Dance, and then what?

Ed Louzardo in rehearsal for “Attacke.”
Choreography by Reginaldo Oliveira, Badisches Staatsballett Karlsruhe

The former World No. 1 golfer, Ernie Els, also known as “The Big Easy," said that his family was all obviously very proud of him, but that his gran kept asking him when he was going to get a proper job. This is probably a question most ballet dancers have to hear from their relatives too. Ballet dancers fit the role of the “Starving Artist," doing what they love for the passion of the art itself.

In countries like Germany, it is possible for a dancer to have a more or less decent standard of living. But in most other countries, dancers either need a rich family to support them, or they’ll have to scrape by to make a living. The love of dance alone doesn’t pay the bills. And theatres everywhere are cutting positions in order to save money. Fewer dancers in a company means more hours of work. Overworked dancers are more prone to injuries. Injuries make the short career of a dancer even shorter. And then what? All dancers have to face that question, sooner or later. I know that most dancers don’t even think about it until that day comes.

Dancers rarely have the savings of a professional sportsman to help make the transition. A friend of mine recently said that he admired me for starting out on a completely new career path and that he would be scared sh*tless. I am scared sh*tless. But do I have a choice, other than to start something new?

Even though I thought a lot about my transition during my dance career, I’m still unsure, I still feel like I’m making a big leap. It’s a very important choice; I was lucky to have a long career of almost 20 years, but the career thereafter would hopefully last 30 years or more, if I live that long. Dancers don’t always have the luxury to “build a bridge” to their next career. I did try, but being a professional ballet dancer takes all your focus and energy. You can’t ask your boss to only work half-time while you build your new business or study something on the side.

There is a wonderful foundation in Berlin, called Stiftung Tanz, which helps dancers with the process of transition. A quote from their website:

"We accompany and support dancers from the beginning of their education through every stage of their career up until the conclusion of their process of transition”. 

A lady from the foundation came to speak at our ballet company. She said that dancers have to start thinking about their possibilities as early as they can. I wish that more countries had foundations like these. But even with their help, transition is scary. I knew the day would come for me, but I didn’t realise that the one thing I’d need most is patience. Life is much more of a marathon than a sprint. I’m slowly building up contacts and gaining opportunities. But it has to happen naturally. 

Before, my life was organised by my work schedule at the theatre. To become self-employed I need to create my own schedule. I need to take full responsibility. It is scary, but there is freedom in that too.

I have to now really live in the moment. I need to learn to celebrate the small victories, to enjoy the journey. I want to be a photographer, because I need to create art. I need to be flexible and experience different things everyday. I want to continue living my passion for dance through photography. And there is no better time to try. I’d rather fail than never try.

I’m hoping that my transition into my next career will continue evolving, that the career itself is a transition that never ends.

Are you an ex-dancer that is in the middle of their transition, or are you already through your transition and have something to share? I would love to hear about your thoughts, worries, success stories and ideas. Are you a dancer exploring the possibilities for what is to come? Even if you don’t have anything to do with the dance world, but have a similar story which may help others, please use the comment section below to continue the discussion. Let’s help each other.