What Makes Dancers Good: Work Ethic

In this series, I'll be discussing different aspects of dance that I think "good" dancers have or do. Please note that these are my opinions and I am in no way trying to force my ideas on you, and that I'm not an expert, so I'm just sharing my thoughts as another dancer who's noticed things. See my first four posts on "Soft Power" , Breathing, Relaxing, and Tension. Thanks!

There's a lot of elements that must combine into one person in order to make a dancer, and even more to make a professional dancer. You need power, strength, fluidity, control, extension, balance, musicality, athleticism (endurance/cardio), artistry...etc etc. But you can have all these things and never get hired. Why? Attitude. Work ethic.


Think about how you judge people. Admit it, you do: we all judge. You can sometimes tell just from looking at a person (observing their mannerisms, hearing the way they speak, seeing the way they move, etc) whether you want to be friends with them or not, right? That's your initial impression of a person.

Now think about auditioning. You're going in to get a job, so you're looking to give a good first impression. These people who may eventually hire you don't know who you are, they don't know how good of a person you are. But what they do know just from looking at how you audition is how hard you work.

Work. Hard. My teacher always says in class never, ever mark. While you don't have to be going full out all the time (who has the energy?), don't ever look lazy or inattentive whether you're in class, rehearsal, or an audition. You want to catch the teacher's eye so you'll receive criticism/compliments and improve, you want to get put in the front row of the formation, you want that job, and you want it badly. That's why you're a dancer, right? If you work your butt off, you might get that job over the girl next to you who has her leg by her ear who's wearing that sexy little salsa number. No offense to the girl next to you, of course, but if you work hard, people will notice, and people will want to work with you. You show that you'll work harder and care more than any person in the room, you'll book that gig.