5 Signs You Could Benefit From Working With A Dance Career Mentor
I’m going to be honest…if someone had tried to sell me on the idea of working with a Dance Career Mentor when I was a young aspiring ballerina, I would have probably scoffed at the idea.
Why on earth would I need a Dance Career Mentor? I trained at a school with a reputation for producing many professional ballet dancers. I attended prestigious summer intensives and ballet competitions. I worked with world-renowned instructors. I received my college degree in Dance. Becoming a professional dancer was not just some pipe dream that I came up with last week…I prepared years for this. I don’t need someone else to tell me what to do - I can figure this out on my own.
Does any of this sound familiar to you?
Looking back years (and loads of experience) later, I can see that was my ego talking. I wanted people to think I was a strong, smart, independent dancer. I prided myself on being self-reliant, someone who could make it on their own. I not only fed into the narrative of a starving, struggling artist…I prided myself on that journey.
Just like my first blister from a pair of pointe shoes or my first sprained ankle, I wore my career struggles as a badge of honor. I glorified how hard the journey was - actually, I made it harder on myself to prove that I was a “real dancer”.
I’m not saying that by working with a Dance Career Mentor you won’t experience struggles, frustration, and even failure. Far from it. What I am saying is that although every journey is filled with challenges, it doesn’t mean you have to navigate it alone. You can seek guidance from someone who has been in your shoes and truly understands what you are going through. You can make the entire process of becoming a professional dancer less complicated and more joyful. It doesn’t make you weak or incapable - it makes you smart!
Here are five signs you could benefit from working with a Dance Career Mentor:
You lack accountability
Do you find yourself having a hard time staying focused, organized, and completing necessary tasks to move your career forward?
I get it - sitting down after a long day of rehearsals to work on your resume or send in another company audition submission isn’t the most glamorous part of a dance career. And after receiving a few (or a dozen) rejections, hitting send on those submissions starts to sound less and less fun. When you work with a Dance Career Mentor, you have someone in your corner to make sure you follow through with the nitty gritty tasks that will ultimately get you jobs.
You feel stuck
Do you have big goals but find it overwhelming to strategize the monthly, weekly, and daily steps you need to get there?
It’s helpful to look at your big goals and reverse engineer them so that you can break them into small, manageable, and achievable tasks. Sometimes that means simply doing the next right thing. Just taking the first step creates forward momentum that snowballs. Dancers tend to be perfectionists and we can get so caught up in doing everything just right that we end up not doing anything at all. A Dance Career Mentor will recognize what you need right now to help you get unstuck and move forward.
You’re at a turning point
Are you at a crossroads in your career and seeking guidance on which path to pursue next?
Ahh, decision paralysis - that tricky phenomenon where we have so many options that we just can’t choose which path to take. When faced with a moment like this I find it powerful to make a mental shift from “Ugh I hate making decisions” to “I am so thankful I get to make this decision”. Now that you’re in a self-empowering state of mind, you may need to gain more knowledge about the options or you may just need to talk about it out loud with someone who has been down this road before. A Dance Career Mentor will give you the tools and/or guidance to make the decision that feels right for you and serves you best moving forward.
You feel alone
Do you feel like everyone else has this secret roadmap telling them how to become a professional dancer?
Here’s the thing about a roadmap. It’s designed to get you to your destination in the most straightforward and productive way possible. So even if everyone else had a secret roadmap (psst…they don’t, I promise), you wouldn’t want to use theirs because you’re not going to the same place. You have a unique journey to your career goals that can’t be replicated. A Dance Career Mentor will guide you to develop your own distinct roadmap based on your definition of success.
You need focus
Do you need to start narrowing down and prioritizing so that you can maximize your resources?
I really and truly understand the instinct to want to do it all. To take every single class, go to every single audition, and have every experience under the sun. Unfortunately, it’s just not possible to do it all without burning out. As you approach your professional dance career it is important to gain clarity on what fulfills you as a dancer (not just what everyone else is doing). A Dance Career Mentor is an investment that will ultimately save you time, money, and energy by giving you permission to focus on your unique passion.
Do any of these examples have you saying “Oh my gosh, it’s like she’s in my head!”?
That’s because I was you! I have danced many miles in your (pointe) shoes. I know how it feels to be uncertain, confused, and frustrated by a process that doesn’t always make sense. While I have had many wonderful mentors in my life, I can only imagine what an impact it would have made to have someone solely dedicated to helping me gain the necessary skills to build a long and sustainable dance career.
My passion is helping dancers like you build not just sustainable, but truly fulfilling dance careers. That starts with ditching the narrative that asking for help makes you weak and ignorant and replacing it with the truth - that showing vulnerability takes a lot of courage and strength. Two things I know all dancers have in spades.
Ready to get started? The first step is to book your Complimentary Career Consultation - a no-strings-attached conversation to see if working together could help you in your dance career! Let me help you find intention and clarity in your career goals, demystify the world of professional ballet, and put a strategic plan in place with actionable steps!
Meet the Author
Caitlin Sloan is a Dance Educator and Career Mentor based in Madison, WI.
Caitlin received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Grand Valley State University and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri.
She danced professionally for nine years with companies including Ballet Tucson and Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance). Caitlin has taught at schools all over the Midwest, most notably serving as Director of The School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet and Youth Company Director for Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. She is currently on faculty at the School of Madison Ballet.
Caitlin founded The Brainy Ballerina® in 2019, a virtual resource providing support and guidance for aspiring ballet dancers. Follow @thebrainyballerina on Instagram for your daily dose of dance career guidance and inspiration.
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