Dancers are aware their entertainment career can be time sensitive. Dance career change is very common. In the performance art industry many typically have much shorter careers than most performance arts. Reasons for the time sensitive career ending sooner than hoped may be due to the physical aspects of their career. Dancers therefore need to change career, whether they are entering the performing arts world or leaving. Retirement for dancers occurs for a number of reasons: physical injuries, dancer’s body begins to change, the opportunity to have kids or simply a willingness to do something different after the constant commitment offered since early childhood. On average, a dancer’s performance career tends to end around the age of 35.
It can be difficult and short lived to maintain a career as a full-time performer. Such situations can create a number of feelings, from anxiety, to loss, or ambiguity over what happens next. Even so, moving to a new profession definitely poses unique obstacles for dancers. However, the process will lead to thrilling and unpredictable opportunities.
The unexpected loss of a dancing career they have worked for can be both overwhelming and painful for experienced dancers at the very height of their careers. If a sudden medical condition occurs or the decision to stop dancing can be a very humbling process to start from scratch in your mid to late 30’s or early 40’s. Discover how others have built a new meaningful life after their dance career change.
Maria Koripas, Movement Director, Choreographer, Coach & former Director of Dance at Birkbeck University tells her story of not one, but several career changes in the arts industry.
I sense that we evolve over time and become interested in different things, so I feel it is natural and healthy to have new careers and new experiences in our lives. Otherwise we can get stuck and unhappy. Changing a career is not an easy process, but it has been a great journey for me.
The dance luminary Jurgen Schneider, our master teacher and also a Ballet Master at American Ballet Theatre, told me I was a born teacher. I resented this because I wanted to perform first, then teach. I also thought many teachers I had seen were bitter ex-dancers or bitter dance lovers who never got to perform. I did not want o become like that!
