Pro Contract and College Simultaneously

[Quarterking]

I'm glad you added the "university and ballet are not mutually exclusive" phrase. My DD will tell anyone who will listen that she is going to dance and then teach dance. She plans to begin her secondary education once she 'lands' at a company. We highly value education in my family. She sees her ballet education as a big part of her education, but not all of her education. She wants a business degree so she knows how to run a ballet school properly.

 

(Didn't we start by talking about 6 or 7 top companies. . .) Sorry to have wondered so far afield.

[rshevin]

"university and ballet are not mutually exclusive"

 

Every time I hear this I like to remind people of my teacher who is currently dancing professionally, teaching, AND is about to graduate with a degree in BIOLOGY. Smart chica.

[citibob]

I will have to sound a warning here. I did university and professional dance at the same time. And I must say, I think they really are mutually exclusive, in spite of my experience.

 

I was not taking classes at the time that I was involved with the company. I was in the latter stages of a PhD program, writing a dissertation. Even so, I had to cut a lot of corners.

 

But from that experience, and having gone through college at a world-famous university, I know that there is no way I could have adequately participated in undergraduate studies while dancing for a professional company. There is just not enough time in the day, since a top tier education is a full-time committment. Yes, it's possible to find a way to take four classes while dancing. But an education is more than the sum of its classes, and requires more time as well.

 

I would recommend waiting until one is done dancing full-time to go to college. And then, take the same energy, commitment and drive that was applied to dancing --- and apply it to undergraduate studies instead. That's the way to get a top-notch education.

[Victoria Leigh]

I really think there are lots of ways to get a "top-notch education". While waiting and doing college after performing is certainly one way, it is not the only way. It might work better for some people that way, but not everyone. There are many dancers out there who are dancing professionally and taking courses, but not full time college. This can work very well. The quality of the education depends on the school and the student. I think that a good student, which most professional level dancers are, will manage to get a quality education if they want it.

[vagansmom]

Brava, Victoria!

[Tiffany]

A girl that I know managed to get a bachelor's degree while dancing full time with a ballet company. The ballet company was a small company and only does 4-5 performances/year, but its still impressive that she managed it; I'm not sure what her degree was in but she then went on to graduate school (not sure if she danced pro during that as well) and is now a physical therapist. Written into her contract was a clause specifying that the ballet company would pay her college tuition, and they did; I don't know if that cut into her salary. I know she attended classes at odd times; 7am on weekdays and on Saturdays and such to fit the college classes with her ballet schedule.

 

I would think that online classes would be ideal for a professional ballet dancer. I have taken 3 online classes and they allowed me enough flexibility to spend that summer working as an RA at a summer program out of the state that the college was in. I don't think that all classes are offered online but at least the basic classes one usually takes freshman & sophomore year are.

 

I have read in Pointe magazine that several dancers in Atlanta Ballet and NYCB attend college while they dance professionally. And isn't one of NYCB's principals going straight into an MBA program without an undergraduate degree?