Advice to a College Dance Major

As summer comes to a close end, the back-to-school season is trickling upon some of you. I hope you enjoyed the sun, sand, and textbook-free summer!  For those of you dance majors entering your first year of college or even your second, third, or final year; I hope this post helps you in some way shape or form. If there's one thing we all know, there is unfortunately a stigma that comes a long with being a dance major. Incoming freshman, be prepared for these very annoying questions and comments such as... "You are a dance major? What do you do with that? Your major is so easy..." 

These three lines cause frustration in me, but it also motivates us to prove to these people how amazing a dance career is and how wrong they are to belittle us. First of all, being a dance major is not easy! Dance majors have the most demanding schedule of all majors, physically and mentally. We are not only dancing for more than 6+ hours a day, but we also have academic classes on top of that. Most of us have minors or even a double major, therefore we are literally running across campus at least 3 times a day with our pointe shoes and maybe a STATS/PSYCH/BIO textbook. Most non-dance majors have class every other day... we on the other hand, have class EVERYDAY. To add a cherry on top, dance majors also have rehearsals that could go till midnight. If there is something we want non-dance majors to learn about us is that we are the most hard working, disciplined, multi-talented human beings on this planet.

For these next four years of your college career, you are going to be your own driving force. Yes, you might have been the star at your dance school, but entering a much bigger program allows for many more talented dancers.  Especially at a University setting, I see many dance majors lose confidence. In college, dance professors will not correct you at all times or be as attentive to you as your teachers back at home. This 100% prepares you for the company world. As a professional, you won't get corrections in class and you won't have someone to help you as much like in the training days. This will show how mature of a dancer you are and if you are willing to do that extra work in order to maintain your technique.  

Be privileged to know that you get to do something that most of the population doesn't get to do. Being a dancer is so rare. This career of ours is so special and so different. Therefore, be proud of your major. You have nothing to be ashamed of.

Stand out, shine, and most of all... kick derrière!

Photo by Christian Bercerra

Christian Vincent's Thesis at UC Irvine, Claire Trevor School of the Arts

UC Irvine, Claire Trevor School of the Arts