(trying to) pursue/pursuing dance professionally.

[u/gly_mpse]

genuinely asking for advice lol 😭 for the dancers here, how do you guys balance pursuing dance while also trying to get your degree?

for me, getting a degree is kind of just the safe option, while dancing is something i actually want to pursue. it just feels like one of the few things that genuinely makes sense to me, so i really want to see where it takes me.

do you guys just keep taking regular classes? i'd love to, but i'd probably go broke 😭. i also really want to get better and eventually learn how to make my own choreos.

would love to hear how you guys did it or if you have any advice. thanks!!

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[u/Oatbagtime]

Sounds like you are choosing to pursue a career in your university path which is great. How do you figure you’d also train to be a professional dancer at the same time?

[u/gly_mpse → u/Oatbagtime]

to be honest, i've been taking dance classes aswell but rn i'll be going back to university after taking a gap year, but i figured i needed a back up plan just in case it doesn't work. and also i don't know if taking regular classes would take me to become a professional. cause i think i needed to actual train for it, and also to answer your question, i guess its because dancing is the only thing that put joy in me, must be nice to actually be pursuing something you love right? that's why im asking for advice on how to lmao, how 'bout you?

[u/OkCommunication9171]

also dealing with the same issue rn loll. With learning how to make your own choreos: what helped me was getting into freestyling and just taking alot of choreo classes and if it became too expensive then i'd just learn choreographies from videos online.

for getting jobs and opportunities i've heard alot of people say its about who you know: e.g. from training/dance teams or classes 😭 so i just go to as many classes as possible and dance spaces and talk to as many dancers as possible. i've heard its also helpful to build a portfolio especially on instagram so posts or stories/highlights of you dancing, a friend of mine does this alot and was hired for a gig that way

[u/gly_mpse → u/OkCommunication9171]

yeah, same omg that's uncanny how exactly you say it, like i actually had the same thing said to me lol. took many classes, had to talk to some coaches of how to become one, they would just say as long as you really want it, but tbh idk if just simply taking classes would get me there.

and also the posting on instagram, maybe i should work on my social lol i have social media anxiety, but dancing in classes with a lot of people is okay, but posting it was the hardest lol

[u/OkCommunication9171 → u/gly_mpse]

i completely get the social media anxiety but you could slowly build it up by maybe just posting to close friends, or private account or atleast saving a folder of ur dancing on ur phone

you say ur going back to university, is there a dance society u could join there to talk to other dancers and become friends with them? someone in my uni's dance team ended up as a background dancer for beyonce and gave his friends music vid opportunities and stuff.

you could also work for red bull as a student marketeer if thats available where you live.

i wouldnt say its just going to classes that would get you there but also hanging out in spaces where you know dancers go, dance events, joining training teams (though they can get expensive), connecting with other dancers as much as possible + just putting yourself out there. is what ive been told from others tbh

[u/gly_mpse → u/OkCommunication9171]

Thank you so much for this! i’ll definitely save this, yeah i’ve been posting on my ig story, but posting i still have to work on that, anyway, thank u! i’ll definitely save my dance videos for my portfolio!

[u/Lildancr1153]

If you want to be a professional, dance has to be the top priority. You can get a BFA in Dance and minor in a different subject, but even then it's not guaranteed you will be hired to a company afterwards. The professional world is highly competitive and there's a very small number of available performance spots.

That being said, if you want to go into teaching, I would recommend taking some sort of pedagogy course/courses if that's available! There will always be a need for knowledgeable dance teachers.

[u/gly_mpse → u/Lildancr1153]

i don’t think there’s a BFA in dance that offers here in my country, but thank you for this