3.27. What is a career in dancing like?
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This article is from the Ballet and Modern Dance FAQ, by Tom Parsons twp@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
3.27. What is a career in dancing like?
Rough. It's demanding and highly competitive, especially for
women. It is also psychologically stressful, because of the constant
pressure for perfection. Salaries are better than they used to be, but
still not good. Stagehands are paid better than dancers; so are typists.
Your time will not be your own, since you may be called for rehearsals at
any time, and your social life will suffer. In ballet, your career will
be short, with poor prospects after retirement, and there is the ever-
present danger of injuries. Merle Kessler said, "Football players, like
prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure
of strangers." The same could be said, in lesser degree, of dancers. To
make a career in ballet, you have to be head over heels in love with it:
that, and talented and tough-minded--and lucky enough to be in the right
place at the right time. It's even harder for modern dancers; the pay is
worse and the job openings fewer. The one advantage modern dancers have
over ballet dancers is that their careers last longer. Ballet dancers
must be young and athletic and usually retire some time in their forties.
Modern dancers may go on into their eighties.
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