Career Transition....Professional Development?

First let me begin with a few questions: Is career transition a scary term? Is professional development available to performing artists? At what point do we begin thinking about the "what's next"?

Very few of us are so lucky to reinvent ourselves on the stage as many times as Baryshnikov or Gus Solomons Jr. But we don't have to leave the pursuit of dance as we mature or transition. Career Transition for Dancers is a great organization providing counseling, research tools and funding for professional dancers at any point in their career. The funding requires a minimum of seven years professional experience, but doesn't necessarily have to be a "career transition" it can also be for professional development.

I have many years left to dance, and last spring I received a grant of $2000 to assist with my interest in teaching Gyrotonic. The process was fairly simple and very informative as well. I recall a very humbling moment going through my contracts of years past and totaling my net income....well let's just say I have lived a rich life on very little money! Add that to the research that it takes as long to make a professional dancer as it does to make a doctor- an average of 20 years. When a dancer wants to pursue more education Career Transition for Dancers is a valuable resource.

Here's info on the grant that I received:

Caroline H. Newhouse Scholarship Fund
Remaining 2008 grant deadlines: Sep 3 & Nov 5

Provides $2,000 scholarships or grants to initiate an academic or retraining process or to help professional dancers with start-up money for a new business. Please note: Choreographing and teaching dance is not applicable for meeting eligibility requirements.

There is also a support group that meets in NYC:

"Midcareer Moves" is a dynamic support group led by Career Counselor, Anita Lands. This group helps dancers with professional, personal, emotional and psychological transitions and provides them with action steps and resources to move ahead.

The group meets monthly on Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00pm at

165 West 46th Street, Suite 701. New members are always welcome.

Next meeting: Wednesday, July 23
RSVP to groups@careertransition.org

I suppose that in essence we are always transitioning. Although we devote our lives to dancing, transitioning in reference to our careers should be part of how we evolve, not something to fear.

Off season. Part I

Off season is one of the best and worst aspects of being a professional dancer in the United States. Aside from a few weeks here and there, layoffs typically occur during the beautiful summer months when the outdoors are pristine and community festivals abound.

The time lends itself to both a little rest, relaxation and reflection. It is also a time for professional development. Some dancers get "day jobs" in offices or retail to experience another kind of employment option. Often dancers take training courses in things such as yoga, pilates, and gyrotonic.

But where is the art in the summer? What about our culture makes us so fancy free and out-of-doors that we forget the pursuit of the thing we enjoy the most? Why can't we get those butts back in the seats when the summer hits?

Not to mention create the opportunity for dancers to be employed for a few more weeks per year? It is a disappointing realization that dancers in Europe get 13 months of employment whereas the average contract in the states is closer to 30 weeks (my own research based on companies of budgets over $750,000).

Fortunately there are summer dance opportunities popping up on the radar all the time. I recently learned of a company that tours the southern states based out of Alabama. There are summer festivals such as Jacobs Pillow and American Dance Festival that present concerts that keep established companies working for some time in the summer. Plus there are summer companies such as National Choreographers' Initiative, Chautaugua, and Terpsicorps. This is all just to mention a few, and more in the ballet genre of American dance.

More resources and observations as the off season unfolds, for now its off to a wedding. Oh yeah, many dancers choose to address "real life" events- like weddings- when they are off season because then friends won't have performing conflicts. Time to celebrate!

Learning to Blog

The organization NJ Young Audiences just offered a seminar for artists and arts educators to learn the technological advances of today. The topics included power point presentations and also bolgging. It is a fabulous means to create materials to market oneslef as a dance business person. Amazingly many of the offerings are free of charge, including blogging on blogger!

It is becoming my mission to empower dancers, mainly through education and communication.

Stay tuned for my reflections on the recent National Performing Arts Conference in Denver, CO and my role as chair of the dancer council for Dance USA.