Academic Discipline of Dance - Degrees and Opportunities

Many opportunities from the academic discipline of dance are available if you love and wish for a career in dance, and have acquired the necessary skill level. You might become a teacher, dance therapist, critic, anthropologist, choreographer or performer.

Job competition for professional dancers who perform before an audience is intense, especially for women. Fewer men study dance, therefore more opportunities exist for qualified males. Many more qualified female dancers compete for the available positions in companies such as ballet, modern and opera, as well as Broadway musicals, television, movies, and nightclubs. Most people auditioning for any of these groups have danced for years under a qualified teacher from an early age.

If your heart is set on a career in a major ballet company, you should begin taking dance classes around eight years of age and seriously train under a recognized ballet teacher no later than age twelve. Should you have a performing arts high school near you, by all means attend. Otherwise in high school take classes in music, art, dramatics and after school continue taking a daily dance class. In the summers attend a special program in dance technique offered by a college or ballet company. To be connected to a major ballet company in a large city, you will need to audition after high school. These companies have schools where you can train further or perhaps you will be made an apprentice in the company.

Your best opportunity, however, may exist in a small regional ballet, modern, or opera company. With this in mind, after graduating from high school, you could consider attending a college or university dance program. In 2009 over 240 such programs exist in the United States. They vary greatly; therefore, you need to look for one with a diverse, recognized dance faculty and see where the alumni are dancing. Dance Magazine has a beautiful website which lists all college programs in the academic discipline of dance.

Go to" Dance Magazine " from Academic Discipline

Being a performer in a company is not the only career open to a dancer. Other opportunities exist as a dance teacher. Teaching in a professional school connected to a ballet company usually requires experience as a performer, while teaching in a college or conservatory requires a graduate degree from a recognized university dance program or professional experience. Many high schools have dance programs; however, you normally need a college major in dance as well as teaching certification.

Independent dance teachers give dance lessons to people of all ages. They often teach student who want to dance mainly for pleasure. These teachers work for themselves or in private studios. Some studios, limit their offerings, for example ballroom dancing, while others offer a wide variety of dance forms. No degree, licenses or certifications are required; however, in general these independent dance teachers have several years of training. Such training runs the gamut from extremely poor to very good.

Other career opportunities- dance therapy, notation, criticism, and anthropology--require a college degree as academic discipline and special training in the area of expertise.

As you can see, the careers in dance are various and exciting, But they all demand dedication and hard work. For those who succeed, a career in dance is worth the effort.

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