Parents of dance majors - did your dancers find work after college?

Just wondering if any parents still lurking have DKs who actually went on to use their dance majors either as paid dancers or in some sorts of arts capacity?

Sustainable wage jobs are so scarce for professional dancers and I keep hearing stories about how unemployable BFAs and/or dance majors. DD is a ballet dancer and it seems reasonable to put off college at this point until she has a better grasp of what she wants to do after trying to make it for a dancer (1-2 years post high school).

First, to dance professionally, of course the degree is not really essential: auditioning and/or taking class with other dancers and directors, can often secure a place in companies for a dancer with talent who has no degree and is dancing right out of high school- as you well know. Of course ballet is often done professionally during or right out of high school and that is a great choice.

My own daughter danced right out of high school. We could not really afford conservatory even with scholarships anyway. She still does well in auditions that include conservatory grads. She is now doing courses in psychology, working at a job in holistic health and dancing in a small company for about $5k a year total. But of course some dancers do make a salary and have benefits and it sounds like your daughter might be one of them. My daughter did not want the lifestyle.

In many ways, I do think the BFA or other degree in dance is a great credential and offers access to opportunities, in terms of connections, training and respect. We know dancers who have gone on to get PhD’s, in choreography, performance or dance history. Many work in arts administration eventually, and there are grad programs for that. Many waitress or tutor or find some way to support themselves while they dance. Conservatory may work better for modern dancers or choreographers in some ways.

I would also make the point that a degree in dance is as valuable as a degree in anything else. I know a dancer in medical school. With a few prerequisites under their belts, dance majors can do medicine, law, business or other grad school. Internships and volunteering can also help transition to jobs in other fields, in the arts, non-profits or just about anything. And they can teach dance with that credential too.

But your daughter can study anything, and take a class or two while she dances, too. Many do. Or she can wait and see where her interests lie after dancing for a few years: they tend to change. At that point she can also do the interning and volunteering in a new field if she prefers.

I love the dancers who go for it without the degree. The dance world has changed and become a little academic in some ways- just a personal opinion. If there were more funds around, maybe things would be different. Good luck to her!

My DD did 2 years at an arts university and is now dancing with a small professional ballet company with an associated school. The company members run the gamut from fresh out of high school, to graduates of very well known ballet academies, to dancers with 4 year degrees from respected ballet programs at colleges and universities. That said, the wage is hardly a livable one for any of the dancers. Most are teaching at the associated ballet school and/or other schools, working restaurant or retail jobs, and some getting a lot of help from parents.

It’s so funny that this question came up because the percentage of dancers from my DD’s home ballet studio that are now dancing professionally is quite high (I would say 10-20% in any given class year). I was at the Dr. the other day and she said her tennis coach’s daughter is a professional dancer and did I know her. Of course I did, his daughter was a few years older than my daughter at the same ballet school and she had left in her freshman year of high school to attend an internationally known (albeit extremely pricey) program outside of the US. That said, she is now dancing in a company near to my daughter’s (as is one other girl from the same studio who has a BFA that is yet at another company in the general area). None are making anything close to a livable wage but feel fortunate to take class every day and perform several times a year (for my DD and the girl with the BFA in featured roles - the other girl is at a slightly larger company). Other friends are dancing in mid and small sized ballet companies all over the US. One is also teaching at a very well known ballet school in the Northeast for their outreach program and dancing in a company there. Not too bad considering DD’s home studio consisted of about 25 company members per year on average.

DD’s college friends are still working on their BFA’s so I only have her older friends to go by. What I have learned though is that the college attended does not matter nearly as much for ballet as long as the foundation is there. My daughter and the friend who is a teacher/company ballet dancer in a large city both attended a college not known for its ballet program but when taking a closer look has a very strong faculty in ballet.

My assessment of the situation based on all of these things is that it is hard to know what the current work climate is out there and no one path seems to be the way to certainty. I guess it all depends on the family financial situation and how much more you can afford to do. If you can afford a couple of years of possibly unpaid apprenticeship with the thought that you will likely be paying for college at some point in the future then I say let her take auditions for companies and colleges and see where it goes.

Two friends have BFAs in dance. They both danced professionally with local companies. One is an award winning choreographer and both teach dance now. They have never had jobs outside of the arts yet.

As a studio owner, I hire a lot of graduates from really good programs (University of Arizona, Point Park, SMU, UC Irvine and others) to teach my students. I am lucky to be in a big city where these young dancers come after graduation to dance in professional companies. The professional pay is very little - maybe $250 to $350 a week - and their seasons are from August through May. They all have extra teaching jobs to pay the bills. After training all day, they go to the studios to work at night and will teach until about 9 p.m. Many also teach on Saturdays and do privates on the weekends. If you can’t or don’t want to teach, you might have to find another job to pay the bills. Because the pay is low, you have to work a lot of hours and days. This is just my experience, but I thought I would share it with you.

my D went to one year of college for her BFA and decided to audition over the summer with hopes that she might pursue dance and take college classes online. She attended two auditions and was fortunate enough to land both jobs. She is now working as a professional dancer in NYC, teaching dance at a local studio, and taking college classes online. We both felt that if she had what it takes to work professionally, she may as well pursue that now and work while she can and get her degree slowly on the side. It is working for her, but there are many paths to the same place and no one can know what’s right for another. I do believe that for a career in dance, one needs to be a jack of all trades and bring in income in many different ways, most jobs individually aren’t enough to pay all of the bills on their own. Good luck!!