If you are a dancer, chances are you feel passionate about your work. We eat, breath and sleep our passion; we know that the more we dance, the better our dancing will become. All that is true. But that nearsighted focus can have its downsides. I have found that cultivating passions and interests beyond dance can be one of the best things we can do for ourselves, physically, emotionally and financially.
The reality is that few of us will be able to live solely off of our dancing. We are no stranger to working multiple jobs. Three New York City-based dancers have proven that juggling two careers is not only possible, but deeply rewarding. Dancers acquire a plethora of valuable skills through their work both in the studio and on stage. These tools often translate seamlessly to work in other fields.
“Everything about me is a dancer; there is nothing that is separate,” says Eva Alt, a freelance dancer and COMPASS real estate agent. Alt finds the separation between dancer and agent particularly counterproductive because all the qualities that make dance so wonderful are often applicable to other fields.
Michael Miles is a dancer with Lydia Johnson Dance and Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance, in addition to working full time with Ballet Tech, a non-profit ballet school, as a program assistant. Miles believes that his background as a dancer has been advantageous to his work at Ballet Tech. His background as a dancer allows him to have a better understanding of the needs of the students in the program.
Raquel Beauchamp grew up training in multiple styles, which in turn has influenced her work as a freelance photographer. The time spent perfecting her craft has created not only a love for movement but also a keen eye for creating images. She feels that her time spent training in the studio has translated to the art of taking an effortless action photo.
Finding balance in the midst of maintaining multiple careers is key to our longevity. “It comes in waves. I don’t think there is ever a moment where I am perfectly balanced,” Alt explains. Having the push and pull of two different careers provides motivation for dancers to stay organized. Making time for dance class or rehearsal can be tricky, but often provides a wonderful reprieve during the day from computer or office work.
Miles describes how having a set structure to his day allows him to be more productive and accomplish tasks with greater motivation. He thrives on having a list of tasks and accomplishing items that feel personally rewarding. Beauchamp’s motivation for becoming a freelance photographer and dancer was rooted in the need for more freedom in her schedule. While working full-time, Beauchamp asked herself, “How can I create a more balanced life?” While switching back and forth between different lines of work can be challenging, it can also create an equal sense of both structure and flow in our daily lives.
For Alt and Beauchamp, working in real estate and photography, respectively, allows for more flexibility in their schedules as dance opportunities arise. Working a traditional 9-5 job while trying to fit in classes, auditions, and rehearsals can be, at best, incredibly challenging. Alt says that with real estate, she can make her own agenda, rather than being tied to the specific demands of an office job. “I like having that push and pull. I feel like there is a tension to it,” Alt explains. Some days she is deep in rehearsal and dance projects while other days are spent on the phone communicating with clients. Similarly, Beauchamp is able to take class daily and attend rehearsals because she is working for herself. Because she can set her own photoshoots and editing schedule, she is able to attend the classes and rehearsals needed as a professional dancer.
Of course, having multiple careers is often a financial necessity for dancers. For Miles, his full time job at Ballet Tech provides financial stability, while still leaving time on the weekends and after work to dance. He maximizes his time outside of work to go to classes, rehearse, and socialize. Separating dance from how we make money can be valuable, a way to lengthen our careers and avoid burnout. Alt long ago decided to see dance as something distinct from the way she earns income, which means that dance is now both “a way for me to connect with myself” along with being a purely positive relationship. She does it because she loves it, not because of external stressors or pressure.
Carving one’s own path can be equally scary and rewarding. “You are jumping into nothing but at the same time everything,” says Beauchamp who quit her full-time job to pursue this freelance work. But taking that plunge can be fruitful, because the journey allows each individual to define their own success. Being a dancer and making a living are both can both be quite difficult, doing them simultaneously is even more stressful. But if we attend to our personal growth, and find fulfillment in our day-to-day tasks we can not only balance but also thrive in multiple careers. Miles finds great motivation in measuring his own growth, and not just as an artist. Upon moving to New York, Eva surrounded herself with “new friends, new role models, and new ways of living.” She discovered that there was no one right or exact path but rather an abundance of avenues to pursue.
Alt, Beauchamp, and Miles all demonstrate that the balance between dance and an outside career is not only possible, but gratifying. Rather than choosing one defined path, each of these artists demonstrates that cultivating our own unique trajectory is one big step towards a life filled with passion and purpose. The ability to shift between various careers opens up space for new possibilities, and allows us to connect to both ourselves and our art form in a way that is more sustainable and perhaps even more gratifying.
By Rachel Marchica of Dance Informa.
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