Professional Dancer

Professional Dancer

danceypants

Brooklyn, NY

Female, 25

I am a professional NYC contemporary/modern dancer. I work freelance, dancing in various projects around NYC. It ranges from performance art, flash mobs, and various styles of modern/contemporary dance. It's tough, I hustle everyday. I also bartend to pay the bills and work at a dance studio for discounted classes. It's a struggle, between auditions, classes, and maintaining artistic integrity. But I love my life.

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Last Answer on March 05, 2014

Best Rated

Biggest wipeout or catasrtophe on stage?

Asked by marlon about 13 years ago

I have never fallen, tripped, or face planted. THANK GOODNESS. But, one time I had to make a cross over. (I exited stage right and had to re-enter stage left) So I had to run down this narrow hallway between the scrim (back drop) and the wall. Apparently, a stage hand had left a metal chair or something sharp back there because as I was running down the little hallway, I ran into it and cut my shin. First off, it hurt....really badly (shins don't provide much meaty cushion) secondly I was wearing pink tights and blood was running down my shin. I didn't have time to do anything so I kept dancing, grit my teeth and finished the piece. Unfortunately I didn't have any more exits. Another time, I was in this piece that had us spinning onto the stage from the wings. The music was complicated, and I always screwed up my entrance. Lo and behold, I entered on the wrong count. Thankfully I didn't crash into anyone. I just realized pretty quickly and kept spinning in the opposite direction and made an exit. My parents said they didn't notice. haha

Do cops ever break up your flash mobs? Ever get arrested? What's the penalty for something like that?

Asked by veevee about 13 years ago

The cops usually don't break them up. The people putting kn the flash mobs usually have to get a special permit from the city, I'm sure they also have permission from the nypd.

Do you and fellow dancers get along, or does it get really catty?

Asked by twoonethree about 13 years ago

It depends. The dance community is very large. But very small. When I go to auditions sometimes I run into the same girls time and time again. I think that the younger the dancer, the more immature they are. Generally the catty ones are younger dancers who just graduated college, were the star of their department and moved to NYC thinking they could keep their diva status. Nothing knocks you harder off your pedestal than auditioning in NYC. There's always someone better than you. I don't notice the cattiness, I also avoid those kind of situations. Most dancers look out for each other I think. We kind of band together and create a unit. I used to be a camp counselor at a performing arts camp for teens, the dancers stuck together and didn't really get involved in the drama like the acting kids or the musical theater kids.

Best choreographer working today, in your opinion?

Asked by G-train about 13 years ago

I have a few. Kendra Portier, Kate Weare, Monica Bill Barnes, Korhan Basaran, Shannon Gillen, Andrea MIller, Sidra Bell.

How do you teach male students to move their hips better? I have no idea what muscle or body part I'm supposed to be activating to make that happen!

Asked by PaulX1 about 13 years ago

I don't really understand this question, but I will do my best. I'm assuming you are having trouble moving your hips because they are tight? Stretch. Stretch. Stretch! Since it would be difficult for me to explain stretches in detail here. Go online and search for stretches for your Iliopsoas (front of the hip crease) and your Iliotibial bands.

have you been asked to audition and when you got there realized the casting director wanted a little more than you bargained for?

Asked by gross about 13 years ago

Um...no...I don't look for auditions on craigslist.

Do you think there's any truth to the idea that, on average, white people aren't good dancers? I mean, I'm white, and I'll be the first to admit that "rhythm" doesn't seem to come as naturally to most white folks.

Asked by 2LeftFeet about 12 years ago

I have no idea. I don't know how to answer that, perhaps a geneticist has a jobstr page and you can ask them. I know plenty of white people who can dance...so...