Life after college - what they DON'T teach you in school!

Photo by Eric Olson

I am forever grateful for my time in the dance department at Appalachian State University. I grew tremendously over my four years in the program. My passion for dance intensified and my creative vision matured. I made friends that will be my connections in the dance community for a lifetime and formed relationships with professors and mentors that I hope to continue to grow throughout my career.

          

What I failed to fully realize during my college experience, however, was that I was living in a tiny dance utopia. It was a world filled with like-minded friends who wanted to sit for hours and discuss our latest choreographic fantasies, with constant opportunities to take FREE master classes and workshops, and a space to perform and present work in the most open and accepting community. A perfect world! I didn’t realize just how spoiled I was.

          

My last two summers in Boone, I had an eye-opening and inspiring experience participating in a program called Now and Next Dance Mentoring Project, created by Ashley Thorndike-Youssef. The program is a tiered mentoring program including professional dance artists, college dancers, and middle school aged girls. Through refreshingly candid discussions with the professional dance artists, I gained a clearer understanding of how to make a life as a dancer. We discussed topics like how to pay the bills as a dancer and the variety of jobs that these successful dance artists had held throughout their careers. We talked about the importance of keeping connections and engaging in your community, as well as practical matters like health insurance for dancers, writing grants, and filing a dance company as a not-for-profit. This was all extremely valuable knowledge that I wouldn’t have gotten in my normal dance courses and am grateful to have had passed along from the seasoned pros. 

          

After almost three years in “the real world”, I have learned a lot about piecing together a life as a dancer. It’s not quite as peachy as it was in college, with everything laid out for me, but it’s an adventure. I value the time I had in college because it allowed me to grow into a mature artist in a safe and nurturing environment, but even more, I value the time I have right now to challenge myself, push myself out of my comfort zone, and find my individual voice as an artist and dancer. 

Submitted by TDC apprentice Molly Kirkpatrick on Monday, February 24, 2014. 

Life after college - following your dreams but paying your bills too!

Photo by Eric Olson

After graduating from Appalachian State University with degrees in Dance Studies and Psychology, I moved back home with my parents to figure out my next step and save some money to make that step possible.  After a couple months of working and living rent-free (thanks, Mom and Dad!), I decided I had saved enough to make a leap of faith and move to “The Big (second) City”. I knew I wanted to be in a place where I could be a part of a thriving and innovative dance community and hoped Chicago could be that place for me.

I was lucky to find a job working in a dance store fairly quicklyt after moving, which made it possible for me to enjoy my free time exploring the city and especially the vast dance scene. At the end of that first summer, I auditioned for the Dance COLEctive and was so pleased to accept an apprentice position with the company. I felt as though I had achieved my dream! I was living in an incredible city and had landed a real-life dancing job! I was over the moon.

I can honestly say that I still feel this same way. I am still in love with this city (more so when the temperature is in the positive range!) and haven’t stopped exploring all that it has to offer. I am currently working two jobs to make ends meet. One as a clinic coordinator at an acupuncture and massage clinic and the other serving at a local bar. I love my jobs. I work with amazing people and feel appreciated for what I do. But most importantly, working these jobs makes it possible for me to pay my bills and allows me to dance with the unbelievable women I spend every Tuesday and Thursday with. I feel lucky to be able to pursue my passion in such an incredible place with the inspirational support and friendship from the TDC team. 

Submitted by TDC Apprentice Molly Kirkpatrick on Tuesday, February 11, 2014.  

How to Succeed as an Independent Dance Artist

This week I was invited to talk to a group of upper division dance students in the Artists and Audiences class at the Dance Center of Columbia College.  I went to share my thoughts and experiences about operating as an Independent Artist in the field.  I offered them tips on things to research, places to look for information and ways to organize themselves through the business of dance and in preparing, I realized that something more emerged. What is really important are the ways in which you treat and communicate with people. Succeeding there enables you to create the infrastructure you need to operate successfully as an Independent Artist and in general, more than anything, it just comes down to being a good person. Dance teaches us so beautifully discipline, patience, perseverance, passion and how to interact with each other.  These are qualities I feel we can all benefit from and use in our "regular" lives.  What do you think? 

Here are my top 12 thoughts on the matter:

• Be on time.
• Treat people the way you would want to be treated.
• If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. You never know who is in earshot and might repeat something you did not mean for them.
• Follow through on what you commit to.
• Be an active member of your community. Participate, be seen, support and engage on many levels.
• Do your research.
• Learn how to make a budget. Be accountable to yourself and others in this arena.
• Put your money where your mouth is.  Your high expectation of others should also be something you expect of yourself.
• Be professional.
• Be authentic.
• Learn about the field at large.  Locally, nationally, internationally.  What are the current trends and issues that we face outside of the studio and theater.
• Say Thank You!  Even to your closest friends, peers and colleagues.  It just goes a long way.  

Thanks to Bonnie Brooks and the Artists and Audiences students for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and further refine my values on this topic!

Submitted by Margi Cole, TDC Artistic Director on Tuesday, February 4, 2014.