College? Or Not... For Dancers
By Carolyn Lubecker, N2Arts Correspondent

 

ell, it’s that time of year again.  High School Seniors are either anxiously finishing up on their college applications or anxiously awaiting acceptance or rejection letters.  This is part of the senior experience, right? Or is it?  If you are a dancer, college may not seem like a good route to your career.  So, here are some things to think about when making that all important (and costly) decision.

College is a great experience, and it’s usually a pretty fun time as well.  It does require a lot of time though, not mentioning having to do lots of homework!  Most young people haven’t had the opportunity to live away from home.  In addition to learning about your major, you also have to take general education classes.  You learn how to pay bills, make meals, balance your time and budget, get along with many different people, and basically live as an adult.  If you are a dance major you get to take classes and perform a lot too. 

Now, the average age range of dancers on the West Coast is 18-24.  When you graduate from college you are 22, which doesn’t leave you much time to get into the business before your window is over.  However, in New York, the average age on Broadway is 24-35, giving college graduates a much better shot.  The average age of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago’s dancers’ is 25 and many of them have college degrees. 

Great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion.  I personally think you need some life experiences to become a passionate person.  Most 18 year olds don’t have many experiences to draw from. College is a very personal decision and more times than not, I think it is the right decision.  Dancers usually have a small window to actually perform and this window is much shorter if you are injured. What are you going to do you’re your dance career comes to an end? College teaches you much more than just dance techniques. Having a degree opens a lot of doors and makes you a more marketable person. 

In college, don’t be afraid to major in something other than dance. You can still minor in dance or take dance classes. If you do major in dance, you will learn about choreography, kinesiology, teaching, how dance companies work, and maybe even a little music theory. Any one of these skills can be used for many other avenues after a performing career is over.

The bottom line is that you don’t need a college degree to succeed as a professional dancer.  If dancing in LA is truly what you want, maybe give it a shot and then go to college.  However, in order to perform on Broadway or with professional dance companies, a college degree may be required.  So get going on those college applications and see what happens!

Carolyn Lubecker graduated from Northwestern with a BA in English. For the past 16 years she has been the owner and director of Dancing Feet Dance Studio. She is married and has 3 children. She can reached by email at Idance82@msn.com.