5 of the most transferable job skills your dance career is building
Your dance career might be your first passion-turned-profession, but it doesn’t have to be the only one.
I’ll never forget the first time I had to confront my mindset on dance as a “job.” I posted a status about working remotely from tech rehearsal for a Spring dance concert during my first apprentice contract. In my typical snarky, chronically online fashion, I made a social media post quipping about how hard it is to be a professional dancer with a “real” job. One of my fellow dancers jokingly commented on my status that “both” of my jobs were real.
And she was right.
Dancers have a real job. We share narratives, beauty and joy with audiences of all ages and sizes. Our vocation is to bring creative visions to life — to be the bodies telling the story.
And that work gives us experience and builds skills. Performances develop your technique, stage presence and endurance, but the process of learning choreography, managing rehearsals and staying organized backstage can also help you cultivate skills you can transfer into other positions if dance isn’t your only — or final — destination.
Here are five transferable skills your performance career can build:
Project management
Project management is the act of overseeing projects to ensure all goals and deadlines are met. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever created a rehearsal schedule, kept track of studio rental costs, sent out email reminders or coordinated with a performance venue, you’re flexing your project management muscles. According to the Association of Project Managers, “a project professional needs a wide range of skills; often technical skills, and certainly people management skills and good business awareness.” Your versatile ability to manage timelines, monitor budgets and communicate effectively makes you ready to take on any performance, arts project or event.
Executive presence
Performing as a dancer, whether you’re in a group or solo, builds stage presence — the ability to express emotion and command attention from your spot onstage. This presence and ability to perform in front of groups translates well when you have to give a presentation, deliver remarks at an event or even meet new people to expand your network. This isn’t about being fake or adopting a personality that isn’t yours. Your ability to shine from wherever you are is really just a gift for allowing the best parts of yourself to radiate to accomplish your goals.
Archiving
I may be biased because this was the subject of my master’s thesis, but dancers and choreographers are among the best archivists. Any time you share a Google Drive with rehearsal videos, update your reel, or post a class video, you’re archiving your progress. Archives are key to keeping the work of dancers and choreographers at every level alive and accessible. An ability to organize and manage information about creative endeavors, including videos, photos, program information (which can include names of pieces, choreographers, composers and even organization leadership), is an invaluable skill. You can be a key part of documenting an organization’s history, which can make any project easier — from writing a press release to applying for awards or grants. Organizations like ChromaDiverse are already realizing this. ChromaDiverse is a digital platform that helps arts organizations use the cloud to boost their archiving practices, whether that’s collecting information from past shows or building bridges between company alumni. Part of their goal is to train company dancers to use the software so that archiving can become a viable job skill for them in addition to movement-based work. So if you’re a lover of multimedia and arts history, or building systems to make organizations more efficient, you could be sitting on a bankable skill.
Customer service
Whether you’re talking to a parent after a difficult class or taking a shift at your studio’s front desk, you’re a customer service representative for your dance organization. Positive customer experiences can pay dividends. A study conducted by customer service tech company Zendesk reported that three in four respondents will spend more with a company that provides an excellent customer experience (CX). The study also noted that 87% of customers trust a brand more if it provides good customer service. Conversely, more than half of all consumers will switch to a competitor after one or more negative interactions (some without warning). Every reminder email, ticket refund, invoice or observation class is a chance to show you care about the people who support your art. Dealing with patrons fairly and with a smile can turn a trial class into a long-time student or a first-time show audience member into a lifelong subscriber. And this knowledge can help you provide top-tier service wherever you are.
Marketing
Marketing is often a catch-all term for a lot of things, from emails to social media and even graphic design. But all of these are useful abilities to have in and out of the dance world. Even going out and postering before a performance gives you a great chance to start practicing looking at things like audience, customer personas and perfecting your elevator pitch — you never know when a curious passerby will ask what you’re promoting. If you are responsible for sending out digital communications, whether it’s emails or social posts, start paying attention to engagement numbers like shares, comments and click-to-open rates and see if you can test out different ways to get more eyes on your organization. You might be responsible for the next boost in recital ticket sales or foot traffic, and that’s a feather you’ll want to stick in your cap.
Training isn’t just for class
Dance reflects the world we live in, but it can also broaden your professional horizons. This isn’t about “having something to fall back on” or preparing for the worst (as I’m sure we’ve all been told by a well-intentioned family member or friend). Taking inventory of your skills and what other areas of your dance life interest you can make you aware of new passions and ways to serve all the communities you’re part of. Once you discover the skills you want to dig deeper into, there are lots of ways to educate yourself further. You can check out or purchase books on your favorite subjects, take a free online course or even enroll in a degree program to advance your expertise. Your gift of dance will take you far, but there’s absolutely no harm in letting some of your other talents take center stage and propel you further!
