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Wesley
Student
Altoona, Iowa
1
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How can I become a professional dancer?
I am about to be a freshman in college, starting in January, and I want to know how to dance professionally with a communications degree.
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1 answer
Michelle M.
Actress
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Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Wesley !
The plans that you have mentioned would not allow you to do a professional dancing career. You will have to choose between going to college (for dance, not communications) or not enrolling in college and relocating to New York City or another large city to pursue a professional dance career. You will also need to have advanced skill and stamina and open to accepting work in all dance genres, not just one.
You also need for people to evaluate your level of dance skill to determine if you are ready for auditions and a professional level career. Since you are asking how to do this, you may not be ready at this time so get some evaluations from people that see you dance in person. The dancers at auditions are super advanced and have trained for years and sometimes decades. So you will have to decide if you really want a career in Dance or in Communications as your college degree will have to target the career you want.
To start a career in professional Dance, you will also need lots of experience performing/credits and knowledge of general stage directions, choreography lingo and dance jargon. It helps to also know how to be on a set for dancing in films and television.
Whichever career you choose, you will have to make a strong commitment to it. It's perfectly fine not to make a career out of everything you like. Employers want people who have been through a focused academic path and have gained the skill set needed for the project or the job. I advise that you go for an orientation at your intended college and contact the dance professor to be well-advised about the dance career. Dance is a huge commitment and can sometimes require traveling and you may not always get the gig in the genre you want. If you Major in Dance, by your third year you should probably have it all figured out and know what dancers do to go professional. You may even know sooner, but give it time. We don't go from future student to professional. There are a lot of steps in between.
If you choose to Major in Communications, that is a very good, versatile degree. You will learn all about various media and get experience through course assigned projects, independent projects that you do yourself as well as a possible internship. But keep in mind, this major will keep you very busy and you may not reach the professional stage of dance if you Minor in Dance.
So basically, Wesley, you would not be able to mix your two interests of Dance and Communications into one career or do both at the same time. Seeing as though you could fall back on Communications work when you age out of the Dancing field, and that one doesn't need a Degree in Dance to get work because it is a matter of auditioning and it's an opinion business, you may want to consider Communications. It's a hard decision to choose between the two, I know, but give it more thought and exploration, get advice when you go for your orientation at the college and choose a career that will make you happy.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
The plans that you have mentioned would not allow you to do a professional dancing career. You will have to choose between going to college (for dance, not communications) or not enrolling in college and relocating to New York City or another large city to pursue a professional dance career. You will also need to have advanced skill and stamina and open to accepting work in all dance genres, not just one.
You also need for people to evaluate your level of dance skill to determine if you are ready for auditions and a professional level career. Since you are asking how to do this, you may not be ready at this time so get some evaluations from people that see you dance in person. The dancers at auditions are super advanced and have trained for years and sometimes decades. So you will have to decide if you really want a career in Dance or in Communications as your college degree will have to target the career you want.
To start a career in professional Dance, you will also need lots of experience performing/credits and knowledge of general stage directions, choreography lingo and dance jargon. It helps to also know how to be on a set for dancing in films and television.
Whichever career you choose, you will have to make a strong commitment to it. It's perfectly fine not to make a career out of everything you like. Employers want people who have been through a focused academic path and have gained the skill set needed for the project or the job. I advise that you go for an orientation at your intended college and contact the dance professor to be well-advised about the dance career. Dance is a huge commitment and can sometimes require traveling and you may not always get the gig in the genre you want. If you Major in Dance, by your third year you should probably have it all figured out and know what dancers do to go professional. You may even know sooner, but give it time. We don't go from future student to professional. There are a lot of steps in between.
If you choose to Major in Communications, that is a very good, versatile degree. You will learn all about various media and get experience through course assigned projects, independent projects that you do yourself as well as a possible internship. But keep in mind, this major will keep you very busy and you may not reach the professional stage of dance if you Minor in Dance.
So basically, Wesley, you would not be able to mix your two interests of Dance and Communications into one career or do both at the same time. Seeing as though you could fall back on Communications work when you age out of the Dancing field, and that one doesn't need a Degree in Dance to get work because it is a matter of auditioning and it's an opinion business, you may want to consider Communications. It's a hard decision to choose between the two, I know, but give it more thought and exploration, get advice when you go for your orientation at the college and choose a career that will make you happy.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !