What is a career in dancing like?
Rough. It’s demanding and highly competitive, especially for women. It is also psychologically stressful, because of the constant pressure for perfection. Salaries are better than they used to be, but still not good. Stagehands are paid better than dancers; so are typists. Your time will not be your own, since you may be called for rehearsals at any time, and your social life will suffer. In ballet, your career will be short, with poor prospects after retirement, and there is the ever-present danger of injuries. Merle Kessler said, “Football players, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers.” The same could be said, in lesser degree, of dancers. To make a career in ballet, you have to be head over heels in love with it: that, and talented and tough-minded–and lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. It’s even harder for modern dancers; the pay is worse and the job openings fewer. The one advantage modern dancers have o
