"That Good Side Piece"

Fun Fact: Though dancing is a talent and most certainly is the main focus of my life currently, I do not consider it to be my “gift”, nor am I threatened by the idea that I will not be able to perform forever. With how society is evolving, I could perform well in to my 70s, given my health allows it and the audience that would welcome it (there definitely are collectives and showcases dedicated to presenting works by, for, and featuring middle-aged and senior citizens; e.g.: the Chicago Bulls Swingin’ Seniors Dance Team, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s Mature H.O.T. Women Program). I realized in my teen years, though, that I have the innate abilities of and deep interest in understanding multiple content areas (and do so interdisciplinarily!), relating to people from various walks of life, and writing (i.e. journalism, proposals, narratives). When I began living as a full-time artist, I still taught classes at academies and schools, and occasionally taught private and party classes. This is definitely a common practice of artists across genres; for a good portion of the years in an artist’s career, working in the art alone will not suffice for paying the bills--or at least working one arts job or artistic endeavor. I have learned that most of the artists I have come across not only have 2 or more jobs to support themselves, but they prefer not having one artistic job or place of employment. Even one of our artistic directors at Ballethnic Dance Company, Mr. Waverly Lucas, has another business (Mother Spice Ginger Root Juice) and assists with campaigning events for Stacey Abrams. Making choices like that, or course, will bring about pivotal challenges and sacrifices. That said, is it truly beneficial to dip and dabble in various professions when the ultimate goal is to be successful as a full-time artist in your specific medium?

One of my mentors had experiences that helped him to not feel like he was making a career trade-off. During the Thanksgiving-Christmas Break within my senior year at Knox College I met Kenneth Shackelford, a former dancer (he danced for Janet Jackson on The Velvet Rope Tour) and currently a Regional Manager for Bright Horizons (he was the executive director of the location I worked at after graduating college), per my dad’s request as he felt that Kenny would be able to give me some assistance on how to maneuver my career as he had been down a similar path--and offer me a job at the BH location to assist me on my way. Kenny and I discussed how he was always interested in working with families and youth, and once he stopped dancing full-time and received his degree, he was given the opportunity to start a new adventure at Bright Horizons. Kenny became a huge factor to the curricular programs at Bright Horizons called “Movement Matters” and “Art Smart”, which provided fun and engaging activities that augment the psychosocial development and kinesthetic awareness of the enrolled infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. For the longest time--especially when I was hired--Kenny worked to bring dance to our BH location seeing how it would not only set our location apart from almost all the others in Chicago, but it would be a great way to keep dance in his professional life. In my last year of working at Bright Horizons I was the first in-house Dance Teacher at our location. It was really awesome to be part of something new and have a heavy hand in how it was run. Just as well, it provided a financial base for me as I trained, taught residencies and Hips & Heels classes, and performed. Not only was Kenny able to work in multiple fields that he was passionate about, but he also created opportunities for others to do the same; I aim to be able to do the same in my endeavors.

SOOOOOO… For those of us who are still in it needing to find another source of revenue since we’re not coined up thanks to being booked on a world tour or lineup of collegiate choreographic residencies or cruise ship job… OR those of us wanting to do something other than paid dance gigs so that we don’t feel trapped by or dissatisfied with dance... ???? I know, I know. I actually just had a conversation about this with some company members of Ballethnic. Devrae “DJ” Jefferson, a former member of Dallas Black Dance Theater Encore, expressed needing to get a hobby after realizing how much dance--especially classical ballet, because he has worked so hard to appreciate and master it--consumes his life. He talked about his desire to also get involved in real estate not just for the financial gain, but his overall reason for moving back to his hometown was to become part of the change happening in Atlanta, and real estate and infrastructure have become HUGE economic priorities in Atlanta. Prior to moving to Atlanta and dancing with Ballethnic, Charity Broussard had danced with Baltimore Theatre Project and become a certified yoga instructor in India. Dancing outside of her hometown of Flint, Michigan has influenced to not feel confined to what type of opportunities she can obtain, and in becoming a certified yoga instructor her earning potential and range of professional opportunities definitely increased. Recently, I have thoroughly considered earning certifications in Bikram-curriculum Hot Yoga and Yoga Nidra as I have been practicing religiously for over 3 years. Not only has practicing Hot Yoga helped with sculpting my body to be more suited for the dancing I now do, but it has become my way of reestablishing a mind-body connection without external influences and maintaining healthy body stats that consistently shock doctors on my rare visits. (Apparently, I’m an anomaly among my demographic.) I want to share that knowledge and experience with others on their journey, and it wouldn’t hurt to add another certification to my teaching credentials and coin up. I mean, tis the season of levelling up!

Let's open the conversation! What are some goals and endeavors that you have outside of dance? What contributes to the majority of your income, and would you rather it be something else? How do you suggest pursuing non-artistic passions and goals without “cheating on” your art? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, or e-mail me your responses to this article at averybrandon0812@gmail.com. Thank you for your time, and stay elevé-ted!

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