Dance
Dance is a universal art form, a significant part of every culture. It is often inseparable from its literature, music, and mythology.
In recent years, there has been an increased interest in fulfilling the need to dance, or to move creatively. This has resulted in increased opportunities for those with background in dance in such areas as health and fitness, dance-exercise, television production, advertising, dance therapy, regional ballet companies, dance ensembles, dance studies and arts schools.
Representative Job Titles and Areas of Specialization
| Arts Management | Fund Raising | | Choreographer | Lighting Design | | Costuming | Performance Artists | | Dance Critic | Performance Coordinator | | Dance Director | Producer | | Dance Historian | Public Relations | | Dance Notation | Research Assistant | | Dance Therapy | Stage Manager | | Dancer | Teaching |
Nature of the Work
The career of a dance performer often flows through the stages of student, dancer, choreographer, teacher. It is usually difficult to tell when one stage stops and another begins. Students perform, occasionally in the same company as professional dancers. Performers often teach. Teachers choreograph new dance works for their students. Choreographers are often their own dancers, and dancers are often their own choreographers. One thing common to all dancers at all stages is that all remain students of the dance throughout their careers.
Many professional dancers perform in classical ballet, which includes the stylized, traditional repertory, or modern dance, which allows more free movement and self-expression. Others perform in dance adaptations for musical shows in folk, ethnic, and jazz dances, and in other popular kinds of dancing. In addition to being an art form for its own sake, dance also is used to complement opera, musical comedy, and television performances.
Choreographers often create original dances, teach them to performers and sometimes direct and stage the productions of their work.
Dance therapists use creative movement to address a variety of client problems, ranging from emotional disturbance to physical and mental handicaps. The dance therapist works with other mental health professionals in the design of treatment plans. Dance therapy is also being applied in stress reduction programs and to the treatment of physical illnesses.
Places of Employment
| Arts high schools | Opera companies | | Conservatories | Performing arts centers | | Dance companies | School districts | | Dance studios | Rehabilitation centers | | Fitness centers | Television productions | | Hospitals | Universities/colleges | | Theatre troupes | Cruise lines |
Training
There is no one approach to training for a career in dance. Dancers may receive training through studios of leading dance companies, regional schools of ballet, colleges, universities, and art institutes.
Most college and university programs concentrate on modern dance but also offer courses in classical ballet techniques. While a college degree is not essential to obtain employment as a professional dancer, the student of dance develops a sense of history and perspective which will enhance the ability to interpret and to create. In addition, a college education will allow a dancer a greater range of career options, including college and university teaching.
Serious technical training for dancers is rigorous and often begins between the ages of 10 and 12. Early ballet training is usually given by private teachers and independent ballet schools. Students who demonstrate potential in the early teens receive more intensive and advanced professional training at regional ballet schools or schools conducted under the auspices of the major ballet companies. Leading dance school companies often have summer training programs from which they select candidates for admission to their regular full-time training program.
Early and intensive training also is important for the modern dancer, but modern dance generally does not require as many years of training as ballet. Most dancers have their professional auditions by age 17 or 18, but training and practice never end. One of the most important aspects of a dancer's training is exposure to a range of teachers in order to gain a well-rounded perspective of movement.
Training for dance therapists includes a strong background in dance and psychology, and a graduate degree in dance therapy. Graduate programs emphasize practical, clinical training, usually over the course of two years of full-time study.
For further information and/or career counseling contact the Career Center, Veitch Student Center, Northwest Wing, University of California, Riverside, 951.827.3631.
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