Pursuing A Career In Dance - You Absolutely Need This One Thing
At the end of this month Debbie Allen, known for her skills and talent surrounding dance, will be honoured by the New York Dance Alliance Foundation as its 2015 Ambassador for the Arts. You may remember Allen from her to hit TV-series FAME. I may have been born the same year it premiered, but thanks to syndication, it was one of my favs growing up. To take you back I've included a little clip.
Sweat is mentioned a couple of times in the clip and Debbie reiterates in her advice offered to the readers of Dance Magazine, that knowing what it is to sweat and stamina are your power to become a dancer.
So the one thing you absolutely positively need if you're thinking about pursuing your dream in dance is fitness - being physically fit and healthy. How you choose to achieve that is up to you, but without it, you won't get very far.
The owner of Dance Advantage often gets asked if it's possible for people currently not in dance to pursue it. Her brutally honest reply of the hard work and discipline it will require often have the inquirer reneging on what they actually meant by "pursue".
Sure you can perform in the church recitals and local talent shows, however if you're planning on getting paid, don't fool yourself into thinking it's going to be easy because you've got talent. I love Nichelle's (owner of Dance Advantage) belief though that people do have the power to achieve what they set their mind too. I highly recommend reading her blog post "But What I Really Want To Do Is Dance!" if dancing is something you want to do. You can also check out Debbie Allen's Dance Academy to see about taking up any dance classes or auditioning. She also offers adult group fitness classes which might be of interest.
If you want to see Debbie Allen in person being honoured on Sunday September 27 at the Bright Lights Shining Stars event in New York, get your tickets and more information here.
Never give up on your dreams.
Be blessed!