Colleges and universities which offer dance as a course of study have recently changed tack in what they offer students. For many, training students in a practical way – focusing on technique and the aesthetic – was as far as the course went. Students were left to graduate from the programme and blindly battle in the competitive sea of other dance graduates. However, there is now the realisation that this is only part of what a student needs – they must also learn about professionalism, creativity, entrepreneurship, networking skills, and have a strong sense of personal values. This rethinking is aimed at preparing students for more sustainable dance careers.
Courses are now beginning to encourage students to think about the wider dance sector, and consider how different factors may affect their future career, be it performing, choreographing, casting or working behind the scenes. Aside from technique classes, the academic side of the course – such as criticism, dance history, science or professional studies – is now working to prompt students to think about target audiences, marketing strategies and branding considerations, and how these might affect them. Even awareness of these aspects and how they feed into the dance sector is beneficial.
Entrepreneurial skills, for example, are perhaps what are leant on most in order to succeed – being resourceful and proactive in a very competitive environment. This is opposed to what has been taught in the past, doing little to help prepare a student for life outside an institution. Whilst there is no doubt that students must learn how to survive without relying on their tutors, there is still some responsibility of the course they enrol in to provide students with the best possible start into their chosen sector.
Alongside the technical training a student receives, this shift in approach can only be a good thing for students. Currently the dance sector is extremely saturated, and many graduates find that the only opportunities are those they create themselves through their own projects and companies.