Job Descriptions - Definitions - Career Fields: Dancer

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Dancer

One very famous dancer once asked a would-be starlet 'Have you got the "Beat" `cause if you aint, you aint got the heart!' The "Beat" is the ability to hear and move your body in perfect harmony to the rhythm of the music. This applies to any kind of music from street rap to ballet. Good dancers are incredibly fit and this means that they have to work for many hours each day in order to remain in this blissful state of physical perfection.
Muscles have no memory - they forget - which means that you would have to be prepared to remind them every day that they had to do your bidding. You must enjoy music and the arts, have a supple body, dedication and a deep desire to dance. This desire is inherent in most people but the ability to dance exceptionally well is not handed out at birth like diapers - only the chosen few are granted this talent.

Mediocre dancers do exist and are able to earn a good living but they will seldom become international stars.

Before embarking on this very strenuous career, examine your body in minute detail and discover whether it is able to accept such rigid disciplines as daily four-hour practise sessions, four-hour stage performances and no lazy holidays. There are various fields of dancing which each require special skills but generally speaking, the work of a dancer is to entertain the public. Your feet, ankles and legs should be able to withstand the pressures of dancing which, although it is natural for human beings to wish to dance, it is not natural to dance for a living. Our bodily structures are not intended for the intricate movements of dance on a daily basis. In fact, if one is an advocate of the Darwin Theory, we should still be cavorting about on all fours.

Dancers often complain that their spinal columns are their greatest source of worry - more so than their feet - and that even though there are blisters on top of blisters on their toes, they dare not put on any excess weight for fear of damaging their sense of balance. Imagine the spectacle of a flabby ballerina. Diet plays an important part in a dancer's life as does height in certain fields of this art form. Ballerinas are traditionally small and petite - they have to be or the male dancers would not be able to carry them around the stage - and overweight dancers take the chance of putting stress on their hearts and bodies.

The wish to dance usually begins early in life - most famous dancers were child prodigies - but with determination and talent, anyone can become a dancer.

In the ballet world, traditional choreography continues to be used by most directors but many modern versions of old classics are currently being performed. Modern dance requires great stamina and hours of practice.

If you should become part of the cast of a theatrical production, rehearsals usually take place in the afternoons or evenings in a studio or theatre where you and others would be instructed by a choreographer. The hours would be long and irregular and many dance instructors are not reknowned for their patience or good manners. Between acts, you would have to make sure that your legs were warm and that you could relax.

The people with whom you would be working would all have similar interests and a great camaraderie exists between members of the cast. However, this is a very competitive profession and you would have to be careful not to cause anyone to feel any emotion other than admiration for your expertise. Directors have no patience with sloppy work or tardiness so continual punctuality and hard work would be expected from you.

Ballroom dancers are seldom employed by any company, they find a partner and enter competitions all over the world. The only problem with this profession is that you and your partner would have to be compatible and able to spend many hours together - sometimes more time than you would normally spend with a spouse. The costumes are usually very luxurious and expensive and you would need an outfit for each round; Latin-American mambo, tango, waltz, foxtrot, two-step, modern disco, etc.


Career Fields


Film, Television and Radio
Performing Arts and Entertainment

 

Courtesy: CareerExpo

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