Becoming a Professional Dancer (Age Related)

chryssanthi sahar

New member
Hey ladies, let a professional dancer who has been making a living out of dancing (performing and teaching) for more than 20 years now (this mean me:lol:) tell you one thing: YOU CAN ONLY BECOME A PROFESSIONAL, IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH ENGAGEMENTS (this means audience who wants to see you dancing) AND ENOUGH STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO EARN ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE A LIVING OUT OF THE DANCING!!!! It is that simple! It doesn't depend on your decision to become a pro or not, it depends on what kind of work you do and on how many people find your dancing (and teaching) appealing. Of course the better the quality of your dancing, the better you chances. But on the other hand, hey, this is BUISNESS!!! If you live from dancing, you are not only a dancer and teacher, you are also a business woman, organizer, PR-person and manager (and in some cases even your own bodyguard:lol:). You have to be able to handle all of this at the same time. And you have to be able to handle the stress and pressure which is connected with it. So, as I already said, it is good to start slowly as a hobbyist, if you are successful enough become a semi-professional and if you go on been more and more successful drop your job and become a full professional. Everything else is unrealistic.
 

LLAIMA

New member
I don't disagree with freedom, perhaps I misunderstood.


But in belly dance it seems to be extremely common for people to get away with NOT making a good job of it, for a public that doesn't know any different. Performing or even teaching. :( How good a teacher you can be if it's all about you and not about your students? :think:

I agree a lot of people perform for the buzz it gives their ego. That's entirely normal - but IMHO seeking that buzz should never become more important than integrity about what you are doing.


It couldn't have been explained any better than that.
 

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
Clarification on ballet

Clarification on ballet, from a former dancer:

Women who aspire to be professional ballet dancers simply CANNOT begin in their twenties -- men can be the exception and can begin training later, but they are USUALLY limited to partnering and character roles (exceptions often occur in New York!)

Classical ballet requires several years of training, just to form the body so that it's capable of doing the EXERCISES -- and then those exercises train the body to do the dance. Because of this, dance students must begin serious training early -- usually around age 8-9. For the major companies, pre-professional students begin apprenticing at around 16-17, and most corps dancers are hired at ages 18-22. Regional companies will often hire college grads (20-somethings) as apprentices, but the pay is commensurately less. Many dancers retire out in their 30's, due to injuries or competition, or they join part-time repertory companies (that's what I did.)

There are ALWAYS exceptions of course, and the NYCB and ABT are full of them -- but remember these kids go to specialized middle and high schools for dancers, just like in "Fame." :)

Ballet as a profession is limited to those with specific training and who can be competitive in the workforce. Ballet as a recreational activity is open to ANY AGE, but with an understanding that you will have structural impediments to some of the exercises and movements.

Going Pro for anything (tennis, playing tuba, bellydancing) means spending a great deal of time learning and rehearsing it. You can probably start MOST things at an older age and still expect to achieve a certain amount of success with them -- but you will always have competition from those who are younger or who have been doing it longer.

You have to ask yourself, "Am I content to be a local/regional professional or do I want to be a Superstar type pro, traveling the world and performing?"
Each will take a different approach to training.
 

Brea

New member
Hi all,

I consider myself a professional belly dancer. In Canada and Hawai'i it WAS entirely how I made my living (though I did some other fun things on the side in Hawai'i because I wanted to). However, since I moved, I haven't been doing that because I am new here. Yet I still consider myself a professional dancer (I do get paid gigs and all). I am also definitely heavier than the average TV or film star. I do agree that it takes years of training (I still feel like a baby in this dance, so much left to learn) to become a professional, and a LOT of drive to do this. I hope one day again to earn my entire living from the dance.
 

lizaj

New member
If you mean semi professional..getting paid for regular restaurant and party gigs, then many dancers I know are well in their 40s and older here in the UK. they are the experienced and savvy dancers. A local restauranteur has asked me just this year ( as I said on the late starter thread) and I am 60 BUT for me personally it's a no-no. I "scrub up well" as we say, I have good posture, few wrinkles and am shapely but BIGger than your average dancer .I don't think that I am suitable. A more slender and glamorous professional will get away with a lot more at my age. I perform happily in theatre, at festivals and haflas and have been paid for gigs ( ladies's pamper nights, pop videos, weddings) but even together with teaching, I could no way make a living at this dance and much younger dancers are in the same boat.
No way is someone over 35 going to be hired by BDSS. I saw Miles C wrinkle up his nose in disgust at the sight of less than perfect specimens doing this dance at Raks B. His audience were happy with us old dears but not he...ooo no...
But there are outlets for us oldies and we can still entertain. If you are in your early 30s, lucky you get some good training and you'll maybe earn enough to buy those costumes from gigs.But hang on to the day job. Under 30 ( with some considerable skill) and you may even get a chance to dance "over there".
The only full time professionals I know here in the UK not only perform and teach but trade, run residentials and holidays and they are few and far between.
 

CurlyBellyGirl

New member
Also, Aziyade, isn't it true of ballet as well that certain body types will have a harder time becoming a professional even if they start training at a young age? I did ballet briefly and one of my friends was going to The San Francisco Ballet and was actually kicked out of the school because of her body type (hippy already at a young age). She went on to study at another school, but I remember what a hurtful situation it was for her.

I actually went to a high school modeled after the NY School of Performing Arts. We had educational classes during the morning and after lunch your art form for 3 -4 hours a day and sometimes longer depening. I was not in dance. Some of my friends have danced in large companies in NY and I know that especially for the women of color with largers butts and hips, it was a constant battle with weight and body issues -- not just in ballet, but across the board in most forms of dance (although none were doing BD :)). I was going to transfer to dance from my focus (visual arts), but was so freaked out by how stressed the girls were and how hard it seemed that I got scared to even go that route knowing I would have mountains to climb.

And now I find myself here in my late 20's and in love with dance again. :) I realize that being a pro is a combination of business savy and dancing ablility and general people skills. Right now, for me, it is just a hobby, but one that I take seriously because I would love to see where it might lead.
 

gypsy8522

New member
No way is someone over 35 going to be hired by BDSS. I saw Miles C wrinkle up his nose in disgust at the sight of less than perfect specimens doing this dance at Raks B. His audience were happy with us old dears but not he...ooo no...

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't the bellydance superstars in the early to mid-30's age range? A couple of the dancers I have seen looked much older than that, and I honestly don't see a problem unless this Miles guy seriously thinks that they are going to stay young forever. The way you look plays an important factor in your career as a belly dancer, but it isn't measured by the same standards as ballet. It is true the younger you start the better, most Egyptian dancers start young, many start as professionals in their teens. But that doesn't mean they go off and commit suicide the moment they hit their late thirties. Fifi Abdou didn't reach the height of her career and she wasn't even famous until she became 40 years old. I hate to see people adding rules and age restrictions that shouldn't be there....
 

CurlyBellyGirl

New member
My understanding was that the initial age range to be able to audition for BDSS was under 23 and now it is currently 18-40, or at least that's what I recall reading in their '07 casting announcement on Tribe. I also read an article somewhere else, The Gilded Serpant perhaps, that talked about the process of auditioning for BDSS. It also had pictures of who was picked and the majority of the girls had a similar look to them (IMHO) and all appeared (at least in the picutures) to be younger, but not like teenage young.

I don't know if for BDSS age is specifically important and it just seems that overall look is what's most important (especially body type), but then they are really a show and not really a bellydance company, so really more of a variety show or act which would for sure lean towards a more mainstream sense of esthetic.
 

Aniseteph

New member
I saw Miles C wrinkle up his nose in disgust at the sight of less than perfect specimens doing this dance at Raks B. His audience were happy with us old dears but not he...ooo no...

Oh the poor chap, it's a hard life. ;)

:lol: he he he...
 

lizaj

New member
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't the bellydance superstars in the early to mid-30's age range? A couple of the dancers I have seen looked much older than that, and I honestly don't see a problem unless this Miles guy seriously thinks that they are going to stay young forever. The way you look plays an important factor in your career as a belly dancer, but it isn't measured by the same standards as ballet. It is true the younger you start the better, most Egyptian dancers start young, many start as professionals in their teens. But that doesn't mean they go off and commit suicide the moment they hit their late thirties. Fifi Abdou didn't reach the height of her career and she wasn't even famous until she became 40 years old. I hate to see people adding rules and age restrictions that shouldn't be there....

That's exactly what I said:confused:
We got thrown a look of horror from MC when we were waiting to take part in the Friday afternoon show of UK dancers and I heard he was making disparaging remarks about the age and appearance of the UK "pro" performers that night.
Ah yes we all know that Fifi still danced folks off the floor in her fifties and no one would do anything other than defer to Dina and Lucy but Miles ain't about that is he?
It's Las vegas meets belly dance and the show girl look reigns supreme. I have no doubt he'll put up with some who are a little past it! if it suits him!
But to be fair to the man , he needs dancers prepared to leave their domestic ties well behind them and put up with a gruelling schedule on the road and I'll tell you those gals looked soooo tired in Blackpool. Someone like Jillina is so valuable for choreo etc but he won't always stay with the same dancers. He'll find newbies and I wonder how long BDSS's shelf life is?
I'll patronise Raks B because I live so near and there's a good week-end to be had surrounded by belly dancing even if the BDSS slick style isn't exactly my favourite.
Yes I'd rather see a "lived in" beledi girl radiating experience and soul any day.:)
 

charity

New member
i think you can achieve "professional" status in anything at any age if you have proper training. this is not to say the public will have anything to do with you as far as performance and competition (i.e. ballet, gymnastics).

if you dont have adequate flexibility or strength, it can be achieved (it may take 2 years but how bad do you want it). some people have to start at the most basic levels. this is where body type and comp come in. if you are athletic in build and have always been, you may start in a more "advanced" position in your training.

all in all your success depends on how much you are willing to give, how small you are willing to start and remaining focused until the goal is accomplished.
 

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
Also, Aziyade, isn't it true of ballet as well that certain body types will have a harder time becoming a professional even if they start training at a young age? I did ballet briefly and one of my friends was going to The San Francisco Ballet and was actually kicked out of the school because of her body type (hippy already at a young age). She went on to study at another school, but I remember what a hurtful situation it was for her.

Yeah -- there's always a certain amount of what we call "natural selection" among professional dancers, based on the demands of the public at that time. During the Ballanchine era, the more desireable dancer figure was slim-hipped with no breasts. Basically androgynous, or pre-pubescent figures. In the 50-s and 60's, ballet dancers were allowed to have breasts. In the 90's you had to be flat if you wanted a job with a major company.

Height is a big issue too. Rarely will you find high-end companies hiring dancers over 5'6. Pointe shoes add a good 5-6 inches to your height, and the standard is that women's heads should not be at a level above men's heads, except for certain roles.

Ethnicity is a HUGE issue, because for the 60s and 70s, I can count the number of fully employed African-American ballet dancers on my fingers. It's better now, especially in modern ballet, and since we have actual dance companies devoted to African-American or Hispanic dancers, but in the mainstream companies, you will very very very very rarely see a darker skinned dancer playing Giselle or Coppelia.

Of course regional and repertory standards are ALWAYS different, and usually less exclusive. But you don't make the bucks or the fame there that you would at ABT. :)

The thing is, it sounds cruel to be kicked out of a training program at an early age because your butt is "too big" for the standards of the company, but it's just saving a lot of heartache and unemployment down the road. It's sort of nice to be told, "You know, you really aren't going to achieve financial success if you go down this road. Why not try a repertory company, or a recreational dance group?" Natural Selection of this sort is routine in the sports world. Can you imagine a pro basketball player today who's only 5'1 ? Or a jockey who's 6'2? Or a 110-pound Quarterback?

For the record, I'm using the term "Professional" to mean someone who makes their primary financial living doing the thing (your 40-hour a week job). You can be a part-time professional if you dance at a restaurant or something, but still have a day job that pays the bills.

I'm "professional" in my approach to bellydance, but it's not what I list as my career on my tax forms :)
 

Brea

New member
Hi,

My best friend is black and used to be a ballerina. She actually earned her whole living from it and belonged to a company. She says it was the most horrible emotional torture ever; I think she still experiences fallout from it. She says her butt is too big. She also says that two Asian girls were the ballet company director's favorite dancers because they were very small, skinny, and had no curves. She ended up leaving the company because she was tired of being told she was too fat.

In the bellydance world, a local pro dancer who has seen me dance wrote me a rather cryptic email about how she had some 'advice' for me and asked if I 'really wanted to dance in the restaurants'. I am going to assume that she is trying to be nice about telling me that I am too fat for professional dancing. The girls I HAVE seen locally are so thin you cannot see them when they turn sideways, and are also about a foot shorter than me. In one sense, at least if she tells me I'm too fat, it's better than her telling me I am untalented...but it does seem like the only way to become a full time pro in Minneapolis is to only eat lettuce. :(
 

rita1969

Banned
You can do it! Go for it!

You can do it! Go for it!
If you want to be a professional dancer-work at it,go for it,keep a postive attitude,you can do anything if you set your mind to it.;)
 

Aisha Azar

New member
Dance etc

Dear Gang,
As you all know, I am not in favor most of the stuff that the Belly Dance Super Stars are passing off as "belly dance". It is Americanized to the point that you can barely see any Middle Eastern in their performance at all. They do some god awful fusions and for the most part, their dancing looks like pablum to me. Their shows are repetitive and boring and I can state a bunch of other reasons for not ever again wanting to sit through two hours of that. After seeing a couple of their videos, the only reason I even went to their show was because Miles Copeland bought me tickets.
That being said, there is one area where Copeland and I do agree. There is no reason on earth why he should not have a stage full of young, beautiful women. I am sorry to report that older dancers often seem to have some kind of weird prejudice against younger ones. The dance, when done by young women who are lovely in body and soul, takes on a vitality and a glow and a beauty that is hard to match. My problem with the BDSS has nothing at all to do with their youth. I only wish more of them could dance. It seems that he could find lovely young women who knew what they were doing....
We discussed this at some length after the show. We spent 4 hours talking in a lounge and we had a great time. Miles sent me an email later saying something like, "I am not sure why I want to put myself through this kind of hell, but next time I am an town, I want to take you out to dinner". I actually like him, though we disagree on almost every aspect of presenting the dance to the public.
Regards,
A'isha
 

lizaj

New member
Please don't include me in an anti-youth brigade.
As a teacher and event organiser I do my best to encourage and promote young dancers BUT I do not see why talented older dancers ( and many of the best dancers in the UK are older) should be worthy of Mile's distain. At the Raks B UK night entertainment, most of the audience did not give a damn about the age nor the gender of the performers. There was a dancer as young as 17 and others in their 50s and they were all a treat as was the male dancer.
No I do not expect a show like the superstars to include dancers over a certain age, they might not put up ( nor want to) with the gruelling schedule those girls have to.
But I do not care wether a talented dancers looks as young and slim and glam as Bozenka or is plump and middle aged and neither do a lot of other belly dancers over here. Her/his talent and entertainment value is what is important to us.
 

rita1969

Banned
What difference does it make about your age.

You can learn to dance at any age.Anyone can learn belly dancing at any age.
They can do it if they put there minds to it.:)
 

Aisha Azar

New member
Dance

Please don't include me in an anti-youth brigade.
As a teacher and event organiser I do my best to encourage and promote young dancers BUT I do not see why talented older dancers ( and many of the best dancers in the UK are older) should be worthy of Mile's distain. At the Raks B UK night entertainment, most of the audience did not give a damn about the age nor the gender of the performers. There was a dancer as young as 17 and others in their 50s and they were all a treat as was the male dancer.
No I do not expect a show like the superstars to include dancers over a certain age, they might not put up ( nor want to) with the gruelling schedule those girls have to.
But I do not care wether a talented dancers looks as young and slim and glam as Bozenka or is plump and middle aged and neither do a lot of other belly dancers over here. Her/his talent and entertainment value is what is important to us.


Dear Lisaj,
I think Copeland is not aiming at the belly dancer audience, (though that is who usually seems to show up for BDSS events, nearly as I can tell), but at the general audience, where youth and beauty are the selling points. He does this on purpose. This is one of my issues with his shows; that they are very limited in their true portrayal of the world of Middle Eastern dance, and instead show a very white-washed, watered down version of what is actually a very complex dance form. But, if he wants to portray all young beautiful girls who are great dancers, I have no issue with that. I am over 50 years old and would not be able to get a job dancing in countries of origin to save my life, though I could probably teach. The way to put a stop to what the BDSS is doing is to stop showing up to watch the performances. If they do not sell tickets, they will not be there. I know I will not buy a ticket...ever... to see them, not because they are young and lovely, but because there is so little real talent on their stage.
Regards,
A'isha
 
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