Broadening a dancers world.

Recently I have had to stop dancing due to an old injury re-occurring. I am receiving treatment but due to the nature of the injury and poor physio treatment previously I have to come to terms with the fact I may never be able to dance professionally again. I am faced with the harsh reality that for the time being I am no longer a 'dancer.'

For anyone who loves to dance and has set about making a career as a professional dancer can imagine injury is not something easily dealt with. I feel like I am no longer myself, I am a dancer and now I can't do that, I have no idea who I am. My research looks at dancers way of study and if they should study drama, because of my current situation I am able to look at this now from a different angle, one that Buckroyd, J. (2000) tries to home in on in her book 'The student dancer' - you have to understand that being a dancer is your job, it does not define you, a banker would not say that banking was all they are because it is not, so as a dancer you have to learn who you are besides dancing. Wider academic learning is required in order for a person in dance training to become more than a dancer. A dancer who studies drama is more than a dancer they are an actress as well so can pursue that area of work if chosen to.

My acting training has allowed me to find a great job. The interviews involved role playing which I believe I was good at due to my improvisation skills learnt in drama training. The day to day job requires lots of quick thinking (also improvisation based) and the ability to mould the way I am and the way I speak in order to make clients warm to me more and be able to sell. If I had not allowed myself to branch my study into other areas rather than dance I may still be unemployed.

The training provided at vocational colleges does not give pupils enough opportunity to realise who they are beside dancing and does not promote enough career options and give preparation about how to cope and what to do if you do not get a dance job, what other areas of performing arts are out there and what to do if/when you can no longer dance. I seriously hope career lessons are brought in to the professional training vocational colleges because many do not get jobs, many do not know the options available and many do get injured.

I have been lucky that I have found a job I enjoy, but it does not get rid of the pain I am feeling due to the fact that for the for-see-able future I cannot dance and the possible end of a professional dance career. Many people are/have been in the same position as me, it is a state of mourning – however we are not prepared for this, nor understand what it is exactly we are mourning.