DANCE MAJORS

Everyone in the dance major community and those who have considered joining know there are many risks to studying dance in college. As previously stated, these students spend a large amount of money to study this performing art in college for four or more years with only a small chance of becoming a professional in the field. It is a major that is always changing it’s curriculum because of the changes in music, technique, movement, and more. Edward Warburton admits that, “dance educators must not only accept and adjust to the ‘new normal,’ we must reassert the intrinsic value and contemporary appeal of dance by driving these trends forward” (Warburton). He and many others believe that media and technology also have a large influence on what dance has become today. He claims that all of these changes “seem to have shifted attention away from deliberative communities that work in the so-called traditional arts toward instant, mass-marketed, pop-culture-inspired dreams of recognition and fame” (Warburton). Commercial dance is becoming more popular every day compared to the theatrical side of dance which can be a hard change to handle for dance majors and their educators. This is also a primary reason incoming students choose not to major in dance, but instead major in something else as a backup while maintaining their dance training outside of the classroom. This alternative seems logical, seeing as to how “the majority of undergraduate dance majors will not seriously pursue or successfully attain professional dance careers in performance or choreography” (Risner). However, Risner also states that, "Although this kind of attention geared exclusively to professional performance has significantly enhanced dance in academia and has the ability to produce emerging dance artists who are exquisite performers and sometimes innovative choreographers, we must understand that this type of lens is only one of many possibilities for undergraduate dance programs today." This shows just how many different options dance majors really have. There is an overwhelming amount of factors that help someone decide whether or not becoming a dance major is the right choice.

 

A majority of dance majors are going to tell you that being a dance major is worth it hands down. The conflict in a field of art is passion versus practicality. Artists have to decide for themselves if their passion for what they do is worth the possibility of not making money or having a stable occupation. People’s passion for something is typically the main/only thing driving them to go on with their art. These artists sacrifice a lot in order to do what they love which may be a beautiful piece of art itself.

 

Dancers rely heavily on the connections they make throughout their career. The more connections made means more opportunities. As artists, dancers appreciate any talent they see in someone, and people in the dance world talk to each other about each other. Just having someone else talk about an individuals talent can be beneficial. Meeting and working with different choreographers, teams, companies, other dancers, etc. is an experience to grow from. Every dancer has a different style and learning those styles is how a dancer becomes well-rounded. May it be through dance, social media, or other forms or communication, connecting with other dancers will make or break someone in the world of dance.