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» Home » A&E » Media » Finding jobs tough stretch for dancers
| Finding jobs tough stretch for dancers |
| By Rebecca Tucker |
Published
02/26/2009
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A&E , Campus news , Ryersonian Print Edition , Print
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Finding jobs tough stretch for dancers
Photo courtesy of Scott McLeod
Dancers from all over Ontario took part in the two-day on the MOVE conference held at the National Ballet School in Toronto, which helped them network, as well as try out different styles of dance.
When Ryerson dance students of 2009 graduate in April, they’ll be facing a daunting job market.
In the wake of a global credit crisis, finding a job will be no easy task for any post-secondary grad this year, but dance students have always had a tough time finding gainful employment.
“Of all the professions in the arts, dancers make the least,” explained Amanda Hancox, executive director of the Dancer Transition Resource Centre (DTRC).
“The average yearly salary of a dancer is around $18,000, which isn’t really sustainable. The only artists who make less than dancers are poets.”
The competitive dance market, combined with the current economic climate, was on many a dancer’s mind the weekend of Feb. 13, when those with movement styles ranging from contemporary to classical congregated for the DTRC’s ninth annual on the MOVE conference at the National Ballet School in Toronto.
“Since 2001, we’ve been putting on this conference to help dancers establish what we’re calling a ‘portfolio career,’” Hancox explained.
“Dancers - with the exception of those doing ballet as part of a major company – may only be dancing for a few months a year, so we want to show them that there are career opportunities . . . that will help earning a living income (as a dancer).”
The conference originated in Toronto and has since branched out to annual conferences in Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg, with a conference in Halifax in the works for next year. Dancers are able to attend classes and lectures, all of which are designed to open their eyes to the world of post-graduate and employment possibilities.
“The arts are a business,” said Kate Knox, who graduated from Ryerson’s dance program last spring.
“And for dancers, finding a job is almost a ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ situation.”
Since graduating, Knox has held various dance-related positions, ranging from work with community theatre to The Fringe, Toronto’s largest theatre festival, to teaching jobs in Richmond Hill, Ont.
She is currently performing with a burlesque troupe and as a member of the Toronto Aerial Dance company.
“At this point, I’ve done just about everything,” said Knox, who attended the two-day conference to help her step up her game as a professional dancer.
“I can’t stick to just one thing, because I’ll feel like I’m missing out. But most importantly, as a dancer, I have to be open to various opportunities if I want to get paid.”
The mindset that professional artists can’t be choosy about employment is consistent within the professional dance community, Hancox said.
“We hope that these dancers will be exposed to the variety of opportunities there are for dancers,” she said.
“One of the more important things dancers do here is network. We had one girl last year who’d met with some Indian dancers, and she was really excited about the possibility of a collaboration she hadn’t even considered before.”
Knox is confident that the information she gathered at the conference will help her attain her aspirations as a dancer.
But she says the most important thing for a professional working artist is to be comfortable with a full plate.
“(The conference) taught me a few things about what it takes to start my own company, and the networking opportunities are really helpful, even though the dance community is surprisingly small,” she said.
“But there’s always going to be work — teaching, choreographing or dancing. You just have to look for it and be open to everything,” she adds. “Basically, my philosophy is, if it fits in my schedule, I’m not going to turn it down.”
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