What do Dancers do?

A Dancer would typically need to:

• To entertain an audience, express stories and ideas through intricate dance motions done on stage, on-air broadcasts, or in a film.
• Prepare for, and attend, auditions and casting sessions for forthcoming productions or open roles in a dance group.
• Learn and rehearse intricate dance movements, as well as exercise several hours each day, to improve their skill and prepare for performance.
• Perform to live audiences and for television, film, and music video productions
• In partnership with instructors, choreographers, and other dancers, research, debate, interpret, and create new and evolving dance routines.
• To participate in musical theatre, learn and apply associated talents such as singing and acting.
• Take care of costumes and equipment; attend promotional events such as photographic sessions for the current production.
• To advertise themselves, they can send out their CV or images and video footage, give talks, offer workshops, or attend auditions and meetings.
• Teach dance, if so inclined, in schools or private sessions
• Encourage and enable people, particularly youngsters, to understand, appreciate, and participate in dancing.
• Conduct seminars for specific populations, such as people with impairments or a history of trauma.
• Perform administrative, advertising, or stage management tasks, particularly if self-employed or working for a small business.
• Coordination of funding and contracts with arts and dance institutions and theatres

Standard Work Environment

A dancer may work on stage, on set, or in shows at concerts, casinos, theme parks, and cruise ships, as well as in dance, television, and film studios. You’ll also spend a lot of time practicing your skill, whether in a studio, on location, or at home.

Dancers may perform individually or as part of a group. A touring dance company’s members will need to travel frequently.

Work Schedule

Although most dancers work on short-term contracts, full-time employment with dance groups is an option. Typically, you will spend the day rehearsing and performing in the evening or at night. Many shows are broadcast six days a week.

Depending on where you work, your timetable may vary. Long and unsocial hours, with extended periods of physical exertion, stretched throughout early mornings, evenings, late nights, weekends, and national holidays, are unavoidable.

Employers

Finding a new job may appear difficult. Dancers can improve their job search by soliciting referrals from their network, contacting firms directly, using job search platforms, attending job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies. Freelancing and working for yourself are realistic possibilities.

Dancers are generally employed by:

• Performing Arts Companies (Ballet, Contemporary, Street, Asian & African Dance Companies)
• Clubs
• Cabarets
• Cruise Ships
• Musical Theatres
• Community Dance Organisations
• Private Dance Schools
• Further Education Colleges
• Higher Education Institutions
• Local Authorities
• National & Regional Dance Development Bodies

Unions / Professional Organizations

Professional groups and organizations, such as The National Dance Education Organisation, are essential for dancers who want to further their professional growth or interact with other professionals in their industry or employment. Membership in one or more of these organizations adds value to your CV while strengthening your credentials and qualifications.

Because major dance companies are usually linked with a union, and positions in television, cinema, and theatre are normally union jobs, a professional Dancer with an authorized union card is eligible for auditions and permits the union to represent legitimate members.

Workplace Challenges

• Frequent performance- and practice-related injuries and illnesses
• Extreme physical demands lead to the end of an active performance by the late thirties
• Extremely competitive field notorious for its lack of financial and job security
• The constant stress of losing one’s role or job to younger and more physically fit talent

Suggested Work Experience

Dancing is a disciplined art that necessitates a lifetime of instruction and practice. Aspiring professional dancers typically begin training at the age of five and begin auditioning for permanent work at the age of 18.

Years of intensive training provided by dance companies and performing arts schools help develop muscle strength and skills for honing their gift. Students obtain the experience required to be accepted into a professional dance company.

Ballet classes provide beginners with the necessary strength, muscle memory, and flexibility to learn any dance style.

Consider relocating to a city where entertainment thrives in order to boost your chances of achieving your career goals. At the same time, look for local art groups, dance organizations, or dance schools where you might volunteer to dance.

Regular dance classes will strengthen your physical stamina and add to your experience, in addition to helping you develop your craft. Attendant auditions provide a viable opportunity to get spotted by the director or choreographer and booked.

Attend workshops led by renowned choreographers and members of prestigious dance groups, as a favorable first impression may lead to future performance chances.

Apply to prestigious professional dance organizations that offer intensive summer training programmes from which individuals may be chosen for entrance to their regular full-time training programmes.

Recommended Qualifications

Although not required, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in dance or musical theatre from a university, conservatoire, or performing arts college’s department of theatre or fine arts is highly recommended.

Choreography, production, dance history, instruction, and movement and body alignment will provide an aspiring dancer with the practical and theoretical understanding needed to carve out a career in this highly competitive sector.

In high school, prioritize language studies, physical education, music, drama, and other performing arts.

Certifications, Licenses, and Registration

A Dancer’s proficiency in a skill set is demonstrated through certification, which is often obtained through job experience, training, and passing a test.

Accredited certification in a range of dance disciplines such as modern dance, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop from a reputable and objective body will help you grow and become an independent consultant. The majority of entrants have prior formal training.

Furthermore, certification in education and training, communications and media, therapy and counseling, and therapy and counseling will offer up a variety of work prospects.

Projected Career Map

Career advancement is driven by performance, experience, and the acquisition of professional certifications. Some dancers continue to focus on dancing, touring, building a name for themselves, and earning more because they have no defined career route to follow.

Many dancers, however, opt to retire from performing in their late 30s and pursue careers in teaching, choreography, dance administration, dance journalism, dance movement, and psychotherapy.

Dancers who want to teach in the private or public sector can open their own dance studios or open a franchise within a health and fitness club where they can teach young students. They may also teach dancing in dance studios and conservatories, as well as in elementary, high school, and college settings.

Working as a Dance Notator, a Dance Captain in musical theatre, or a Ballet Master/Mistress in concert dance groups are all choices. When the choreographer is not present at practice, you will be given the opportunity to lead rehearsals or work with less experienced dancers.

Job Prospects

Candidates who are physically active and have substantial experience and expertise in many dance forms have the best job possibilities.

Beneficial Professional Development

CPD will assist an active Dancer in developing personal skills and competency through work-based learning, a professional activity, formal education, or self-directed learning.

To teach dance in a purely academic setting, you will require a college degree. In lieu of a formal degree, dance studios and conservatories may accept significant past experience.

Your training will continue throughout your professional career, with regular classes assisting you in maintaining and developing your dancing talents.

Furthermore, dancers must keep a healthy body in order to be strong and ready to perform the most intricate maneuvers required, or risk being replaced by younger performers. To strengthen your muscles and prevent the occurrence of injuries, eat whole foods and engage in activities such as running, swimming, bicycling, and weight lifting.

Complementary training in choreography, community theatre work, dance administration, dance teaching, notation, singing, acting, fitness activities such as yoga and Pilates, and complementary therapies will allow you to consider a variety of alternatives for furthering your career. When looking for temporary work or work in dance administration and development, short courses in IT and project management will come in.

Accept directors’ and choreographers’ recommendations and constructive criticism while expressing your own ideas and comments.

To face the problem of establishing oneself as a professional Dancer, conduct your study and choose a reputable and dedicated talent agent. A talent agent can assist you in navigating the entertainment industry, locating auditions, and submitting dance reels and resumes.

Conclusion

Dancers that are gifted and dedicated to their craft do not require wings to soar.

Advice from the Wise

Life is about learning to dance in the rain, not waiting for the storm to pass.