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Marlee Billiter

Mr. Taylor

Honors English 1

19 February 2021

Dancer

Dancing has been my life for so many years now and everyday, my love for it grows

stronger. I’ve danced since I was 2 but 4 years ago I switched to a very competitive studio and

since then, I’ve learned that dancing is my passion and I can go far with it. Over the years I have

won scholarships to other competitions and to go to places like New York City and California. I

don’t see my love for dance diminishing anytime soon and even though dance might not be the

best career to have a stable life, I know I’ll be happy and doing what I love.

There are many options for dancers as they go further into their careers for example,

professional dancers find work in theaters, films and music videos, and they may eventually

become dance instructors or choreographers (“Professional Dancer”). This is great for people

like me because I don’t want to do one thing my entire life. This gives me the chance to do

multiple things and help me identify what jobs in dance I am most fond of. As dancers grow

older, their bodies can’t take the pace and stamina needed for long-term practice and

performance (“Professional Dancer”). A lot of dancers turn towards acting roles, especially if

they are working in musical theater. For a long time, I have wanted to be an actress alongside a

dancer so as I go along my dance career, I want to audition for acting jobs and try to become

more well known in that area.

If an advanced dancer from Raleigh auditions for something in Charlotte North Carolina,

they will most likely get the job for a pretty high salary. However, if they had been auditioning in
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a place like New York or LA, they might get the job but for a much lower price. The salary and

people hired all depend on who they are, what their experience is, and where they audition. The

salary, on average, for a professional dancer was found by ziprecruiter and they claimed, “The

average annual pay for a professional dancer in the United States is $67,839 a year…

Ziprecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $258,000 and as low as $16,000.” This shows

that the salary of a dancer is truly based on their talent. I find this idea as a good, welcoming,

challenge. Instead of having a stable, easy life, why not make what you deserve. There of course

are other options for people who don’t feel the same as me. Ziprecruiter also found other roles

for dancers including Senior Dancer, Remote Dancer, and Contract Dancer. “All these jobs are

paid between $11,569 (17.1%) and $28,023 (41.3%) more than the average professional dancer

salary of $67,839.” If a dancer wishes to not travel down that risky road of always having to find

an audition, they can search for jobs like this that will keep them working and financially stable.

To become a professional dancer, there are no exact requirements besides skill. Many

colleges do, however, offer bachelor’s and master's degree programs (“Educational

Requirements”). A couple weeks ago, a custom intensive program called Dancer’s Edge came to

my studio and gave us two full days of classes and at the end, they held a Q & A. Two dancers,

Rachael Markarian and Miles Keeny, have a lot of experience in the dance world and tour

together with a competition foundation called NRG Dance Project. Racheal attended college at

Oklahoma City University and dropped out two years before graduating. She didn’t get a

bachelor’s or degree in dance, yet she is still one of the most sought after dancers in the industry

(IMDb). Miles, however, graduated from Connecticut College with a B.A. double majoring in

dance and developmental psychology (Broadway Dance Center). The difference between having

a college education and not, isn’t that big. Rachael put into her own words that if she were to
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teach classes at Pace University, she would have to stay there as a guest resident rather than a

teacher. Unlike Miles, who would be able to stay without the guest pass and as a teacher. Going

to college for dance is something that I want to do so that I can further my talent, but at the same

time, I want to be getting a major in something like business or marketing. I know that right

when I leave college, it’ll be important to have a job and have some sort of income. I can use the

major as a beginning job while I work on making it in dance. It’s also a backup career just in

case I don’t make it in the performance world.

As a dancer, life will be pretty risky and I’ll always have to keep my head up. I’m going

to work on building my acting and modeling career now as well to start building up a resume.

With dance comes so many friendships and connections that getting into other forms of

entertainment won’t be as difficult. The best thing about my plan is that I have alternatives and

back ups, and all will make me equally as happy as plan A. I know that what I want to

accomplish in life will be so hard and it will come with so many downs, but in my heart, I know

that I love what I’m doing and I’m fulfilling my dreams.

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Works Cited

“Miles Keeny,” Broadway Dance Center, Accessed 14, Feb, 2021,

https://broadwaydancecenter.com/faculty/miles-keeney .

“Professional Dancer: Career Profile, Occupational Outlook, and Education Prerequisites.” Learn.org,

Accessed 10 Feb. 2021,

https://learn.org/articles/Professional_Dancer_Career_Profile_Occupational_Outlook_and_Educati

on_Prerequisites.html#:~:text=Professional%20dancers%20find%20work%20in%20theaters%2C

%20films%20and,This%20career%20requires%20extensive%20physical%20strength%20and%20t

raining.

“Professional Dancer Annual Salary ($67,839 Avg: Feb 2021)” ziprecruiter.com, Accessed 12 Feb. 2021,

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Professional-Dancer-Salary#:~:text=While%20ZipRecruiter

%20is%20seeing%20annual%20salaries%20as%20high,percentile%29%20making%20%24168%

2C500%20annually%20across%20the%20United%20States.

“Racheal Markarian,” IMDb, Accessed 14, Feb. 2021,

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2262020/ .

“What Are the Educational Requirements for Professional Dancers?” learn.org, Accessed 14, Feb. 2021,

https://learn.org/articles/What_Are_the_Educational_Requirements_for_Professional_Dancers.htm

l#:~:text=Educational%20Requirements.%20Becoming%20a%20professional%20dancer%20does

n%27t%20necessarily,of%20dance%20experience%20or%20training%20prior%20to%20admissio

n.
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