Oh no! My Child Wants To Major In Dance!!

            “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ― Confucius

         As high school juniors begin to explore higher education choices, it is no secret that many parents hold their breath and hope their children will not choose to major in the arts.  Dance, music, art and theater are wonderful, but are they fields you can make a living in?  If someone majors in dance and it doesn’t work out, what will he or she have to fall back on?  Is going to college for something as “frivolous” as dance a waste of money?

            People tend to believe that majoring in dance simply means taking a myriad of technique classes for four years only to graduate and begin auditioning for a performing opportunity that may never come to fruition.

            The good news for college students who are passionate about dance, their parents, and everyone whose life has been touched by dance, is that this assumption could not be farther from the truth.

           

            As dance has grown and continues to grow, so has the number of possible dance careers.  Dancers will always have the option to audition for professional and regional companies, but there are also a multitude of other possible career paths available in the field of dance.

            Choreography:  College students who major in choreography spend time learning about dance composition.  They learn how to manipulate movement phrases in various ways, and they learn about different styles of dance, different choreographers, and gain a historical perspective on dance.  These students can go on to become company choreographers, free-lance choreographers, or musical theater choreographers and are also able to teach dance composition courses.

            Dance Education:  Students who major in this area will be required to take classes in educational philosophy and practice as well as dance courses.  Their courses may include dance history, music for dancers, anatomy for dancers, class and lesson planning, foundations of elementary education, foundations of secondary education and foundations of special education.  Many colleges also offer the option of state teacher certification to enable the graduate to teach in public schools.  These graduates can teach in private studios, private schools, or public schools.  A terminal degree such as an MFA would enable the dancer to teach at the college level as well.

            Dance Therapy:  Dance therapy combines the study of dance with psychology.  In order to be a practicing dance therapist, using dance as a form of psychotherapy, a graduate degree is necessary.  Dance therapists work in private practices, hospitals, schools and prisons.

            Dance Scholars:  Dance scholars study dance technique, dance history, and dance notation and can get jobs with dance companies, in the television or film industries, or in libraries and museums.  Their job is to preserve dance for future generations through research, writing, and recording dance.

            Dance Journalist:  A dance journalist combines dance studies with English classes.  Journalists get jobs writing about dance, editing books on dance, or as dance critics for magazines, newspapers and online publications.

            Dance Science:  Dance Science is a relatively new field of study.  It combines dance with the study of anatomy and kinesiology.  Dance scientists work with dancers to educate them about their bodies and healthy, efficient ways of dancing.  Those studying dance science often choose to pursue graduate courses in exercise science or physical therapy.  They may work with dance schools or companies, designing strength training programs, or in injury rehabilitation programs that work with dancers.

            Arts Management:  These students combine their love of dance with the study of business.  These majors graduate and become company managers, booking agents, grant writers, arts advocates, and community outreach activists.

               The career opportunities for dancers are numerous and all have one common denominator:  they require a love of dance.  A parent whose child decides to major in dance need not panic because dancers are not just performers anymore.  They are the people that keep the art form alive, and by doing so, they preserve a very important part of our culture.

                                   

Allowing Dance Science to Change How We Dance

“If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us.” – Adlai Stevenson

            Everyone is given one body that needs to last a lifetime.  With lifespans growing longer, it is becoming increasingly important to focus upon the quality of life.   Living to be 100 years old does not mean much if the person is in constant pain and unable to complete the simple activities of daily living without the body rebelling.

           

            Daily, dancers place extraordinary demands upon their bodies.  There are the torque forces applied during turns, the constant impact of multiple jumps, and, for the ballerina, the demand placed upon the toes that must support the dancer’s body weight.  The human body was not created to endure these stresses, therefore, it is up to the dance community to train dancers in ways that will keep them healthy and limit the amount of stress placed upon the body.

            Although this ideology makes sense, it is an uphill battle because dance is based upon tradition.  Dance notation and videography have allowed us to record and preserve great works of choreography, but actual dance training is something that has been passed on from one generation of dancers to another.  The dance masters established rules, positions, and steps, and passed their methods of training onto their students, who then became teachers and passed the information onto their students.  Many of the original conventions of training are still present in 21^st century dance technique.  Dance masters and teachers are respected individuals, and when a dance or exercise scientist suggests that some of these age-old traditions should change, her or she is understandably met with resistance.

            Change is always difficult, but there is a growing body of research, suggesting that changing the ways dancers train will keep them dancing longer, stronger, and healthier.  In order to implement these changes, the traditional dance class also needs to change.  Beginning ballet class with a cardiovascular exercise is still unheard of in many schools as is strength training for dancers.  Many dancers still believe that stretching should be done at the beginning of class as a warm-up and that cross-training to develop other muscle groups is taboo.  Dancers and dance educators fear that altering the traditional class will result in changed or compromised bodylines, and the artistry of dance will be lost.  Scientists have no desire to change the final product.  They simply hope to enhance and strengthen the process so that the dancers’ bodies are placed under less stress and can grow stronger and healthier.  Stronger and healthier bodies mean more efficient ways of moving, less time lost due to injuries, and better performers.

            Dancers in Canada and Australia have begun to embraces the changes that dance scientists are suggesting, and organizations like the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science are helping to promote awareness in the dance community.  An increasing number of college programs have begun to offer classes in dance medicine and dance science.

           

            Knowledge is a powerful thing and can be used to strengthen the field of dance.  Embracing the new findings in dance and exercise research will mean changing the traditional approach to dance but will serve to make dance a stronger, more viable art form.

The Healthy Dancer grew out of a desire to educate dancers, parents of dancers, and dance educators about how the advances in dance medicine and exercise science could benefit the dance community.  After only one year, The Healthy Dancer has grown quicker than I ever imagined possible when I began this blog last October.  Each week over 100 subscribers receive my posts, another 150 people follow the blog’s happenings on Twitter, an additional 900 people visit the site, I have a loyal following on Facebook, and I have begun travelling across the country to give lectures on dancer health.  I have made many connections with other dance bloggers, am grateful to my loyal readers, and am looking forward to where the next year will take The Healthy Dancer.