Advice From Professional Dancers

DanceWorks by T knows a lot about the industry, and we’ve compiled some tips for anyone who’s thinking about pursuing dance. Some of these tips are from professional dancers themselves. But as always, every dance career starts with lots of dance classes.

You can still be seen from the back line.

So often in dance rehearsals, auditions, and performances, we get caught up in where we think we should be. But the truth is that there are truly no small roles. If you’re in the back, you’re still performing, and as a dancer who will likely go through countless auditions/tryouts, a spot on the stage is worth its weight in gold.

Most of us put a lot of our focus on where we want to be in life — which is great, so long as we don’t forget where we are. Not having a solo performance or a front-and-center stage position doesn’t mean you never will. Use any setbacks you experience as motivation.

Learn as much as you can.

Ballet classes might be challenging and you might avoid improv activities, but if you spend your time only learning what’s comfortable for you, you’re not going to grow as much as you could. That could end up being the difference between getting selected in a try out or being rejected.

Countless professional dancers all say to never skip ballet. It’s the line of dance that can be one of the most competitive, and if you’re not wanting to become a ballerina, it can seem like a waste. Ballet classes teach fundamental techniques for dance, and shouldn’t be overlooked. It goes along with our dance studio’s point that you should seek to acquire as many dance skills that you can.

Become comfortable with critique.

This is probably one of the most important pieces of advice for anyone wanting to become a dancer. You will be critiqued in the pursuit of good dancing, and you have to take the feedback and learn from it — as hard as it may be.

The thing that sets some of the top professional dancers apart from the rest is that they have lived in the world of constant feedback, and have embraced it. If harsh, negative, or even unfair feedback sends you spiraling, you’re going to have a really tough time pursuing dance as a career. It’s a fine line between “I’m not perfect” and “I will use this to be better,” but it’s a line that makes all the difference when it comes to accepting criticism.

Care for your health.

Healthy eating and stretching properly is only the half of it — in order to be a great dancer, you should be ready to invest in your health.

Take classes with DanceWorks by T!

We hope these pieces of advice have helped anyone considering a career in dance. Dance is one of the most rewarding, toiling, amazing, challenging, and ultimately, indescribable activities there are. It takes much work, but it is possible — and it becomes all the more possible when listening to expert advice.

But as always, professional dancers got their start in the studio, and you can begin yours with DanceWorks by T. Offering exceptional dance classes for aspiring dancers in the Chicagoland area, it's the perfect place for you to start your journey. Contact us today to get started — we look forward to dancing with you!