In a previous blog post I announced that I was stepping down from competing and performing on the Dance Vancouver and Scarlet Mambo Project teams. At some point in your dancing or athletic journey you will find yourself transitioning into something other than the day in and day out life of a dancer or athlete. My decision was planned well in advance and my transition to new phases of my life were well underway before my last steps were danced. For you, it may be something planned or life events or injury might force the transition. Being prepared for that change whenever it comes is something I can’t recommend enough.
This isn’t the first time I transitioned from dancer to something else in my life. The first time I did it I was not prepared for what was to come. When I graduated from the National Ballet School in 1995 I had no game plan. Nothing was lined up for me. I went from taking class and having my grad ceremony one day to flying home the next day with no job lined up, no plan for my future and a short wait until a surgery I had no choice but to have. The year that followed was probably the lowest of my entire life thus far. I learned from that mistake and this time around I have a game plan. It takes knowing yourself, your strengths, your passions and what you want your life to look like to make this transition a success. Here is what I did.
I took a long hard look at what I wanted my life to be like. What kind of lifestyle did I want? How did I want to spend my time and energy? What did I still want to learn? How do I derive value from my life? What does personal fulfillment look like to me? Who do I want to work with? What am I good at? What do I want to get better at? A lot of these questions came up and I was encouraged to explore them when I went through a long period of unemployment in 2017 and wanted to discover how a change in career could help me find more meaning in my life. Regardless of when and where these questions were posed to me, they are a great opportunity for people like yourself who is transitioning out of one career into another to ask yourself. For me, becoming a dance teacher and training in a form of kinesiology was the right fit for me. For you, it will be a very personal and individual set of answers and directions.
Well before I decided when my last show would be I began training in dance instruction. I have been mentored by Patrick Moriarity, Tanguy Exume and Scarlet Moriarity in teaching salsa. I have apprenticed with them for about 2 years and in January I began teaching groups, couples and private lessons. I have been studying since last winter to become an Anatomy in Motion practitioner and took the course in March of this year. I opened my own practice in fall 2018. For me, I wear a number of hats. I’m a biologist with my own consulting firm, I do freelance writing, I teach salsa and I am a movement practitioner. Maybe for you, you want to continue in the dance or athletic field as a coach, teacher or trainer. Perhaps you want to move into massage therapy, personal training, or go back to school to take on a completely different career.
Whatever you take on, a lifetime in dance or athletics has provided a wealth of soft skills that will continue to serve you well in your new chosen field. Discipline, hard work, dedication, awareness of the connection between body, mind and nutrition, teamwork, a love of music and an ability to connect to people from all walks of life within your dance circle.