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“The dance world is so small!” For all of us who have spent our youngest years training in, and outside, the studio, we have heard this phrase countless times. Who tends to say this? What does it mean for me? We will be unpacking these answers as we discuss our roles as dancers in the community and why it is so important for us to be consciously making connections with those around us when we are put in situations that reach beyond our studio walls. Depending on your age, the amount of years you have been training, and your level of interest in the dance field, you will find yourself in environments where you feel like a small fish in a big pond. This could be a student company audition at The School of Eisenhower Dance Detroit, or a summer intensive in Chicago for The Joffrey Ballet—maybe the scholarship audition at your top choice university dance program, or even your first gig out of school. You will be challenged to adapt and thrive in a room full of dancers and teachers that you have never met. These are some of the most exciting times in your journey because you can make new friendships with others who are roughly your age and who share your same interests. Best-case scenario, these are friendships that last well past your audition, summer intensive, or workshop, and you get to watch each other succeed on whatever pathways you choose to go. I am very lucky to have traveled to take classes and perform. One thing I always find to be true is that the new people you come across tend to make their way back to you time and time again along the way. It’s so exciting to see a familiar face from that class you took three years ago in the audition you are very anxious about today. Here is where we realize that phrase our teachers, choreographers, and mentors always say really comes true: the dance world really is small! Who would have imagined the two of you dancing together again after so much time has passed? It is because the dance world is so small that it’s so important to make connections with your peers, teachers, and choreographers at every chance you get. Not only will you find yourself dancing with the same people at different points in your career, but one of your past mentors could be the yellow-brick-road to landing a job in the future. I have first-hand experience in this exact scenario. One of my college professors nudged me toward auditioning for Eisenhower Dance Detroit in Chicago just before graduating. I had not planned on staying in Michigan after college for my professional career, but I thought I would attend the audition to see if I would be a good fit for the company. A few months later, I was hired as a touring apprentice. This eventually led to my current position as a Senior company member. If it weren’t for my professor’s long-standing interest and involvement with Eisenhower Dance Detroit, I may have never known it would be the great next step in my life. The positive, trusting connection I had with my professor led me to where I am now, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her knowledge and wisdom. It is awesome to get to know other dancers, but it is the positive impression that could make your relationship an asset to your career. Always enter unfamiliar territory with a strong work ethic and excitement for the opportunities in front of you. You want others to see the love you have for dance because that quality prevails over all else. Introduce yourself to people and learn what you have in common. Find new friends on social media and “follow” them because you will be “following” each other through the dance world! Remember, it’s not the amount of people you know that will help you lead a happy and healthy career in dance, but the quality of the relationship you build with each person. So the next time you have an opportunity to dance in a new setting, be eager to discover new people. You never know who could be a golden ticket to your next adventure!
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