Ballet Dancers in Career Transition

A professional dancer’s career, like a professional athlete’s, lasts an average of 10 to 15 years. Once the prime years of physical prowess have passed, retirement is inevitable, but dancers still have many years of adult life ahead. The challenge for many is making the transition into a new career.
Motivated by her own career transition, author Nancy Upper interviewed former ballet dancers who made successful transitions into new careers after they stopped performing.
Part 1 of the book features dancers who remained in ballet-related careers. Part 2 features four individuals who chose careers outside the field of dance. Part 3 focuses on dancers who pursued non-dance careers that help dancers and other performing artists. Appendices include the marketable qualities dancers develop as a result of their training, career transition tips, transition resources, and a graph mapping the transition process.

Arts marketing writer Nancy Upper is a former ballet dancer. She now lives in Winchester, Massachusetts.

Nancy Upper
Foreword by Kevin McKenzie
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 278
Bibliographic Info: photos, appendices, index
Copyright Date: 2004
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1819-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1672-8
Imprint: McFarland

“essential…highly recommended”—Midwest Book Review; “full of tips and resources…useful”—Dance Teacher.