The Brainy Ballerina Blog

5 Professionals Share What They Wish They Knew Before Starting Their Dance Career (Part 2)

Hindsight is 20/20, and we don’t have the luxury of knowing what the future will bring when making decisions about our dance career. Fortunately, we have the next best thing - professional dancers who have gone before us and are generous in sharing their wisdom and experience! I am so grateful to these five dancers for taking the time to give us a little insight into what they wish they knew before starting their dance career in the hopes that it will make your path a little smoother. Enjoy!

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Ballet Career, Dance Career Caitlin Sloan Ballet Career, Dance Career Caitlin Sloan

From Ballet to Business: How My Dance Training Prepared Me for Entrepreneurship

When I was in college, people asked me ALL THE TIME what I was going to do with my dance degree. Sometimes they were truly curious and supportive of my major choice, but more often than not their question came off as patronizing.

Well, the short answer to that question was work as a professional dancer (which I did!). But the long answer is that even if my career as a ballerina hadn’t panned out, dance training gave me SO MANY transferable skills that have served me in virtually any career path I have gone down.

From Dancer to Educator to Administrator to School Director and now Entrepreneur, I owe much of my success to the skills I learned in the dance classroom. I may not use my knowledge of past repertoire or how to count Stravinsky in my every day life these days…but the skills I developed that allowed me to flourish in these areas have given me success in the business realm.

Chances are you will find yourself in a career outside of performing one of these days. Whether it’s still in the dance realm or not, here are three lessons dance taught me that I use every day as I grow my business:

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5 Professionals Share What They Wish They Knew Before Starting Their Dance Career

Hindsight is 20/20, and we don’t have the luxury of knowing what the future will bring when making decisions about our dance career. Fortunately, we have the next best thing - professional dancers who have gone before us and are generous in sharing their wisdom and experience! I am so grateful to these five women for taking the time to give us a little insight into what they wish they knew before starting their dance career in the hopes that it will make your path a little smoother. Enjoy!

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How Detail-Oriented Dancers Approach Learning Differently

You’ve probably heard that being detail-oriented is an essential skill for high level dancers. But what exactly does that mean and how can you cultivate attention to detail in your dancing?

Simply put, a detail-oriented dancer pays close attention to all of the little things. Every step is meticulously planned out - there are no “throw away” moments. This type of dancer understands that just as there are no small roles in a performance, there are no small steps in choreography - they are all equally important in their own way.

For some dancers, this type of precision comes naturally. But even if attention to detail isn’t an innate quality, it is one you can develop. Here’s some insight into how detail-oriented dancers approach the learning process and how you can incorporate it into your own dancing.

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Dance Career, College Dance, Ballet Career Caitlin Sloan Dance Career, College Dance, Ballet Career Caitlin Sloan

Which College Dance Concentration is Right For You?

The decision to attend college for dance is incredibly individualized, and not necessarily right for every dancer. For dancers training pre-professionally, it’s common to forgo college and head straight to a professional career. Some dancers decide to pursue a degree in a completely different field while dancing professionally. But for many, a college dance degree can serve as an essential stepping stone on the way to your career goals.

When people think of a college dance degree, they’re most likely picturing a performance track (that’s all I knew about when I was in high school!). But did you know there are multiple concentrations you can focus on, depending on your career goals? Today, we’re going to break down four of the most common!

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