ALegUp Dance CareerHack:DiversityEqualsDollars by Shaté L.Edwards
It’s a newseason dancers, and I’mnot talking dance season this time. Summer has come and gone, fall is here, andwinter is around the cor- ner. You knowwhat thatmeans, right? Itmeans temperatures are get- ting lower, and clothes are getting longer andwarmer.
Want to knowone of the bestways to staywarm? While youmight be thinkingmy response is going to be “to dance”, that’s notwhere I’m headedwith this one. One of the bestways to staywarmis to keep the heat on! Staywithme for amoment. I knowit sounds like a joke gonewrong, but I’mtrying tomake a point here. Stayingwarm requires heat. Heat requiresmoney, and dance careers provide youwith opportunities to earnmoney.
What I’mtalking about is learning howto build a dance career that keepsmoney in the bank and the heat on in thewinter. I’ve taught
and advised a countless number of dancers throughoutmy career, and I always come back to this tip: Trainina variety of styles because well rounded dancers areworking dancers.
It’s not rocket science people. Seems pretty logical that themore styles inwhich you’re proficient, then themore opportunities you’ll have to work, right? However, as logical as itmay seem, you’d be surprised by howmany dancers are still keeping themselves in a very tiny one-style box. You don’t knowhowmany times I’ve heard a dancer taking one ofmy hip-hop classes for the first time say “Well, I’mactually a (insert style here) dancer.”
When I hear limiting talk like that, I always stop the student before they can go any further. The first reason I pause the conversation is to prevent the student fromtalking themselves into actually believing they can’t orwon’t succeed in a street style. The second reason I stop the limiting talk is to dispel themyth that they can only by one type of dancer. Imean,whomade that a rule anyways?Who says you can only be a ballet dancer?Only amodern dancer?Or only a hip-hop dancer? Here’s a thought. Why not kick the label and just be kick-butt dancers?
Before I share a fewsuggestions on howto go about becoming amore diverse dancer, let’s talk a bit aboutwhy it’s so important to bemore than just a one-trick-pony. First, choreography is increasingly becoming a fusion of dance styles that the choreographer knows and loves. I can’t speak for all choreographers, but I can speak formyself and others likemewhowant toworkwith dancerswho canmove in and out of several styleswith ease. While urban and rhythmic styles aremy first love, I alsowant toworkwith dancerswho are great technicians as well. By concentrating on only one style, you’re cutting yourself out of workingwith a rising number of choreographers.
Secondly, you should consider becoming amore diverse dancer because talent agents are also looking for dancerswho arewell rounded. I recently spokewith an agentwho saidwell-rounded dancers aremore marketable. Thatmeans, the agents can submit these dancers formore projects,whichmeansmore opportunities to earn income, and the more likely you’ll be able to staywarmduring thewintermonths.
Now, I amfully aware that there are exceptions to every rule. Being a well-rounded dancer generally applies to those of uswho have com- mercial dance careers. Dancerswho are immersed in the concert dance world (meaning you performfor a company that specializes in one spe- cific style)may not need to spend toomuch time training in other styles. For example,whileMistyCopelandmay have a desire to take a newclass style every nowand again, her jobwithAmericanBallet Theatre calls for an expertise in ballet,which she obviously has.
However, even if you’ve set your sights on becoming a companymem- ber, I’d like to argue that it’s still a good idea to at least be familiarwith
page 14 November-January 2017
www.thedancecouncil.org DANCE!NORTHTEXAS a publication of the dance council of north texas vol. 19 • no. 4
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