So You Think You CAN’T Dance… Anymore?

It’s hard to believe Ade and Melissa did not make it into the finale after their amazing performance last week of Tyce Diorio’s piece, “This Woman’s Work.”

But as Nigel stated, there are no losers on this show – ALL the dancers are amazing talents and winners.

I have no doubt that all the dancers in the top 20 will have fantastic career opportunities as both performers and choreographers, long after this season ends.

But I wonder if the contestants and even the judges know that down the road there is another option. I wonder if the audience, filled with students of dance, know that there is a way to dance for the rest of their lives… as part of their job!

Sadly, most of the world misperceives that a dancer only has the career options of being a performer for a short time (because dance performance takes such a toll on the body), possibly choreographing and teaching at a studio or school.

Dancers – if they are so moved to help others heal through dance – have another career option, one that is rewarding and inspiring and uplifting and challenging.

Dancer after dancer after dancer attests to the fact that dancing is their own “therapy” and that it impacts their lives in powerful ways.

There is an actual CAREER that channels that healing power of dance; it is a regulated and reputable profession that is supported by both modern research and thousands of years of history.

Dance/movement therapists are dancers first. Dance/movement therapists are dancers who choose – eventually – to go to graduate school and get a Master’s Degree in Dance/Movement Therapy or in another mental health field with supplemental DMT training (18 credit hours.)

Dance/movement therapists work in the community, fostering change and health and growth through dance. They work in hospitals and in clinics and in private practice – just like other master’s level mental health professionals – and work with infants, children, adults and seniors.

You CAN dance for the rest of your life… and get paid for it… and make a difference in the world, one dance at a time.

The world needs more dance/movement therapists – won’t you join our dance?

Want more info? Check out the schools and FAQs on the ADTA website.

Or if you’re in the Portland, OR area October 8-11, you are welcome to attend the 44th ADTA Annual Conference, The Dance of Discovery: Research and Innovation in Dance/Movement Therapy. If you’d like more info on the conference, let me know. I’ll be uploading the conference brochure soon.