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What Becomes of Undergraduate Dance Majors?
A Study of the Five College Dance Department Graduates
November 6, 2002
Sarah S. Montgomery
And
Michael D. Robinson*
Department of Economics
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA 01075 USA
(413) 538-2215
(413) 538-2323 (fax)
mirobins@mtholyoke.edu
smontgom@mtholyoke.edu
*A Mount Holyoke College Faculty Grant supported this research. We are indebted to the
Five College Dance Department for their generous help. We also acknowledge with
thanks comments received at the ACEI Biennial Conference, Minneapolis, MN, May
2000 and comments from the editors of the Journal of Cultural Economics and two
anonymous referees. We would also like to thank our research assistant Mikaila Arthur.
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Who majors in dance in college and what do they do after graduation? Do they
enter this physically demanding and notoriously low-paid profession? If so, where do
they find work? Must they also hold non-dance jobs to survive financially? Do they seek
graduate training? What do they study? Can they sustain careers in dance?
In 1999 we had the opportunity to survey the alumnae of the Five College Dance
Department (FCDD), one of the largest collegiate dance programs in the United States.
Our study complements others done earlier by a number of economists, including us, on
the work lives of visual and performing artists. It is unusual, however, in focussing only
on those in dance and unique in including not only those currently working in the
profession, but also others who never entered or entered but later left the field. We were
inspired to pursue this research after listening in 1998 to a panel of recent FCDD
graduates report on their challenges and accomplishments as they pursued diverse careers
in dance. The study became possible when the department provided us with its alumnae
mailing list and wrote a letter urging completion of our questionnaire. We thank them and
all those who took the time to respond to our detailed set of questions.
The FCDD is a consortium of departments at five closely allied Western
Massachusetts schools: Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College,
Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. By the early 1970s,
dance faculty from all five schools were meeting regularly, students cross-registered, and
there was a joint annual concert. The program, which is set in the context of a liberal arts
education, became increasingly integrated in the late 1970s. Since then curricular and
personnel decisions have been made jointly, there has been a five college major in dance,
and students have regularly taken classes on the several campuses. Approximately 200
FCDD alumnae completed our questionnaire. Thirty-eight percent had been
undergraduates at UMASS, five percent, at Amherst College, 18 percent each, at
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Hampshire College and Smith College, and 16 percent at Mount Holyoke College. A
final five percent earned MFAs at Smith College.
We summarize our results here. Those wishing more detail will find it in a
monograph of the same title and in a forthcoming article: “What Becomes of
Undergraduate Dance Majors?” in the Journal of Cultural Economics. The former
includes a copy of the questionnaire and summaries of 12 follow-up telephone
interviews. We are happy to provide copies of these on request.
Table 1 shows the demographics of our respondents, breaking the data down by
whether or not they worked in dance in 1998 and by their date of graduation. They were
mainly women. On average they were 37 years of age and had fewer than one child. They
started dancing early; over 75 percent, at age 12 or younger. The great majority also
continued in dance beyond their college graduation. Eighty-five percent held jobs in
dance after leaving college and 54 percent were working in the field in 1998, which was
our survey year. Their work in dance was frequently multi-faceted either because they
held several different jobs or because in a single position they had multiple
responsibilities among dancing, choreography, teaching and administration. Among those
who were employed in dance in 1998, 42 percent were dancing, 62 percent, teaching, 29
percent doing choreography, and 18 percent, working as administrators.
Recent graduates were much more likely to be working in the field and a much
higher proportion was dancing. Seventy-eight percent of the respondents who graduated
in the 1990’s were in dance and 41 percent were dancers. In contrast, 41 percent of earlier
graduates worked in dance in 1998 and only 13 percent were dancing. Our data suggest
that many who stop dancing leave the profession to seek non-dance work, while others
stay in dance for careers as teachers, choreographers and administrators.
Graduate study appears to play an important role in the career paths of the
respondents. Over half of them pursued formal graduate work, but most frequently only
several years after their college graduation. Only 32 percent of the alumnae of the 1990’s,
but 67 percent of earlier graduates reported graduate study.
Total Dance Experience
14.2
20.9
6.2
6.7
18.3
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Table 1
Characteristics of Respondents
All
Employed
In Dance
54.4%
100.0%
22.8%
34.2%
15.5%
9.8%
22.8%
85.0%
Age
37.0
Female
94.8%
White
90.4%
Black
3.7%
Hispanic
3.3%
Number of Children
0.8
Living with spouse or partner
72.8%
Spouse Employed Full-time
85.1%
Age Began Dance Training
8.7
Pursued formal Graduate Studies
55.4%
Field of Degree
Dance
23.3%
Body/Movement
10.4%
Other Professional
20.7%
*Recent graduates graduated in 1990 or later.
Variable
Dance Employment
Employed in Dance in 1998
In 1998 Employed as:
Dancer
Teacher
Choreographer
Administrator
In more than one category
Employed in Dance Prior to 1998
Not Employed
In Dance
Recent*
Graduates
Earlier
Graduates
0.0%
78.3%
41.1%
41.9%
61.9%
28.6%
18.1%
41.9%
96.2%
71.6%
40.6%
39.1%
20.2%
15.9%
34.8%
85.5%
12.9%
31.5%
12.9%
6.4%
16.1%
84.7%
34.6
95.2%
89.4%
4.8%
3.0%
0.6
71.2%
80.8%
8.9
47.6%
38.4
94.3%
91.7%
2.4%
3.6%
1.1
74.7%
90.5%
8.5
62.5%
28.2
95.7%
91.2%
4.4%
7.5%
0.2
55.1%
81.0%
8.6
31.8
41.2
94.4%
90.1%
3.3%
0.9%
1.2
82.8%
89.2%
8.8
66.9
32.4%
8.6%
6.7%
12.5%
12.5%
37.5%
15.9%
5.8%
10.1%
27.4%
12.9%
26.6%
We asked specifically about their degrees and fields of study. We found three
general categories of advanced work and classified them as dance, body/movement, and
other professional. Graduate study in dance includes an MFA or MA in dance, dance and
creativity, choreography, dance education, dance history, and dance-theater. Many
graduates pursued graduate studies that were body/movement-related, but were not
specifically dance degrees. This type of degree includes health and dance,
dance/movement-therapy, massage therapy, exercise science, physical therapy, and
fitness. Other professional graduate work was any training clearly outside the field of
dance including, for example, law, business, anthropology, education, and medicine
Those who obtained degrees in dance were very likely to continue to work in the
field. Over three-quarters (76 percent) of them were working in the field and almost half
(47 percent) held only dance jobs. Nearly half (45 percent) of alumnae with
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body/movement training worked in dance, but they all also had other jobs. It seems that
those who wish to stay in dance choose, usually some years after college, to do graduate
work in the field. Others pursue body/movement studies and frequently continue some
work in dance. In contrast are the 21 percent of our respondents who studied in other
professional disciplines and then were likely to leave dance. Only 18 percent had dance
jobs in 1998 and just eight percent worked exclusively in the field.
Earlier studies of performing artists have reported their low average artistic
incomes and their frequent need to supplement these with other earnings. Our findings
paint a similar picture for those who continue in dance and also document the much
higher incomes FCDD graduates earn on average, if they choose to leave the field. The
respondents who were employed in dance had average annual dance income of $16,150.
These combined with their non-dance earnings totaled $26,395. Figure 1 gives a
breakdown of their various sources of income. In contrast, those not working in dance
had earnings of $40, 816. What these alumnae sacrifice in income by staying in dance
can be measured by comparing average dance earnings with non-dance earnings. Those
employed only in dance earned $27,725 compared to the $40,816 earned by those with
only non-dance jobs. Those individuals with both dance and non-dance jobs earned only
$9,097 in their dance jobs compared to $17,232 in their non-dance jobs. Figure 2
graphically displays these differences.
It is clear that those employed in dance must rely heavily on non-dance jobs.
While 76 percent of those working in dance consider this their principal profession, 61
percent also hold other jobs. Almost three-quarters of those with this dual employment
say they need the non-dance work to support themselves. The holding of both dance and
non-dance jobs is much more common among more recent graduates. Figure 3 shows that
53 percent of those graduating in the1990s worked both in and out of dance, while only
24 percent of earlier graduates held both sorts of jobs. This pattern is consistent with the
hypothesis that recent graduates are very committed to dance and try to “make it” in the
dance world by supporting themselves with other work. After some years of doing this,
however, many of those needing non-dance jobs appear to drop out of dance.
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Figure 1 - Sources of Earnings of those in Dance
Grants
1%
Earnings from other
Dance work
2%
Non-labor Income
7%
Earnings as Dance
Administrator
13%
Non-Dance Earnings
36%
Earnings as Dance
Teacher
25%
Earnings as
Choreographer
8%
Earnings as Dancer
8%
Figure 2 - Dance and Non-Dance Earnings
$45,000.00
$40,000.00
$ per Hour
$35,000.00
$30,000.00
$25,000.00
$20,000.00
$15,000.00
$10,000.00
$5,000.00
$0.00
No Dance Job
Both Dance and Non-Dance
Job
Non-Dance Earnings
Dance Earnings
No Non-Dance Job
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Figure 3 Dance and Non-Dance Jobs
Graduates of the 1990s
Only a Dance Job
26%
Only a Non-Dance
Job
21%
Both a Dance and
Non-Dance Job
53%
Graduates of the 1970s and 1980s
Only a Dance Job
20%
Both a Dance and
Non-Dance Job
24%
Only a Non-Dance
Job
56%
There are also differences by graduation year of the alumnae’s non-dance
employment. Many (44 percent) who are recently out of college hold non-professional
and service sector jobs, while only 14 percent of earlier graduates are in these positions.
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The earlier graduates work mainly in business and the professions, in movement, health
and fitness, and in education.
The respondents who continue in dance have long workweeks, especially if they
also hold non-dance jobs. They report an average of 37 hours a week in dance plus 24
hours in non-dance work. Those who are exclusively in dance work on average 53 hours.
The FCDD alumnae who never entered the dance profession or who entered but
later left not only earn substantially more on average than the others do, but also work
shorter hours. They work on average a 41-hour week. Almost two-thirds (63 percent)
have formal graduate training, primarily in non-dance fields. Their jobs parallel this
graduate training and are most commonly (40 percent) in business and professional
fields. Nearly as many, of these graduates, however, work in areas that seem connected to
their earlier commitment to dance. Twenty-one percent work in movement, health, and
fitness and 14 percent have non-dance but arts-related jobs.
Our respondents live primarily in New England and in the New York
metropolitan area. We asked a series of questions about their reasons for choosing their
current residence. The most important reason given is “employment opportunities in
dance” with 62 percent of those in dance indicating this as one of the factors affecting
their choice of location. Eighty percent of those employed in dance listed at least one
dance related reason (employment opportunities in dance, support of dance, FCDD
contacts, or a network of peers) for choosing their current location. This is not surprising
given the apparent commitment to dance of the graduates. That New York City has a
special place among these artists is confirmed by the fact that 76 percent of the graduates
living in the New York area give “employment opportunities in dance” as a reason for
choosing their location and 90 percent list at least one dance related reason.
We also asked about the job search strategies used by the graduates in finding
dance and non-dance jobs. Perhaps most interesting is that over 30 percent report using
Five College Dance Department connections as a source of contacts for dance
employment.
The survey ended with an open-ended question about the respondents’ work lives.
The comments made there plus the career histories from the telephone interviews confirm
and enrich the statistical findings. Dance has been and often continues to be central to
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these graduates. Most tried a career in dance---often in New York City. They held
multiple jobs in and out of dance. Many, however, have left the field, where their
earnings were often very low. Those who stayed for longer careers typically have
advanced degrees in dance. Some continue dancing, but much of their time is devoted to
teaching, choreography, and administration.