The question that isn’t a question, though I do love to answer it! And I’m being completely serious when I say that – I absolutely LOVE explaining what I do. Multiple dancers may get annoyed by the lack of understanding for our profession, though I find it such a great window of opportunity to explain my career and my passion! Especially because that seems to be the biggest thing – not many people have what I do, a career that also is a passion. It’s exciting, it’s fun, but most people don’t understand the toil it can be. I love diving into this topic because it intrigues most people and I feel that they leave having a better understanding of the hardship that is a career in the arts. In turn, they tend to respect what we do more and may leave with a deeper appreciation for dancers!

Each dancer’s career looks different and each dance company operates in a different way. I tend to begin by saying this and then lead into my personal experience as a dance major at Western Michigan University as well as my experience as a Company Member with South Chicago Dance Theatre. I will do the same with you all in the blog today! By breaking it down into what we go through mentally, physically, and emotionally I feel that most people leave with a better understanding and overall respect of a dancer’s profession.

Like any career, dancing is mentally taxing. Dancers must possess a strong sense of musical knowledge, overall timing, spatial knowledge, and ability to work with with others. Intelligence and creativity as a part of a team are especially important. I always have said that my dance friends are my best friends and that it’s always been easier for me to get along with or understand other dancers points of view. I truly believe this is because of the trust and teamwork that dance requires. There is no doubt that a dancer must stand out while also respectfully engaging with a team of other creatives. We are also required to remember TONS of choreography at the drop of a hat. When I tell people that some of our pieces are upwards of 15 to 20 minutes long, they are impressed by the stamina. I’m further impressed by the ability to recall and perform the choreography after learning it so quickly. Dancers in technique class as well as in quick choreographic residencies are expected to learn long chunks of choreography in solely an instant. The brain is always active alongside the body. In addition, going to school for dance was no simple task. Our course load was heavy on top of rehearsals extending late into the night. Studying the history of various styles alongside kinesiology, music fundamentals, and choreographic skills made for a strenuous major to take on.

Most people understand that dance is physically demanding although they often are shocked to find out HOW physical it can be. If you need reference, just look at my feet on any given day – they are the definition of beat up! For us, we begin each day with a challenging 90-minute class followed by a 3-hour long rehearsal of our dances. Personally, I enjoy cross-training for injury prevention and will workout by taking barre classes, running, or doing HIIT workouts anywhere from 3-5 times a week in addition to my dance training. Our dancing is extremely athletic and burns out our leg muscles and challenges our balance and core strength all while making it look graceful and seamless. It’s no easy task. Performing a 20-minute piece doesn’t even begin to compare to 20-minutes of any other type of exercise. Professional contemporary dance requires the utmost endurance and strength. You won’t know it ’til you see it – better yet EXPERIENCE it.

Lastly, there’s quite a big emotional aspect to being a dancer. Rather than getting an interview for a position, we audition amongst hundreds of other dancers. We hear “no” far too often and must be resilient and bounce right back into the next audition. Confidence can easily get shot down by a bad audition, a comment from a teacher or choreographer, and constant strife to improve and “fix” what you’re working with. In other careers you are judged by your brain’s capacity. As a dancer, we are judged by our brain AND our body’s capability. It can be tough – dancers are some of the most emotionally strong people I know.

Through all of the mental, physical, and emotional toughness one thing stands true – I LOVE WHAT I DO. No one can ever take that away from me. At the end of the day, it’s SO different from other careers and it is truly difficult, but nothing compares to the feeling of waking up each day and fulfilling a dream I had for myself. I’m thankful that my passion is my career and I’m more than happy to help others understand what I do!

Hopefully this was a helpful insight into our daily life/our career. South Chicago Dance Theatre has been my home base for dance for almost two years and I’m proud of what it has done for me in so many ways.