5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Join a Dance Company
Whether you’re a brand new beginner or advanced dancer, being part of a dance team is a great way to ensure you’re training consistently and making progress towards your goals. It can also give you important performance experience and help you build a community outside of school or work.
Additionally, training with the same group of people week after week can create a sense of safety and trust, two essential elements we need to feel in order to explore and unleash the creative part of ourselves. This can be one of the reasons why you feel like you grow more as a dancer (and human being!) after you join a team.
But how do you know which dance company is right for you? How do you know if you’re ready for the additional time, energy, and financial investment joining a dance company requires?
We put together 5 questions we think are important to ask yourself before you join a dance company. As you go through the list, check in with yourself to see if your answer to each and every question is a “ Whole Body Yes.” If it is, then this could be the right dance company for you to join at this time!
If your answer to any of these questions is “No” “Maybe” or “I don’t know,” then something about this opportunity isn’t fully aligned with you at this time. Declining it can feel scary and even bring up some feelings of FOMO, but saying no to it will create space for the opportunity that is fully aligned for you to come in.
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Join a Dance Company
Do I feel like this is a supportive environment where I can grow?
For years research has shown that when students feel supported they are more likely to succeed. If you’ve ever read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, you know she echoes the same sentiment. As artists our primary need is support, and because dance is both physical and creative, as dancers we need the framework of a supportive environment in order to grow and thrive.
It can feel exciting to join a dance team that has a lot of buzz around them, but if you don’t feel supported by your company director or by the group at large you likely won’t see the growth or progress you’re after, regardless of how well-known your instructor or team members are.
Do I feel welcome here?
Feeling welcome by your potential new dance company and the director is as equally important as feeling confident that they are going to provide a supportive environment for you to learn and grow.
Feeling welcome is about feeling accepted and embraced for who we are without needing to change certain aspects of ourselves in order to belong to the group. Of course, one of the reasons we may choose to join a certain dance company is because we want to learn their specific style of movement, technique, or aesthetic, and there’s nothing wrong with that! But it’s important that we also feel appreciated and welcome for who we are and what we bring to the table from the onset so that we know there will be space for us to share our unique strengths and gifts. That is after all how we shine the most and lift others up around us.
Do I want to commit to the expectations (rehearsal schedule, shows, possible travel, etc.)?
Do I understand and feel comfortable with the financial investment at this time?
Do I feel like this will be a fun experience?!