Question #2
Hi Jami!
Phil is my name, and I'm a competitor. Having no idea I had any talent for this,
I'm sure someday I could be an excellent dancer. On the other hand I have a
promising academic career at my hands and - needless to say - I'm torn. It's
much worse for the fact that my parents initially encouraged me to dance, and
now would rather have me stop, as they want me to get that Nobel Prize. I'm
wondering if someone starting dance so late in life could make it to the very
top, and whether a life in Dancesport can be coupled with a family life. Thanks
for any advice you can give.
Thanks and bye,
Phil
Answer
Hi Phil,
Thanx for your e-mail... First let me say that this is a very difficult question
for me to answer... I know that it is never too late to start a CAREER in dance
and if it IS something you truly love then DO IT! However... The dance life can
be very rough ... it requires A LOT of dedication and hard work... I have always
danced all my life and I look back and wish I had done better in my academics
and had found a better way of financing my dancing. Instead I worked in dance
studios, taught, competed, and breathed, ate and dreamed of dance and now I
teach all over the country... I love what I do and I would not change it for
anything now but it can be a long road and can sometimes leave you broke. My
advice to you is stay with your academics and dance when you can ... dancing is
good for the soul and you should not have to totally give it up but know your
priorities, especially if you want to have a family someday in the sort-of-near
future. I recently met a girl in the same predicament with her family- and they
gave her a choice, she could do one or the other ... she asked me what she
should do and of course I gave her the pros and cons, so she thought about it
for a while and decided to make dance her life. So it all depends what you
really want inside and go with your heart ... I hope this advice helps...