Starting Your Career As A Dancer

In Starting Your Career as a Dancer, author Mande Dagenais explains what it really takes to get into the business, be in the business, and survive in the business. Based on more than twenty-five years of experience in the performing arts as a dancer, teacher, choreographer/director, and producer, Dagenais offers insider advice and shares her vast knowledge while answering questions asked by professionals and beginners alike. Aspiring dancers will learn about different markets, venues, and types of work for dancers, and what to expect from a dancing job, while experienced dancers will appreciate helpful tips on where and how to find work, business management, and career transition. Covering topics ranging from audition dos and don’ts to injury prevention, this is absolutely the most comprehensive and practical guide you will find to the dancer’s profession.

A New Classic for Today's Dancer The Ballet Companion is a fresh, comprehensive, and thoroughly up-to-date reference book for the dancer. With 150 stunning photographs of ballet stars Maria Riccetto and Benjamin Millepied demonstrating perfect execution of positions and steps, this elegant volume brims with everything today's dance student needs, including: Practical advice for getting started, such as selecting a school, making the most of class, and studio etiquette Explanations of ballet fundamentals and major training systems An illustrated guide through ballet class -- warm-up, barre, and center floor Guidelines for safe, healthy dancing through a sensible diet, injury prevention, and cross-training with yoga and Pilates Descriptions of must-see ballets and glossaries of dance, music, and theater terms Along the way you'll find technique secrets from stars of American Ballet Theatre, lavishly illustrated sidebars on ballet history, and tips on everything from styling a ballet bun to stage makeup to performing the perfect pirouette. Whether a budding ballerina, serious student, or adult returning to ballet, dancers will find a lively mix of ballet's time-honored traditions and essential new information.

"Ten award-winning and current Broadway designers - five set designers, four lighting designers, and one projection designer - discuss inspiration, education, process, and business aspects of the theatre world, sharing relevant insider information and strategies...Designers' insights are accompanied by sketches, finished drawings, technical plates of drafting, photos of scale models, storyboards illustrating multi-scene productions." -- Back cover.

Never before has a greater variety of careers been available in dance—and never before has such comprehensive, expert guidance on those burgeoning careers been accessible in one book. Careers in Dance is a master guide that will help students navigate the expanding opportunities in dance and familiarize current professionals with potential career choices that best align with their pursuits and strengths. This highly practical text offers a wealth of information on career options in a variety of settings and with a variety of focuses, including commercial ventures, scholarly pursuits, administrative avenues, medical and scientific settings, and interdisciplinary opportunities. Readers are guided in discovering their deepest interests and learning how to translate their unique strengths into rich and fulfilling careers. In keeping with recent trends in higher education dance programs, Careers in Dance spotlights entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities for dancers, delving into an array of options and offering much-needed advice. The book covers some of the social and cultural influences that affect success in the field, and it explores various career opportunities: K-12 and postsecondary dance education Dance studios Performance, choreography, and production Dance research, analytical writing, and journalism Dance administration and advocacy Dance science, therapy, and medical and somatic practices Private competition companies Technical theater and related areas The text also helps readers understand the connections between dance and other disciplines. For example, it details the interdisciplinary opportunities involving technology, technical theater, and media. It also notes the possibilities for continued education in graduate school programs and suggests approaches to acclimating to life as a working professional. Careers in Dance offers two recurring elements throughout the book: Profiles of, and interviews with, esteemed professional dancers, revealing their real-world experiences and affording insights into different dance careers Reflection prompts that encourage self-reflection and prepare readers to seek career development and career advancement opportunities This text explores the opportunities dance students and professionals can pursue, helps them pinpoint their areas of interest and strengths, and equips them to create their unique paths to a fulfilling career in dance. In doing so, Careers in Dance provides the advice and strategies dancers need to actualize their own destinies in dance.

Details the entire process of how to become a dancer. Based on more than twenty-five years of experience in the performing arts as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, director, and producer, Mande shares her vast knowledge and experience. This definitive and comprehensive guide teaches the ins and outs of show business: how to get the most out of your training; audition dos and don'ts; where and how to find work; managing the business aspect of your talent; how to sustain longevity in your career.--Publisher's description.

Written for students looking for alternatives to college but in search of a rewarding career, this title explains ways to turn the readers’ passions and talents into a profession. Stressing the importance of preparation, hard work, and marketing your business, it focuses on traditional entertainment like music and acting but also delves into less conventional work like working as a Foley artist or as a children’s entertainer. With college tuition on the rise, this title is geared toward creating successful professionals out of students who are looking to enter the workforce immediately.

Surveying the state of American ballet in a 1913 issue of McClure's Magazine, author Willa Cather reported that few girls expressed any interest in taking ballet class and that those who did were hard-pressed to find anything other than dingy studios and imperious teachers. One hundred years later, ballet is everywhere. There are ballet companies large and small across the United States; ballet is commonly featured in film, television, literature, and on social media; professional ballet dancers are spokespeople for all kinds of products; nail polish companies market colors like "Ballet Slippers" and "Prima Ballerina;" and, most importantly, millions of American children have taken ballet class. Beginning with the arrival of Russian dancers like Anna Pavlova, who first toured the United States on the eve of World War I, Ballet Class: An American History explores the growth of ballet from an ancillary part of nineteenth-century musical theater, opera, and vaudeville to the quintessential extracurricular activity it is today, pursued by countless children nationwide and an integral part of twentieth-century American childhood across borders of gender, class, race, and sexuality. A social history, Ballet Class takes a new approach to the very popular subject of ballet and helps ground an art form often perceived to be elite in the experiences of regular, everyday people who spent time in barre-lined studios across the United States. Drawing on a wide variety of materials, including children's books, memoirs by professional dancers and choreographers, pedagogy manuals, and dance periodicals, in addition to archival collections and oral histories, this pathbreaking study provides a deeply-researched national perspective on the history and significance of recreational ballet class in the United States and its influence on many facets of children's lives, including gender norms, consumerism, body image, children's literature, extracurricular activities, and popular culture.

From ballet and contemporary to hip-hop and even Broadway, this book reveals what it really takes to build a career in dance today.

Whether you dream about becoming a rock star or a sought-after talent playing local gigs, Starting Your Career as a Musician will guide you along the path to success. Author Neil Tortorella explores the myriad opportunities in music today and details proven strategies for seeking them out. He reveals the common pitfalls and traps that are often encountered and provides aspiring musicians with time-tested advice on how to avoid them. Jam-packed with the practical know-how you need for success in the music business, Starting Your Career as a Musician is brought to life and made easy-to grasp through the wisdom and experiences shared by numerous working musicians. While it won’t show you how to be a better musician, this indispensable guide will teach you how to make a living with your music, promote yourself or your band, get booked, and maximize additional revenue streams.