursing homes, day care centers, disease prevention centers, and health promotion programs.

In the United States, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) of the Department of Health and Human Services recognizes dance/movement therapy as an effective treatment for a variety of conditions.

The title of “Dance Therapists Registered” (DTR) is granted to entry-level dance/movement therapists who have a master’s degree. A DTR also must have 700 hours of supervised clinical internship. The registry of “Academy of Dance Therapists” (ADTR) is awarded to a DTR who has completed 3,640 hours of clinical work in an agency, institution or special school, under the supervision of an ADTR.

Dance/movement therapists work with people of all ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds, so you must enjoy working closely with people. This career demands a great deal of education and training, but it’s a rewarding field. You’ll get to share your love of dance while helping people improve their physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

For more information on this career, visit this link to the American Dance Therapy Association’s page about education for dance/movement therapists.

Nutrition

It’s important for every company to have healthy dancers. Many dance companies, for this reason, employ their own nutritionists. Also, many fitness dance centers employ nutritionists. With a background in dance,

you will have an advantage in settings like these. If you have an interest in health, communications, chemistry, biology, or food, then you may be well-suited to a career as a nutritionist.

Most nutritionists have at least a bachelor’s degree in dietetics, foods and nutrition, food service systems management, or a related area. In the US, 48 states require some sort of licensure, certification, or registration for nutritionists. When you’re researching a school’s nutrition or dietetics program, you’ll need to find out what level of certification that school’s program will get you.

The American Dietetic Association awards the title of Registered Dietitian when a person has completed educational and internship requirements and passed a standardized exam. Visit this link to learn more about the education requirements for nutritionists and dietitians.

Physical Therapy

With all of the injuries that dancers experience, dance companies need to work with physical therapists who understand the physical demands of dance as well as a dancer’s goals.

With a background in dance, you understand a dancer’s passion and drive. As a physical therapist, you could provide a unique level of care and guidance to professional dancers.

Many large dance companies employ a physical therapist who will screen incoming dancers, teach injury

prevention, and treat injured dancers. Outside of dance companies, physical therapists often operate their own practices. One example of a physical therapy group that specializes in dance therapy is BackStage PT in Allston, Massachusetts.

Becoming a physical therapist requires a good deal of education, lots of internship hours, high aptitude in areas like biology and math, and good interpersonal skills. A physical therapist must have at least a master’s degree from an accredited school. But today, most entry-level physical therapists already have doctoral degrees.

Visit the following links for more information on careers in physical therapy and for information on how physical therapists are important in the world of dance.

• BLS on Physical Therapy Requirements and Job Outlook
• “Pair Your Studio with a Physical Therapist” by Sheyi Ojofeitimi, a physical therapist with Alvin Ailey
• American Physical Therapy Association
• Harkness Center for Dance Injuries

Still Not Sure?

Have you found a career that sounds right for you? Go back and read our posts on the challenges of a professional dance career, jobs within dance companies, and jobs for dancers in media and communications.

And, come back for our next post in this series on career advice for dancers. We will be talking about careers in teaching dance.

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.