Should I Major in Dance?
Should I Major in Dance?
Deciding what major to study in college is a big decision, one which most colleges will make you decide while you are still in high school.
So how do you know if being a dance major is right for you?
What are your Career Aspirations?
What career aspirations do you have? Do you want to be in a ballet company? Open a dance studio? Dance in music videos? Work in administration?
You do not have to know what you want to do with the rest of your life, but knowing what direction you are drawn to is a good place to start.
What do you feel you need to learn before you can chase these aspirations? Do you need more technique? Knowledge of anatomy? Business skills for opening a studio? And do you think a dance degree will help you gain these skills?
Do your aspirations care about a degree?
If you want to teach dance at a university, that will require a MFA and that requires a BA or BFA first, so college is necessary. However, if you want to dance in a ballet company, most dancers do not major in dance. They typically go straight into an apprenticeship and either do college part time or after they end their dance career.
If your aspirations do not require a degree, what do you wish to gain from going to college?
What type of training do you want?
Most colleges and universities in America are still focused on ballet, modern, contemporary, and musical theater (concert dance). Universities tend to change at a slower pace than the “outside world” and some programs might even feel dated. So, if you are interested in pursuing commercial dance, hip hop, jazz funk, breaking, etc. college programs probably won’t teach you what you want to learn.
However dance programs usually do emphasize history, anatomy, choreography and concert dance. Of course it usually also depends on the individual program.
What type of college experience do you want?
Dance majors are often known to be some of the most intense majors, at least according to time spent in class. When I was in college, I was in the dance studios for a minimum of 6 hours a day, Monday to Friday. While some programs might be less intensive, most will be quite rigorous, especially in BFA programs.
The dance major route is rewarding, but it will probably not look like the “typical” college experience. How important is the “typical” college experience to you?
Financial Situation
College is insanely expensive. No one can contest that.
Professional dancers do not make much money. No one can contest that either.
It is important to think of your financial situation. Are you willing to be in debt for a dance education? What will you have to do after college to pay down those loans? Would receiving a scholarship change your mind? If college was 100% free would that change your mind?
If you want to go but finances are a hindrance, look for scholarships or community college programs.
What else are you interested in studying?
To be 100% blunt, many humanities and art degrees will be considered similarly by future jobs. So if you are worried that a dance degree will hinder you if you decide to choose a different career, you’ll probably be in the same boat as other humanities degree holders (this is just from personal experience and anecdotes).
What else would you rather study in college? Do you want to continue education in other fields?
You can also continue training in dance in other ways besides a degree, while some subjects are going to be harder or impossible to learn outside of a university.
Is there anything you want to study (not dance) that requires a degree. Do you want to be an elementary teacher or doctor? Because those both require degrees in order to work and dance does not require a degree to work.
Double Majoring, Minoring, and Unique Degrees.
If you are interested in studying another subject, is there a way for you to study both? Some programs allow you to double major and almost all programs will allow you to minor in another subject.
There are also other unique degree programs. I had a friend who majored in dance and sports medicine, but it was a combined degree. I had another friend who majored in dance and then with just 1 extra year after graduation, she received her masters in arts advocacy.
There are unique programs out there, you just have to look!
Do you love to dance? Are you okay with it becoming your career?
Being a dance major is a huge commitment and one you should only take if you are really passionate about dance. But also know that once you make dance your career, you are making dance your career. If you dance for fun and don’t want it to become the thing that stresses you out. You might want to keep it as your love and hobby and if that is the case there are many ways to continue dancing in college without getting a degree in it.
Conclusion
There are professional dancers who have dance degrees and many who don’t. Everyone is on their own path and it only matters what is right for you. Whether you decide to go to college or not, we can’t wait to see where your career takes you!
