Why does a choreographer like Sonya Tayeh get involved with something like So You Think You Can Dance?”
Dance and choreography are two fields in which it is currently possible to be world-renowned and yet still lack good employment opportunities. It is an issue of supply and demand. In our culture, there is a greater demand for singers and other musicians than there is for dancers. And what jobs there are often play a supporting role to other arts and as such command lower salaries. The top 10% of choreographers earn the equivalent of $25 per hour, which will give a yearly income of a little over 50,000. The best of the best will earn 100,000 per year. Compare that to the kind of money that a “super star” would make in any other field. It’s unfortunate, but this country just doesn’t value dance. For this reason, the show “So You Think You Can Dance” attracts a very high quality of talent, in general. Dancers and choreographers go where the demand is. Although I don’t have any personal contact with Sonya Tayeh, I imagine her motivation is similar. Why wouldn’t she want a high-paying job i
