Dance like no one is watching, and get paid doing it

When you were a kid, everything was easier – especially answering the question, “What do you… When you were a kid, everything was easier – especially answering the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Well, if you always wanted to be a dancer (or a ballerina, as most little girls would say), you can still become one.

“[Dancing] is a way to express yourself without using words,” said Pitt freshman and dance minor Emily Graham, who has been dancing since she was 4 years old. “It’s also a way to stay active.”

Pursuing a career in dancing is definitely unique because of how it is most commonly viewed – people generally see dancing as something fun to do at clubs or parties, not as a career.

“People think it’s really cool because it’s not typical,” Graham said.

But today, the dream of one day becoming a Rockette or performing on Broadway can be a reality.

“A dance degree will give people the opportunity to teach and perform a lot and work with professional choreographers,” Michelle Dawson, a dance teacher at Pitt, said. “But you’re not going to get a great job with benefits right out of college.”

However, you can get the experience you need to succeed right here in Pittsburgh, as the city has a wide variety of internship and career opportunities for dancers. The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater are just two examples of well known, local dance companies.

The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, according to its website, says it is “a chamber group of seasoned performing artists, whose background and training (in both ballet and modern dance, combined with theatrical coaching) allows them to meet both the technical and theatrical demands of the diverse repertory the company presents.”

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theater is an American professional ballet company that puts on performances year-round at the Benedum Center Downtown. Their most popular performance is the “Nutcracker,” which runs this year from Dec. 14-29. So, if you are looking to become a performer, check into these two companies, and you just might be onstage sometime soon.

However, pursuing a dance career doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be a performer. Many theater lovers also work as teachers. Being a teacher can be very rewarding because you can dance as well as teacher others how to dance.

“A good dance program will prepare you to be a good teacher and a technically proficient dancer because you dance all day,” Dawson said.

This semester Dawson, who has her B.A. in dance and received her M.S. in developmental movement from Pitt, teaches first-level jazz and ballet classesbut has also taught musical theater dance. Dawson remembers what it was like being a dancer in college.

“College life was different for me because I was in the studio all the time,” Dawson said. At one point she was taking five and a half hours of dance classes a day, plus up to four hours of rehearsal in the evening.

“You gain a lot of discipline,” Dawson continued. “It’s a huge commitment.”

Despite how unique a dancing career seems, it is just like any other career in that, if nothing else, it is hard work.

“You have to work hard and just persevere,” Dawson said. “It’s just awful sometimes at auditions when you worked hard and didn’t get the part.”

It is times like those that make a dancer stronger.

“You have to satisfy yourself as an artist and in general,” Dawson said.

Headed by Susan Gillis Kruman, the dance program is part of the health and physical activity department and prepares dancers for a future in performance. As a dance minor at Pitt (Pitt does not offer a dance major) there are a variety of dance classes to choose from. Classes include introduction to dance, dance pedagogy, teaching experience, ballet, jazz, modern, dance production and choreography.

Pitt also strives to involve students in dance as much as possible. Pitt’s Dance Ensemble performs around Pittsburgh and is comprised of students who enjoy dancing, but they don’t necessarily have to desire to be a dancer full-time. Kruman, who has been teaching in the health and physical activity department since 1978, leads the ensemble.

In addition, there is PITTARTS, a University program that connects students to Pittsburgh’s art scene and culture. The program offers free and discounted dance, as well as art and theater, performances to students throughout the year.

So, if that child inside you still wants to be a dancer, then go for it.