A Letter to Graduating Dance Majors
Victoria Capobianco’s final project. Footage by Jeanine Capobianco. (Loyola Marymount University Class of 2020)
Dear Class of 2020 Dance Majors,
Congrats! You did it! Despite this being a crazy moment in time, it is still really important to celebrate the past four years. These years were full of so many classes, performances, projects, and accomplishments. Let’s celebrate your perseverance, risk taking, rigor, creativity, and love. I hope that all of these memories can outweigh the disappointment about your springtime classes and events cancelled due to COVID-19.
As you head into the summer and your first year post-graduation, here are 10 practical ideas and resources as you begin on your career path. The field welcomes you in and needs your hope, creativity, and fresh ideas.
Organizing college items
First things first — it’s time to wrap up and pack up from college. Right now is an ideal moment to organize your college-related items: notebooks, books, and files on your computer and in the cloud. Organize them for easy access as you start a new job, prep for teaching classes, or apply to graduate school. Additionally, make sure you have handy any recent dance photos and performance videos.
Finding quick work
As the country starts to open up, it still will be a bit until dance and fitness spaces are ready for business. In the meantime, what are some “quick jobs” that you could find and get going in the coming few months? I am thinking of dog walking, babysitting, tutoring, and gardening. Two key qualities right now are agility and adaptability.
Subscribing to relevant publications
Whether bookmarking the websites on your computer, ordering a magazine subscription or paying the yearly membership, consider these five to gain a current picture of the field and to learn about job openings, auditions, and workshops:
NDEO (National Dance Education Organization)
Association of Teaching Artists
Training, cheaply and at home
Your strategies and resources for maintaining fitness and technique during Shelter-in-Place will be valuable skills to access in coming years. There will be times in your life when you will not be able to fit in weekly technique classes, and there will be moments when you cannot afford a few classes a week.
Right now there is so much wonderful content on the internet for free or a small fee. Find them, try them out, and see how you might access this material in the coming year. Some videos are already being archived on artists’ websites, YouTube, or FB Live sessions.
Another idea, while college is fresh in your mind, is to record yourself doing some of your favorite exercises from college. Yes, these videos will come in handy for training at home and for future teaching gigs as well.
Besides dance technique classes, what do you like to do for quick and easy fitness? Walking, hiking, biking, running, or swimming? Can you also develop a 30 minute conditioning workout with abdominal work, lunges, side shuffles, and the like? Write out and outline the workout on your computer for easy future reference.
Budgeting for the coming year
What are your hopes for the next year? Is it about saving money and moving to a new city in six months or a year? Learning how to budget for life is so key. Check out some budgeting 101 information from the site mint.com here. Plus, the October 2019 Dance Magazine piece Dancers, Are You Making Any of These 8 Common Money Mistakes? highlights key considerations.
Drafting your resume and website
Now is also an ideal time to make your resume and a simple website. You want to be poised and ready to start applying for jobs.
One of my college professors, Phyllis Haskell Tims, suggested to first make a “kitchen sink resume.” This is basically a big list that you can pull from when jobs arise. Make it a Google Document and capture:
- All of your jobs you have had in the last 4 years (dance and non-dance related). What dates did you hold each job?
- Key dance teachers, summer programs, and workshops attended
- Performances during college
- Choreographic projects
- Teaching and teaching assistant experience
- Internships; volunteer and service work
- Awards, scholarships and grants
- Other key skills: languages spoken, computer programs you know, CPR certification
- References a potential employer could call
Spend an hour reviewing resumes on fellow dancers’ websites and on websites of alumni of your college program. Then, conduct a short search about “resume formats for 2020.”
Additionally, as I mentioned in this March 23, 2020 article for Dance Teacher, now is a great time to build a simple website for yourself.
Considering the role of dance teaching in your career
The majority of dancers will teach in some capacity throughout their careers, whether as their primary work or through positions in companies.
What skills do you have so far? What age groups and settings excite you? If you have little or no experience right now, this summer or fall might be the time to create a potential internship with a local studio, camp, or school.
While social distancing remains in effect, many organizations will be offering online workshops on teaching this summertime. Check out courses through NDEO, Luna Dance Institute, and DEL to start.
Seeking out a mentor
Is there a professor you really connected with, or a teacher from your hometown? Building a mentoring relationship is invaluable during the first 2 years post-college. This person can be a wonderful sounding board, support, and guide as you navigate the job search, auditions, and carving out a career path.
Mentor/mentee relationships are very special and take time to form. Begin by reaching out to someone to talk on the phone, have a Facetime chat, or meet for coffee.
Taking a few months for breathing room
If you are able, give yourself a few months of downtime, with a less-full schedule and time to reflect on and savor the past few years.
- What were the highlights of college?
- What was the biggest transformation in your dancing, or your philosophy about dance, since you began?
- Who will be lifelong friends?
- Which college professors do you hope to stay in touch with over the next few years?
Dreaming, most of all
Last, even despite shelter-in-place and social distancing, now is still the time to dream of your future in dance. What most excites you? What makes your heart sing? How do you want to contribute to the community? Why dance, now?
Jill Randall is the Artistic Director of Shawl-Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley, California. She received her BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah and her MFA in Dance: Creative Practice from Saint Mary’s College of California. She directs the site Life as a Modern Dancer and also writes for Dance Teacher magazine and DIY Dancer.
