Chopper's Dance Studio

Top 8 Strategies to Becoming a Professional Dancer..

Posted on 21. Nov, 2007 by chopper in home

What’s cracking people

I just want to tell you that writing in this blog is great. I really feel like I’m contributing, and that makes me feel good. I know that there are a lot of dancers out there who need guidance and I really want to help them or you to become a better dancer. As I told you before, I grew up in a small town called Flint, MI. A lot of people from my hometown look up to me because I made it out of a bad city by doing what I love. The majority of people believe that the only way out is to play basketball and make it to the NBA. Well I proved that theory wrong. I made it out with dance. So many people that come from small places never think that it’s possible for them to make out. Well I’m here to tell you, you can! Last year my hometown Flint was ranked number 3 is the most dangerous cities in the United States. Ain’t that crazy? So if I can make it out so can you, wherever you are. If you want to start your journey to becoming a pro dancer even before you make it to a major city like LA or NY, I’ve done some research for you and found some strategies that can help you pursue your passion for dance.

STRATEGY #1: LOOK AT WHAT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. Your city may have its very own theater, dance company, or cultural organization. Get on line and research the performing arts department in your city/town find out where they are located. Offer your help volunteer or see if they have an internship program. Give some of your time and help them out. That way you can meet people and network and build relationships. Also look up dance productions, theaters or arts in the yellow pages.

Strategy #2. BE AWARE OF THE CHOICES YOU MAKE. You will have to make tough decisions along the way. You have to be focused and aware. A good way to make sure that the decisions that you make are good decisions is to ask yourself this question- Does this new decision or idea support me in the advancement of my professional career? Does this new idea keep me on my path or does it place me on another path?

STRATEGY #3: ASK YOURSELF THE TOUGH QUESTION. Understand that being a professional dancer is not just booking jobs and being in music videos. The dance industry has its highs and its lows. The pay is not steady, you go from gig to gig. You don’t get paid right after the gig is done so you have to wait a while before you see a check. Most of the time in dance you won’t know where your next job is coming from.

STRATEGY #4: DO YOUR HOMEWORK, EDUCATE YOURSELF. Now is the greatest time in the history of earth to be alive. We live in the information age. We have everything we ever need to know about any subject at our finger tips. So you should be very well educated about the business and what it takes to be a professional dancer. If you do this you are many steps ahead of the game.

STRATEGY #5: KEEP YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS CLOSE. It is always good to have a great support team behind you. Talk to your friends and family. Let them know your hopes and dreams. Discuss what opportunities are out there like College programs and scholarships, part time jobs or even pursuing representation by an agency. Let them know because you never know what they can help you with.

Strategy # 6. RECOGNIZE YOUR OWN POTENTIAL! Understand that you have everything inside of you that you need to become a great professional dancer booking jobs non stop and making lots of money while having the time of you life! You just have to know it’s there. You’re like a plant. You start off as a seed and you need certain things for you to grow healthy and strong. The plant needs to be fertilized to build a strong foundation. Next it needs water and sunlight. As time passes it begins to grow, and it may seem like over night it blossomed into a beautiful plant. Well that’s the dancer in you. You just have to give it what it needs to grow big and beautiful.

STRATEGY #8: STUDY OTHER DANCERS- Let me ask you this- if you want to to become rich do you seek the advice of a homeless person? If you want to become a doctor do you seek the advice of a lawyer? The answer to both those question is No. So if you want to become a professional dancers seek the advice a professional dancer, but one who is successful. Someone who has done what you want to do. Study them. Do you see qualities in them that you like? Do you see qualities similar to your own? Or qualities you’d like to have? Recognizing greatness in others is a great way to identify greatness in you!

Well, I hope this helps you on your own path to becoming a better dancer, no matter what level you want to reach. Know that you can reach it with some focus and guidance to know what to focus on. That’s why I’m here! If you like the post or have a question, go ahead a leave me a comment. Much love to you.

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