A DANCER
By: Savannah Faye Arneson
WHAT IS
A
DANCER?
A dancer is someone that expresses ideas stories, and rhythms with their body.
In the future, advancements in training equipment and music styles will
increase a dancers ability to creatively express ideas and feelings to an
audience. The biggest style of dance is Ballet, while others perform more
modern dances. Dancers often work in a group, but some dance solo. Being a
dancer is a very fun career, however it is hard to make a living off of it, so you
have to be very skilled and talented. Choosing to be a dancer, and being a good
dancer that makes a profit, are two very different things. To be a successful
dancer is very hard work and takes much of your time. You have to stay
healthy and physically fit because dancing is a very motivating and active
thing to do.
Solo- one person/independent
WHAT DOES A DANCER DO?
A dancer is capable of doing many things. They work in musical shows in folk,
ethnic, tap, and jazz dances. Many dancers also sing and act, others teach or
choreograph dances. Choreographers create new dances and also change
older dances. Some teach other dancers how to get the results that they want,
while others help dancers prepare for an audition, or for a certain production.
Folk Dance- A dance that was created by
common people.
Ethnic- Expressive movement
Tap Dance- A form of dance made by using the
sound of ones tap shoes hitting the floor.
Jazz Dance- A form of dance that shows a
dancer’s individual style and originality.
Choreograph- To create a new dance
WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR BEING A DANCER
To become a dancer you must be flexible, have good body tone, and be healthy.
Training begins with ballet, girls normally start earlier than boys. The older
the dancers get, the more serious they become about choosing dancing as a
career. Later when they are teenagers they normally start attending dance
schools, by the age of 17 or 18 they should have their first professional
audition. By then dancers usually start to focus on a certain style of dance. The
more training you have had, the easier it is to be successful in an audition and
to make it far in dancing. A college education is not required, however it may
be useful once your dancing career ends, so you still have a job. It also helps if
you know how to act and sing. You can improve by taking classes on singing
and acting as well as dancing.
THE DUTIES OF A DANCER
A dancer’s job is physically demanding and requires long hard working hours.
This also requires dancers to stay in top physical condition through exercising
daily and lots of dance training. Going to dance classes regularly helps improve
the dancer’s ability and to learn new moves. Dancers must spend 8 hours or
more a day in a class or practicing. Dancer’s also have to perform in order to
earn money. Most of theses productions are in the evening, where practicing
and rehearsals take place during the day. Dancers have other duties before a
performance like a photography session and costume fittings. Also dancers
must have good problem-solving skills and the ability to work with other
people.
EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING USED FOR
DANCING
The clothes you wear for dancing depends on the type of dance you choose to do.
Special dance shoes will be needed for most dance styles For example in ballet
you need ballet slippers and for tap you need tap shoes. A dancer will probably
wear a black leotard and pink tights for ballet and black pants for tap. Most
dancers dance in a studio, whish commonly has the same equipment in
everyone. The equipment in the studio are; dance floors, ballet barriers ,
glassless mirrors, and gym mats. This is the basic equipment that is in a dance
studio used by dancers.
Ballet Barriers-(French) The bars
that are in the studio that dancers
use for support.
TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THIS JOB
In the future, advancements in training equipment and music styles will
increase a dancer’s ability to creatively express ideas and feelings with the
audience. The imagination of a dancer will increase horrendously, and this
would be because of the new technology in music and equipment. This would
also increase the creativity in dancers, which would help choreograph even
more dances.
A NEW DANCER
The name of the new job doesn’t really change but the way the new job is, does
change. The new job of being a dancer is based on the new technology that is
developing. Music is definitely changing, this would effect dancing because it
would change the way they dance. Dancers dance with music, so if the music
changes then so does the dances. Technology is also changing the equipment
dancers use, and if the equipment that dancers use regularly throughout their
job changes, then the job will change too. Such as the shoes they use, the
clothing they wear, and the useful item they use to help them dance. While
being a new dancer, you travel a lot from place to place. “Weekend travel is
common when a show is on the road. Dancers must also work late hours
and practice during the day” (Dancer). This helps your dancing career
become more successful.
A new dancer would travel a lot
and a way it would mostly
travel is by airplane or car.
WHAT IS REQUIRED TO BE A DANCER
If you are a new dancer you must have many years of dance training, from
little to adulthood. You must have choreographed at least 3 dances and taken a
large amount of creativity and choreography classes. “Training is an essential
element to professional dancers’ careers. Dancers are usually in class or
rehearsal for 8 hours a day to ensure the best physical condition and
preparation for performances” (Dance). You have to know ballet, tap, and
other dance styles that you have trained for several years. You must also be
strong, flexible, and healthy.
TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL BE USED
If you are a new dancer a lot of technology will be used. Lots of different styles
of music will be used for choreographing a dance and to dance along with a
rhythm. There is also a lot of technology used in traveling, Which is a big part
in a dancer’s career. It determines where the new dancer will perform and how
is effects the dancer’s life.
A DANCER TO A NEW DANCER
Being a new dancer is even more hard work than a dancer. You have to be a lot
more creative and spend even more time in classes, rehearsals, and practicing.
“A dancer's job is physically demanding and requires long and irregular
hours.” (Dancing) You also use a lot more technology than before, whether you
use this technology with your performance or for help with your dancing, it is
benefiting your dance career and how successful you really become!
WORKS CITED
"A Career as a Dancer." CollegeView - College Finder & Recruiting Service. Web. 09 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.collegeview.com/articles/article/a-career-as-a-dancer>. From this website I learned the education that would be helpful
for being a dancer and also a good job description of a dancer.
"Dance and Choreography Careers, Jobs and Employment Information | Career Overview." Careers, Career Information,
Job Search, Descriptions, Education and Job Search Guide. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. http://www.careeroverview.com/dance-careers.html
.From this website it provided me with a good summery of being a dancer as well as the training needed to be a dancer.
"Dancers and Choreographers." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos094.html
.This website gave me the education and training needed to become a dancer. It also gave me other requirements needed to be a
dancer.
"Dance | Start Your Dance Career." DiscoverFame | Your Complete Entertainment Career Resource. Web. 09 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.discoverfame.com/talent/dance/>. From this website I learned a lot about the different kinds of dance styles and I also
learned what a dancer does.
"Dancer." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.bls.gov/k12/sports01.htm>.From this website I
learned what the job was like, job description, and the training needed to be a dancer.
"Dancing Career Information: Becoming a Professional Dancer." Research Schools, Online Courses, Degrees and Careers at
Education Portal. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://educationportal.com/articles/Dancing_Career_Information_Becoming_a_Professional_Dancer.html>.From this website I learned the job duties
of a dancer, and the training needed to become a professional dancer.
Product, Type Of. "Dance - Gymnastics Cheerleading Dance Martial Arts Tumbling - Tumbl Trak." TumblTrak Cheerleading, Dance and Gymnastics Equipment. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.tumbltrak.com/equipment/2:4/dance.html>. From
this website I learned what some of the equipment was used in dancing.