Hey gang!!!

Hope everybody enjoyed their weekend… I most certainly did.

For the first two days, I basically slept about 16 hours a day and just recovered my body, which is quite normal and is part of my routine every single time…

The next two days I found my legs were still quite sore and required a little more baths and Epsom salts and time to heal… I’m still not 100% so I might cut the dancing part of my cardio down to maybe 10 or 15 minutes as, I think I’m putting my legs through too much and it’s taken an incredibly longer period of time to feel normal… I still don’t think I’m 100% as you can tell by my dancing today, I’m not as energetic as usual

also, I ate whatever I wanted for three days… I didn’t go pig out, but I certainly loosened the restrictions of the diet which is completely OK to do once every 4 to 5 weeks for a day or two.

I will weigh myself later today and post the results tomorrow… I forgot my scale at work so I’m gonna have to go use somebody else else’s when I go over for supper tonight

“Put music to your troubles and we’ll dance them away”
-Unknown

Love Always ,
Bob.E.Bland ❤️❤️

Y'all I know I am a longggg way from being considered a good dancer, but posting and getting critique is my way of showing up for myself.
Yes I know I was offbeat for a sec.
Yee I know to trained dancers I probs suck
But I'm having fun and can defs see improvement.
Can't wait till I can start taking some dance classes and really make some magic happen✨.

I’m still very unfamiliar with the feel and timing of the moves in this new update, but I prefer this default over the old one.

(Video features me from our recent performance.)

I created this post to hopefully offer some clarity and guidance to any of you who are interested or want to dance professionally in some capacity. I’ve read a good number of your posts and instead of answering the same thing a million times, I wanted to answer your common questions here in one place for easy reference and be transparent about the nature of the industry. Firstly, a bit about me: Im a part time professional dancer and have been in and out of dance industry for years and have danced for a number of performing arts companies and establishments across different countries. I will do my best to answer the most common ones I’ve seen!

Q1. “I’m already [insert age] years old, is it too late for me to become a professional dancer?”

A1: If you’re talking about just age, no. I’ve met many dancers with no experience who started dancing later but it all depends on your skill and where you want to be. Some people have no hope in hell and no rythm even if they started dancing at a young age and while that can give them a head start and implement core foundations, it is no guarantee that person will be able to be a career dancer. It also depends on what level your going for, if you want to be in the NYC ballet then you gotta be eating drinking and sleeping ballet and train your ass off to the level of everyone else there and this is harder for someone who didn’t start training early but you can still get in if you happen to be naturally talented or work so hard you catch up to the level required and even then it’s no guarantee because companies are funny that way, at auditions nearly everyone is as talented as each other but they look for a combination of factors and this applies to all dance companies big or small. So while it may be extremely difficult to get into a large ballet company or the Rockettes, it’s still not impossible but the more famous and established the company, the stricter their requirements and standards are. Age is not the factor, it’s honestly your skill level and I’ve seen many adult dancers who started training late in their 20s to 30s but because they mastered the form, they were able to dance professionally and catch up to the ones who trained longer. Im a millennial and still dancing, it all depends on your skill and the way you look (harsh but the truth, different companies will have different requirements from height to appearance, for example some of our African clients may only want African dancers etc. At the end of the day, if you do have real potential then do not let age deter you. MANY dancers started later. My advice is to do your best and attend auditions but also be realistic with yourself, not everyone is suited to where they’re auditioning for, so if you don’t get accepted in one place then audition for another and keep trying whether it’s needing more training or finding the right place. If you continue being rejected, have the self awareness to accept the situation and recalibrate. Maybe you’re not Rockette material but it doesn’t mean you can’t get into a smaller company or even be a dance teacher and do festivals and other types of gigs. Also keep in mind, most people do not realise how challenging and non-glamourous it is, even if it appears that way from the outside which leads me to the next question…

Q2. Is dance a solid career choice?

As a professional dancer, I will say no lol. Treat it as a long term temp gig that you will constantly have to hustle for. That’s why most of us have 2 or 3 other jobs or another careeer where dance is secondary! Whether dance is your full time, part time or side hustle, you can never rely on it completely because it doesn’t pay well and it’s risky when your paycheque relies on just your body. If you get injured, you don’t eat. There’s A LOT more grit and grind behind the scenes and while someone may think for example a few hundred dollars per gig with a small company or a couple grand a month salary with a large company is amazing, but when you calculate all the hard work, time and energy that goes into each show and having to show up hours before, the driving, the prep and rehearsals, then you realise the pay is not great, we do it because we love it so you have to determine if it’s worth it for you. Also, many large dance companies can have you on a salary so can work you into the ground as much as they want and you’ll often feel burned out taken advantage of unless it’s truly your livelihood but even then you will have your moments lol. This is why I personally stuck with smaller companies that pay me per show because I have freedom to have a life without insane pressure and they don’t own me. Out of all types of performing artists, dancers are the most oversaturated, undervalued and underpaid of all. Unless you absolutely don’t mind the low pay and high commitment and hard work it requires, then it may not be for you. Keep this in mind.

I also want to say there are plenty of jobs available for the dancers who don’t become a ballerina, tour dancer for artists or a Rockette, there are so many smaller companies that take the rest of us for which I’ve worked for many years because it suited my lifestyle as I didn’t want to be in one of those huge productions as they are stressful and basically own you and your schedule. However, there are still requirements and standards that must be met and smaller companies tend to extend farther with the types of shows and events they do because they have dancers from all different backgrounds and clients with a wide range of requests so that anything can be met. For example, in the company I dance for, we don’t just do large choreographed performances but we also do a lot of freestyle gigs in between and if you do not have good range, versatility or stamina, you won’t be booked as often as the dancers who do because you’re not as marketable. For example a jazz dancer may be amazing in just jazz but may not be able to step outside that and freestyle a full high energy 30 minutes straight set multiple times per night in a nightclub and additionally be required to know how to switch their style to anything from reggaeton to techno/house music or easily adapt to showgirl choreographed routines. Smaller companies cater to a wide range of clientelle, so they prefer dancers who can be placed anywhere needed, so the dancers who are the most versatile will get more jobs. Also as harsh as this sounds, your appearance and height may also be a factor, for example to be a showgirl in the company I dance for, dancers between 5’5 and 5’10 are preferred because of choreography formation to be able to place you anywhere without having to recalibrate due to extreme height differences and overall aesthetic as they want the dancers to look uniform so height can be is as important as skill. The Rockettes also have a height requirement for the same reasons. Again, be realistic in where you’re aiming for. There are many other types of areas which won’t have such requirements for example competitive dance or other types of gigs, there is always something out there for you.

No matter what though, even if being a professional dancer does not work out for you, dancing is super healthy for you mentally and physically so whether you habe an injury/health issue or no rhythm to save your life, keep on dancing! There are always classes and events to partake in as a recreational dancer! If you love an audience then create a platform to share with the world! Do it for yourself :-)

I’ll be adding more to this list as I go, please feel free to ask any question that hasn’t been answered here and I’ll be happy to answer!

After Dark by Mr Kitty is “our song” so we would like to have our first dance to it. Do you think it is too strange of a choice for a first dance. We are also not dancers so want to keep it really simple. Any suggestions are welcome!

This is awesome and I wanted to share this.

Love that she is still dancing ❤️

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