With Graduation Around the Corner… I Promise There is Life After Dance

By Miss Shauna

Moving through life transitions often leads to making tough choices and sacrifices… mine just happened to be dance. Graduating high school and continuing on to university offered many incredible opportunities that no longer allowed me to dance consistently. Unfortunately I realized it was time to move on from this very significant chapter in my life.

For those of you who have stopped dancing, understand this is not an easy thing to give up and there is a long list of things we will always miss.

You’ll miss the rush of dancing on stage; being blinded by lights; pushing your body to limits you didn’t know was possible; and the escape.

I have taken dance classes since I can remember, whether it was dancing at a studio or at school – it filled 16 years of my entire life! In the last year I have transitioned from dancing and teaching 14 hours a week plus studying over 10 hours at school to only teaching. To say that was a change is an understatement.

In my last year of dancing, I was lucky enough to get to teach so I had the comfort of knowing that although I wasn’t dancing anymore, I could teach.

I went cold turkey off of dance classes. No more studio family. No more sore bodies. No more dancing.

I miss it everyday but I now see the love I have for dance beginning to shine through my students and it almost beats the feeling of being on stage. While I do miss dance tremendously, I feel very lucky to be doing something I love day in and day out, even if it means watching from the wings.

While you wont be spending hours upon hours a week within those studio walls, there are many ways to stay involved in dance:

Teaching

If you have a love for dance and want to share that passion with those around you, then teaching is amazing option. Moving from being a student to a teacher was a natural transition for me. I was part of the Student Teacher Education Program (STEP) and absolutely loved teaching. Under the great supervision and guidance of my teachers and studio owner, Nicola, I felt confident and well trained to take on my own classes.

While I participated and graduated the three year STEP program, I also attended training programs through Acrobatique AcroDance and ADAPT’s Teacher Training School to further my training. There are many wonderful training opportunities in the dance world to further your understanding of dance.

Some Canadian dance training programs include:

Cruise Ships

After high school, many dancers decide to join a cruise ship show cast! You get paid to live on a four-star cruise ship, dance in Broadway-like shows, and travel the world. Cruise ship companies like Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line hold year-round auditions to fill multiple positions at multiple destinations.

Municipal, National, and International Dance Companies

There are many awesome professional dance companies that hold annual auditions for new company members. This is a great option if you want to continue dance training and keep performing at a professional level.

Drop-in Classes

Many studios and fitness centres offer drop-in classes. This is a great opportunity to just take a class once in a while just for fun!

Watching Dance Productions

An alternative to staying involved in dance could be just watching a show or volunteering with local production companies behind the scenes. Remember your love of dance didn’t only come from performing, but from supporting your friends as they stepped on stage to showcase their talent.

 

The dance community, especially Calgary’s, is so close-knit and is really like a giant family. Everyone stays connected in some way or another and it’s so rewarding to be part of such an incredible group of local artists. After high school, there are so many options to stay involved in the dance world – you just have to keep active and never forget about your love of dance!

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