What is the daily life of a dance major?
Although I LOVE dance and would like to major in dance for my undergraduate degree, I want to make sure this is the right fit for me. Therefore, I have a few questions. What is the daily life of a dance major? Do you get to pick your classes? Do you have time to double major? Do you have time to have a job outside of campus? How much studio dance experience do you need? #double-major #dance #dailylife #college #majors #college-experience
2 answers
Ted’s Answer
In her case it led to her being able to support herself pursuing a professional career as a dancer. When we met 11 years ago she was working at an investment firm as an administrative assistant and dancing 20-30 hours per week. Shortly after we were married she moved into Arts Administration and became the Director of Operations at Oakland Ballet Company. These are probably not opportunities that would have been available to her if she didn't have that background in Finance. She still is a core member of a touring modern dance company while also balancing freelance arts administration work and teaching prenatal yoga.
Pay attention to the other careers that are commonly found within the dance world that would allow you to add value to an arts organization -- just in case you don't make the cut as the prima ballerina! There is lots of call for dance teachers of course, but marketing, accounting, event management, nonprofit development, web design, grant writing, lighting & A/V engineering, costume design -- these are all skills that will set you apart in the arts world and provide some job security between professional dance gigs.
Loren’s Answer
Hi Kayla,
Great questions!
I was in the same boat as you. I grew up dancing and loved it and wanted to continue through college, however I also wanted to have a double major, knew I needed to have a job, and wanted to join a sorority. I would say it all depends on the program. I attended Chapman University in Orange County, CA for a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Strategic and Corporate Communication, and I was able to do all of it, which was amazing! However, it did take me a while to figure out which program was right for me. I would recommend researching dance programs and taking the time to talk to the staff, and students on what the time commitment is.
When being able to find the balance to all of it, I did need to choose between a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in dance. A BA let me be more flexible on my required credits, allowing me to spend time focused on other areas of school, social life or work.
Daily life for me usually started with a yoga or pilates class in the morning , straight into technique class in either ballet, jazz and/or modern. I usually would then run over to main campus and go to my general education classes or second major classes. Depending on the time of the year, I would then have rehearsals at night. I made sure to plan out my work schedule with my rehearsal schedule and I would work on the nights that I didn't have dance. My freshman and sophomore year I worked at a restaurant as a waitress and this was a great job for me since it was flexible on my hours. Junior and Senior year, I figured out my class schedule so that I could have paid internships. I would stack my classes on 2-3 days of the week and go to my internship for the rest. This is totally doable, I would just say it really helped to stay organized with my school, work, and social life. I then also was able to be in a sorority and even took on leadership positions.
As for experience and getting into the programs, again it depends on the program. Some dance programs are very sought after and highly technical. These will require an intense audition and it is best to have a strong dance background. It does not need to be specific into studio dance though. I trained a lot at my high school and was on my high school dance team. Our high school had a strong conservatory of dance, and I received great training from this, however if I did not have this, I would have chosen to commit to a studio more consistently.
I definitely think whatever you put your mind to would be possible. The best thing is to find the right dance program for you that is flexible with credits, schedules and has students who are doing lots outside of the major too. I can tell you that is not always the case. I did consider a different school, that did not recommend I join a sorority, or even double major. These were huge cons for me and therefore, even though, I loved the school and location, it wouldn't have been the experience I needed.
Each dance program at a school is unique and everything you asked is possible when you find the right one!
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