The green monster: Dealing with the Ego in Professional Dance

The life of a professional dancer is as much a psychological and emotional struggle as much as it is physical. We have all at one point or another experienced those ugly emotions we know we shouldn’t feel, but somehow, in some way, something in dance brings them out from the deepest and darkest places; “why did she get that part?” “How come he got that job?” “Why didn’t they hire me?” Understanding the Ego and how to utilise it best in day-to-day life can be mighty helpful in the ongoing development of a dancer’s career.

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How Not to End Up in My Trash Folder, or Gentle Suggestions of What NOT to do When Applying for an Audition

With audition season upon us, I am receiving more and more emails every single day from dancers looking to promote their talents and catch my eye. And trust me, many of you do, but unfortunately, not always through positive means. I would like to help you (and me) out. The following is a list of suggestions to make sure that someone like me does not roll his or her eyes at your careless mistakes, and immediately send your application to the Trash folder…

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In the in-between…how to survive between dance contracts

We’ve all been there, those times when you’ve finished an awesome dance contract; you’re enjoying the rest and looking forward to jumping right back into the next one. Except the next one is taking a bit longer to come along than you would like. With each negative audition outcome comes a reassuring voice in our head, ‘too tall’, ‘not the right build’, ‘they wanted more classical dancers’ etc.

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Being (il)legal #1: A Personal Account of an American Dancer in Europe

Being a foreign freelance artist is difficult in Europe. As a dance artist, I want to base myself in Brussels. More than Berlin and London, this is where I feel most accepted, most inspired, most intrigued, most challenged, most supported. And for what?–– For my art, my research and practice.
I have spent the last three months expending countless hours of energy trying to navigate the Belgian bureaucratic system…

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