Dance is an intrinsic part of Indian cultural milieu from aeons ago and it has made an indelible impression on the cultural lives of people ever since. Dance-studies have increased unprecedently in the last decade. However, dance has become synonymous with performance, as the discourses on dance end up considering the possibilities of a performer alone. Additionally, the ephemeral possibilities of performers perpetuate the notion that dance cannot be chosen as a profession. To the young dancers who dream of a career in dance industry, dance profession isn't just something that happens on a stage/class. Working in the world of dance, it’s a metaphorical journey full of peaks and troughs, one of the toughest career paths- yet the most rewarding. Howbeit the career plan in dance should include your specific interests and you should be equipped enough to step on. This article speaks about the wide span of vocations in dance- which is not necessarily what you think.
Teacher/ Instructor: This is perhaps one of the most popular career choices for dancers. A defined career path and easiest way to opt, one can remain creative by routine classes, choreographing for the learners’ performances while generating a steady income. If you are an out of the box thinker there is a lot more scope in exploring the dance language pedagogy.
Commercial choreographers: In reality, only a tiny percentage of young performers succeed as brilliant choreographers. Iconic choreographers may lack the power talents of a performer too. Breaking the mould and being a freelance choreographer will help you keep up the creative high, developing new interpretations with the possibility of working in dance schools, companies, film industry, government productions, theatres and so on.
Arts Administrators: If you prefer a less physically active career after a certain point in life with a conscious impulse to be in the industry, this is a right pick as dancers are in need of art administrators. As this involves organising, fundraising, negotiating, planning, strategic thinking and marketing, the scope extends from working for small dance schools to governmental organisations and ministries.
Public Relations Manager(Social media manager): A dancer endowed with an active interest in visual media/ designing has a wide scope in this era of social media. Just like any other celebrities, dancers can also have an online presence and need to optimise it to maximise their audience base or promote their work. The enormous group followers makes social media the best place to market their latest works, productions and experiments. A PR manager is an active partner who helps in managing the social media page of performers/ company, helps in designing and reviewing their promotional marketing materials, media announcements etc. They need to have thorough knowledge on dance and its allied areas to build relationships, invite them to shows and update them regularly.
Dance video maker/ editor: In the same genre, if one has the propensity to work technically on a video, this “invisible art” is for them. The editors in other industries often lack the capability to make the videos of dance pieces/promotional videos without losing the essence of it. Notwithstanding the fact that the work of a dance editor is in close parallels to that of a film editor, but one with a dance training will have unique sense of movements, technicalities of the artform, kinesthetics and rhythm which will always be the right pick of many dancers to create their flawless motion picture. Video editors have openings in companies, schools, organisations or private ventures.
Dance therapist: Dance has a unique connection to the emotional wellbeing of individuals. Through movement interpretations, guided imagery and catharsis, the emotional restoration of clients can be attained by a well trained dance therapist. A graduate in psychology or varied humanities with a strong dance background and empathetic orientation can venture into the possibilities of therapy. With 89% of India’s population suffering from stress, dance therapists can be placed in outpatient clinics, hospitals and other health care providers.
Dance photographers: A dancer photographer will have art intertwined with craft and will be well aware of the movement patterns giving you the timing to predict the next move. A dancer who has been on the other side of the lens many a times will have the calibre to transfigure even the simplest movements to great photo imagery and art, making the sheer tenacity of an incredible shutterbug. Photographs are very important to dance companies and performers for the purpose of documentation and also for marketing/PR enabling the dancer photographer to top up his income,
Dance/ Cultural Officers: Working for the funding bodies of Government or other authorities, a dancer is often preferred for monitoring and investigating the activities of the applicants. Although a desk job, it’s easier for a dancer to budget finances and disperse funds in accordance with the quality, constitution and number of participants involved in the making of the production with respect to their standard and grade.
Dance journalist/ critic: Considerable ingenuity, solid writing skills, ethics and widespread knowledge in the field of dance history is obligatory for a dance writer. A dancer with analytic and critical philosophical thoughts on dance will be able to comment on the style of the choreographer, the genre of their pedagogy as well as their interpretations. The art of exegesis can only be attained if you have a thorough grasp on the body of knowledge. Not just attending the show passively, the dancer-critic can also discriminate the works based on artistic parameters. Many digital media, which are the changing face of the print press, are cravin for writers and critics offering them a wide array of prospects.
Dance researcher/ lecturer: Dancers of inquisitive outlook with special interest in aesthetics, history and indagation can further academic research. Eminent universities are on the lookout for dancers with a flair for research to work as post-doctoral research fellows, lecturers, professors and heads of departments.
Lighting designer: Dancers with a fine tuning in theatre can approach stages and production houses to be a full time designer for their creations. Most of the contemporary dance productions have started making good use of technical aspects of stagecraft and lighting to enhance their creative outcome.
Many other coherent career strategies in the field include being a dance musician- vocalist /instrumentalist, dance costume designer, dance music composer, make up artist and so on. These vocations are highly neglected in the glitz and glamour of a performer. However, only a small number of performers are able to grasp the clutch in the industry. Dancers with tenacity and ambition can definitely be a part of dance environment. Dance students ingurgitate huge variety of skills and techniques throughout their advanced rigorous training and this will equip them for these different portals in the dance industry that can perhaps be more fulfilling than a performing career.
