How to make money as a hip hop dancer
How to make money as a dancer? Full guide for dancers
If you want to make money as a dancer, this guide is for you.
As you can see from our list below, there are many ways to make money as a dancer.
There are all kinds of jobs in dance that pay well, and some pay better than others. Some of these jobs are seasonal and others are permanent.
It is also important to know what you can and can't do, your strengths and weakness parts. This guide will give you all the information you need to know.
What you need to know before you get started
If you are only thinking about whether you can connect your life with dancing, not only as a hobby but also professionally, you need to know a few things.
First of all, no matter what others would tell you, earning by dancing is possible.
There is an opinion that dancing is only a hobby. From our guide, you will learn many options for earning dancing and make sure that this is not always the case.
Why not always?
Because in order to earn by dancing, you need to realize that a dancer must have certain skills and professionalism.
To make money dancing, you need to be a professional in your field. As in any field of activity. Understand are you willing to work on yourself to reach new heights in the dance industry. And if you decide that dancing is your life, then this guide is for you!
Do you want to get paid to dance, but don't know where to start?
A few people have made a name for themselves dancing on a stage. It's amazing. You get to travel the world, meet some amazing people, and learn a lot in the process. But, if you can get started and you're willing to work hard, you could earn an amazing amount of money dancing.
Ways of making money by a dancer
To go abroad to work as a dancer on a cruise ship/club
On the Internet, you can find many vacancies related to dance shows on cruise ships.
Often, dancers are required in clubs in Asia. This is a popular way to earn money for beginners who want to gain experience and are ready to leave for a long time from their country.
A cruise ship contract can be paid in the amount of $900 per week on average. Moreover, most often, contracts imply the availability of paid housing and meals. During work, you also travel constantly and can see many countries and meet many interesting people.
To get such a job, you need to go through a casting. Castings are held online and offline. If the company announced an online casting, you need to shoot a video of your dances, where you show what you are capable of. Then submit the video in response to the vacancy. It is quite simple and does not take much time.
Some companies organize castings offline. You will need to register for it and arrive at the appointed time at the specified place in order to dance to the jury commission.
The most popular requirements for candidates:
- High level of commitment, energy and stamina.
- Adequate experience in the dance industry is desirable.
- Talent, natural charisma and artistic instinct.
- Excellent understanding of service and customer focus.
- Professional training in different kinds of dancing: in ballet, modern dance, ballroom dance, jazz dance and so on.
- Distinctive musical and rhythmic sensibilities.
- Age from 21 years.
Participation in dance competitions (including television)
How many popular and familiar dancers who became famous thanks to, for example, the SYTYCD show. Such shows are a great opportunity not only to become famous in the industry and earn winnings in the amount of several hundred thousand dollars but also to gain new knowledge in the master classes of the project.
We leave some links for you where you can learn more about the conditions of castings:
- SYTYCD – The grand prize is $250,000.
You can apply for casting here https://soyouthinkyoucandance2020season17.castingcrane.com/age-gate. - World of Dance executive produced by Jennifer Lopez. The grand prize is $1 million. How to apply online: https://worldofdancecasting.com/index
- Dancing with the Stars – there is no prize pool in this show, but there is the opportunity to be seen on TV and thus start an excellent career.
But it’s not necessary to go to a television format show. You can search for competitions with prize pools, as well as auditions for various talent contests.
Participation in the filming of films and videos
Dancers can also work in ballet with stars, act in films and music videos. Work in the ballet with the star includes not only concerts but also constant traveling on tours and participation in the filming of music videos.
You can search for auditions on the site https://www.backstage.
com/casting, using convenient filters.
Work in theater ballet, dance shows, dance groups, professional shows
In addition to television and star ballets, there are theater ballets. If you are a man of art, a good dancer and performer, and also have good acting skills, you can try yourself on the stage of the theater.
This can be a drama theater with a ballet troupe, or a specialized ballet theater. There are also modern dance theaters, experimental and others. For example ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER, ABT, American Dance Theater of Long Island.
Professional shows. You can get paid to perform at various professional dance shows, such as the San Francisco Ballet, and at the Kennedy Center.
Ways to make money on teaching and by workshops
Private lessons and workshops
You can teach how to dance, or you can be a private instructor who knows a lot about dance and can teach kids or adults how to dance.
This is one way to earn some extra cash by giving classes on the weekends at your local mall or a local gym.
Some people say that the biggest moneymaker is private lessons.
Opening of a dance school
If you have entrepreneurial skills, you can open your own dance school. Typically, dancers begin their journey with private dance classes, then recruit more and more students. When there are a lot of students, it's time to think about renting a dance hall on an ongoing basis and hiring dance teachers besides you.
On this path, the main thing to remember is that business requires time not only for teaching but also for operational work. You will need new employees, such as an accountant, administrator, several trainers. It will be necessary to constantly take care of renting a dance class, finding new students, marketing, profit, etc.
But at the same time, a sense of pride in your students will not make you doubt the choice of a profession and how to earn money.
Work as a choreographer and participate in productions of dance shows, theaters, wedding dances
If you feel in yourself a talent for staging dance numbers, you can become a choreographer of ballet, dance troupe, choreographer of wedding dances, etc.
How to earn money dancing online
The blog
You can start a dance blog and monetize it using Google AdSense or an affiliate-marketing. A blog can be started both on a personal website, for example, on the WordPress platform, and on social networks. Make it fun to read, share your experiences, communicate with your audience. Personal brand development is now in fashion.
YouTube account
As you have probably guessed by now, YouTube is a very popular channel for video sharing. There are lots of tutorials that explain how to make money from this channel, so if you want to get started, you have to watch them.
With the help of YouTube, you can also make money from advertising.
Open your channel, shoot videos about dancing, your dance numbers, tips for beginner dancers. Try to make videos with high engagement on your channel. For watching ads at the beginning of the YouTube video, you will receive money. By gaining a certain number of subscribers and an active audience, you can get advertising contracts, for example, with brands of dancewear or shoes, with various dance schools, etc.
Common tips for Dancers
- Get an agent. Get your name out there by sending out your auditions on auditions.com, and if you're a local to Vegas, send out the showings on the door at your place of work. You will have to pay them to run your showings, but it's a cheap way to show the world you're a professional.
- Don't give up when you don't get cast. Just because you're not getting a gig doesn't mean it can't be yours! This is not a death sentence, and you should not give up on your dream just because of a missed opportunity.
- Know your dance style. Don't go in and try to replicate another person's style when you are a different size, age, or shape. There are plenty of videos on YouTube of the same dancer, and if you want to be a pro dancer, learn the style that makes you happy and comfortable.
- Practice your moves on stage (in your own home or in a studio) and perform them to your favorite music.
- To make a few hundred bucks or a couple of thousand a week it's not a hard task. The best way to do this is to just dance and not focus on your career in general. It doesn't need to be that busy, just focus on your body, and that's it, if you're good enough you'll be able to make some money with just that.
FAQ
How do ballet dancers make money?
Ballet dancers most often work in theaters. They perform classical performances, such as Carmen Suite, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, etc.
Ballet companies often tour and make good money on it.
How to make money as a hip hop dancer?
Hip-hop dancers can earn by participating in dance battles, giving private hip-hop lessons, master classes. They are also in demand in the industry of show business, because often in music videos and at concerts of stars it is hip-hop dancing.
How much money can you make as a dancer?
It depends on what level of training you are a dancer. Beginners can not earn much. A more professional dancer on average earns 40-90 thousand dollars a year. World-famous dancers - hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. But history knows examples when world ballet stars earned millions of dollars.
I want to dance professionally. How to start?
Choose a private dance school that has already graduate good professional dancers or a public institution with a direction in choreography. Try yourself in different styles and choose the one you like best.
Train 3-5 times a week. Feel free to ask the teacher about how you do it, what you can do better.
Start taking individual dance lessons. This is much more effective than group training.
How to Make Extra Money as a Dancer — Shaté L. Hayes
It's no secret that dancers are generally strapped for cash. Jobs can be few and far between, the competition is fierce, and rates aren't always what they're cracked up to be.
It can be tough when your passion doesn't completely pay all your bills. Many dancers find themselves frustrated and working odd jobs just to make ends meet.
The good news it that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. With the awesome technology we now have at our fingertips, there are a number of ways you can use your craft to generate some extra income...IF you're willing to step outside your comfort zone and get creative.
Here are 7 ways to earn extra money as a dancer.
1. Write Dance Articles
There a number of dance publications that are always looking for new writers.
If you have a way with words, consider pitching a few articles to some of your favorite dance magazines or blogs.
If you can't manage to land a paid writing opportunity right away, be open to contributing a few articles free of charge or starting your own blog so you can build a portfolio of published work. You can always pitch again once you have samples of your work to share.
2. Perform/Choreograph for Special Events
There's always a need for performers, especially at corporate and special events. Entertainment booking sites like GigSalad make it easy for you to promote your services to clients who are looking for what you have to offer.
All it takes is a complete profile, and you may also have to spend a nominal fee to show up in search results. If you opt to go this route, be sure to fully research each opportunity and the parties involved before taking on event.
3. Teach Privates Lessons or Classes
If you've been dancing a while, then chances are you've had opportunities to teach dance as well.
Instead of solely turning to your local studio, consider other ways you could flex your teaching muscle. Perhaps you could rent space and offer your own privates or small group lessons? Have you considered partnering with a local company to offer lunchtime dance fitness classes for employees? Or what about self-submitting to teach in a local or touring convention?
4. Sell Your Own Merchandise Online
There are several things that every dancer will always need: dance clothes, a dance bag, hair accessories, and water bottles. If you're into fashion or good at sales, think about putting those skills to use by opening your own online shop via Shopify, Squarespace, or a similar platform. You can even look into dropshipping if the idea of carrying inventory freaks you out.
5. Become an Affiliate Seller
Not interested in finding your own merchandise to sell? Then affiliate sales may be the answer for you. As an affiliate seller, you can sell other people's products and receive a commission or referral fee.
Sites like Amazon have pretty extensive affiliate programs that offer tons of great products at your fingertips.
6. Monetize Your Social Media Account
Did you know you can generate income from your social media profiles? If you have a pretty significant following, companies may pay you a pretty penny to advertise their products or services to your audience. Initially, you may have to approach companies to sell your reach, but with enough effort and consistency, they may start coming to you!
7. Freelance Other Services
Aside from dance, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve? If you have a skill set for web design, copy writing, social media management, photography, or other related roles, you can offer your services on sites like Fiverr or your own blog.
Want more tips and ideas like this? Click the button below, and you’ll get a FREE copy of my Success Starter Kit, plus regular insight and inspiration sent directly to your inbox.
Download My Success Starter Kit
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0 LikesHow to make money dancing - PROBUSINESS.
IO Photo courtesy of the author These stories are about how people from completely different backgrounds once decided to make their love of dancing their business. And they succeeded. Read our selection and… dance.
"I wasn't the most talented, but I was tenacious." See how the doctor opened his dance school
The story of a guy who graduated from medical school and even worked in this field for a while, but his passion for hip-hop still took over. Although initially he came to dance almost by accident. nine0005
“It all started with tectonics, a style that was very popular at the time. I watched videos on YouTube, learned movements, somehow tried to develop myself. Then I went to the championship in Minsk and realized that this direction was somehow very boring and monotonous. But then I saw hip-hop there and joined it.
I certainly wasn't the most gifted of the people I trained with, but I was persistent, didn't quit, and practiced.
Literally 2-3 years later I was invited to work in one of the dance studios in the city. I began to combine my studies in medical school with coaching. nine0012
After university, the guy had to work for five years as a teacher of pathological physiology. But all this time he continued to train in parallel. And when he realized that he wanted to connect his life with dancing, and there was no time left for medicine, he quit the university and opened his own dance school in Vitebsk.
Read Kostya Shilin's story here.
Photo courtesy of the authorIt all started with Paris and salsa. How a political scientist makes money on dances
Yulia Shostak was also a dancer. She came to them at the age of 19, at university time. She studied political science, studied French and even managed to teach at school. But dancing was more fun.
“I went to a salsa party for the first time in Paris and I really liked the atmosphere.
After graduating from the university, I decided to develop this, then still a new, dance direction for our country, in Minsk.
I recruited the first group in an already existing dance school. I was provided with a hall, made advertising - there were no costs on my part. After some time, I was invited to be a teacher in a recreation center - there I had more freedom. Later, I decided that I wanted to develop my dance school and invited my students to become teachers.” nine0012
What happened next - in this story.
Julia Shostak. Photo courtesy of the author"I thought I knew everything about business - it turned out, only 1%." As an economist, she opened a dance school
Darya Goroshko has also been dancing since childhood - she is a graduate of the honored team of Belarus choreographic ensemble "Zorka". The girl always dreamed of opening her own studio. But after school I went to study as an economist-manager.
“I got the idea of my own dance studio when I was in the 11th grade, when I had a choice – where to enter and what profession to choose.
nine0012
I loved the exact sciences, counting and analyzing. She loved to organize events, of course, she loved to dance and knew quite a lot about this topic. But I remembered the phrase of my leader that a good dancer is not always the same teacher.
That's why I didn't choose the university of culture, as I thought right away, but went to study as a manager-economist» . After graduating from university (and having worked as a choreographer during her studies), Daria nevertheless decided to make dancing her business. nine0005
That's how it was.
Daria Goroshko. Photo courtesy of the authorA fracture led to the first business, a decree to the second. History of projects about dances and children
The story of Maria Dudik begins in the same way as the previous ones - she has been dancing since childhood. It was ballroom dancing. Already at the age of 15, she began to train herself, led a circle at school for a quarter of the rate.
After graduating from the Pedagogical University with a degree in primary school teacher, she worked for two years in the Minsk Palace of Children and Youth, taught sports dance there. But the school routine, which penetrated even into additional education, greatly interfered with the creative nature of Mary. And here, as they say, there would be no happiness...
“Perhaps I would have worked at the Palace of Children and Youth more, put up with the routine, but life gave me a hint, or rather, time to think, read books, make plans. I slipped on the street, fell and broke my leg, the injury was serious.
For half a year I came to watch the competitions of my children in a cast and on crutches, I worried about them. And then I realized that I like to do only what is directly related to dancing and sports results. nine0016
Bureaucracy is not for me. Having recovered, I applied for dismissal and issued an IP.
Did the girl manage to make a business of dancing — read here.
Wedding rumba and flash mob for guests: how a member of "Dancing with the Stars" makes money on newlyweds
Alexander Loginov started his business when professional wedding dance was just coming into vogue. There were not so many offers, and this is what determined the choice of his specialization. nine0005
Alexander is a professional dancer who has been dancing since the age of 10. From childhood, he constantly participated in international tournaments and became a finalist. In 2013 he took part in the show "Dancing with the Stars" on the TV channel "Russia".
Before opening his own studio, he worked as a dancer, dance teacher, theater and film actor. And in 2009, in parallel with active training and performance at dancesport competitions, he began to give lessons to couples, including newlyweds - a wedding dance. nine0005
“They started to come more and more often with such appeals, they asked to put on some kind of waltz.
Having studied the situation on the market, I realized that there are not so many such offers. According to my estimate, then there were about 2-3 studios in the whole of Moscow. The number of orders kept increasing, and I thought: why not open a wedding dance school?”
How does this business work now? Read for yourself.
Photo from Alexander Loginov's personal page on VKontakte"The boy said - the boy did it!" - the accountant girl decided and opened her own dance school
After working at a boring accounting job for 5 years, Natasha Korshunova took a chance and turned her hobby into her own business, the Swing dance school. Moreover, the project from the first months came to profitability. The direction Natalia chose is not the most common - lindy hop.
“I tried different directions, but decided to develop in what suits my character the most - lindy hop. This is a pair dance to swing - one of the directions of jazz. Boogie-woogie grew out of Lindy Hop.
If you saw girls dancing in collared dresses, white socks with men in wide trousers with suspenders and waistcoats, they were probably dancing the Lindy Hop or something close. nine0012
For some time the girl worked as an accountant at Belarusfilm and taught dance at the same time. But she was bored with numbers and papers - and she quit. To open my own Lindy Hop school.
And that's what she did.
Natalya Korshunova. Photo: Liza SoloveiHow much do dancers earn and how to become a professional - November 1, 2018
Ivan Slavinsky
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It's never easy, but wildly interesting.
Members of the FAM Factory dance team told Sport24 about the difference between a professional team and an amateur one, how much coaches earn and how long it takes to become a good dancer from scratch.
Our team is called FAM Factory and has been around for a very long time. We regularly perform at the largest dance championships throughout Russia, we work at major events. Our choreographer, Yevgeny Kevler, is one of the top choreographers in Russia, staged dances for "Dances" on TNT, "Dance" on Channel One, and has brought up more than one generation of dancers. Our team is diverse - students, office workers, teachers and coaches, but they all have one thing in common - an unimaginable love for dancing. nine0005
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you recharge and start plowing, as if not in yourself, but in reality everything is a little different. Classes in schools last an hour and a half twice a week if you are in the same group with the same teacher.
At first, technique is not so important, it comes with experience. It is worth paying attention to physical form, especially if you prefer styles that are characterized by frequent level changes or powerful energy: you may simply not have enough strength. The breather also needs to be developed: fast choreography cannot be danced to the end if the volume of the lungs is not enough. Many dancers take up running to develop their lungs.
And for the development of physical strength, functional training or crossfit are suitable - of all training, these will probably be the most useful in our business. If there is no time for this, then you need to at least minimally pump the press, do push-ups, squat. We sometimes conduct physical training classes at team training. nine0005
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and year, everything is very individual here. Many schools have their own reporting concerts and parties. As a rule, at such events, students go on stage for the first time.
If we talk about more complex numbers, then it takes a month and a half to set them up with 3-4 workouts a week for 2-3 hours. The mode of training in a serious team changes, especially if the number is complex and many dancers participate in it.
A fairly common occurrence is night workouts. As you might guess, they take place at night, and, as a rule, last 5-6 hours. It's not easy, especially at first and if you have to go to work in the morning, but it's also more efficient in terms of the speed of staging the show, and the result is definitely worth it. nine0005
Championships
In the dance world, the year can be conditionally divided into two seasons - spring and autumn. All this time, championships of various levels go one after another, the most "fruitful" in this regard are April and May, as well as November and December. As a rule, all groups put on a performance a month or two in advance, but it all depends on the level of training and available time for the dancers themselves.
In general, championships are a separate and very entertaining cuisine. Dancers are constantly preparing for some kind of competition, it rarely happens that you just come and hang out aimlessly. Everything is almost like in the movie "Step Up": the whole season is the process of preparing for the competition, and in the off-season, everyone either rests, or pumps, or shoots a video.
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At dance championships there is always a division according to the level of training and age: children are separated from adults, beginners are separated from professionals. And within these categories, there is also style: hip-hop, ladies, contemporary.
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Our favorite nomination is best dance show. The name speaks for itself: there are no style bindings here, the main thing is the idea and combination of styles. At some major competitions, the styles used in the show must be declared in advance, at some there are no restrictions, only creativity. Now even in some championships there is a separate Show nomination, and a separate Performance nomination.
In the first case, the show should have a story and plot, in the second case, it is important who dances stronger, more powerful and cooler. And there are also solos with duets, which are not limited by styles at all, only by timing. In general, there are a lot of nominations. Beginners or people unfamiliar with dancing can get confused. But as soon as you immerse yourself in this world, everything becomes clear pretty quickly. nine0005
Refereeing at championships is always represented by top dancers: sometimes Russian, sometimes foreign, but always super authoritative. The evaluation criteria, like the judges, are also different, but they look primarily at choreography, technique, synchronism and creativity. You can earn money at good status tournaments. On average, you can get about 30 thousand per team for winning such a tournament. But it is not at all necessary that there will be prize money for winning any championship: somewhere the organizers limit themselves to cups and gifts from sponsors.
nine0005
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Nutrition
Nutrition is a matter of personal preference. Most dancers are ordinary people, so until their legs start to fall off, few people even think about nutrition and injury prevention. Many are killed in training, and few people know how to recover, they do not take care. If you don’t eat normally, you may not have enough strength for the whole season. Protein and BCAAs often help out, but in reality, for some reason, few people use them. nine0005
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A: Regular exercise is usually enough to stay in shape.
Although, of course, you need to take care of yourself, but adults who have survived a couple of injuries or dancers who work in commerce are already thinking about this.
"Sneakers kill instantly"
As for clothes, this is a separate topic of conversation, which will take more than one hour. Firstly, the style of dance and what you dance in are very closely related. No one will go dancing popping in leggings or short shorts, twerk in sweatpants, too, you know, I don’t rub, like a strip in a baseball cap. Things are, of course, very important. You can't really train in Chinese sneakers. Not even because they are uncomfortable, they just fall apart in a moment. In general, if you danced at least once in shoes, then you can say goodbye to it - it only kills if you train often and for a long time. Especially for us, jazzfunkers, because a lot of techniques are combined, the foot is actively working. And it’s good for contemporary people in general: they dance barefoot in socks, and with simpler things - they put on something very wide and similar to oversized pajamas - and you are the most fashionable in the class.
nine0005
Income and expenses
As for the payment for training for teams, it is similar to amateur sports sections: in many teams, participants pay a monthly fee, which includes the rent of the hall and the work of the choreographer.
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Is it possible to make money from dancing? Of course, there is plenty of work. First, dance schools. There are now ten of them at each metro station, a novice teacher, if desired, will quickly find a job. But if you want to get into a top school as a teacher, then you need to work hard, have a name, constantly upgrade, be socially active, shoot videos and shine at the same championships.
