One of the harshest realities I have had to face throughout my professional career is that at the end of the day, it is a personal game. You may be the best dancer in the world but if the director of a school or company is not very inclined to like you, then you have a very small chance of being given the opportunities to help you achieve your dreams. These may be due to various reasons;
They may not like you for something as simple as your hair colour, your height, or you’re ‘style’ just might not fit with the look of the company they are building. Despite this, it is always important to keep in mind that you cannot be faulted for something that is beyond your control, so try not to get too bogged down over those kinds of choices. It is very easy to assume that these are opinions that everyone holds about you as a dancer, and we can sometimes even believe them ourselves. However, all it takes is knowing that those same attributes that one director downplayed could be seen as invaluable by the next director you stand in front of. Nonetheless, it is important to work for yourself and strive to be the best dancer you can be, all the while not letting the opinions of others - no matter how important they may feel - sway you off the path of self-belief and confidence in your own abilities.
This is not to say that face level attributes will make or break your career as a professional dancer. There is a lot more to building a successful career than worrying about the opinions of a few people who are not willing to support you and your career. A huge influence that I have noticed throughout my time in the industry is that it’s not all about what you know but who you know. This has the potential to give you the slightest head up above other dancers, which could dramatically and positively change the trajectory of your career. I have observed plenty of dancers retain their jobs or be cast in roles they are not the most suited to or capable of performing well, simply by being on good terms with someone higher up in their organisation. I do not endorse that kind of behaviour; however it proves that good professional relationships with your teacher, director and even senior dancers can demonstrate to be beneficial in the long run. You never know who will end up being the next choreographer or director who could potentially help you achieve the goals you are chasing.
Personally, the opportunities that I was presented with that helped me build my classical ballet career to this point have all come from a select few mentors and executive staff that I built rapport with. I didn’t win the genetic lottery with my lack of hyperextension in my knees and below average hip rotation. This prompted a lot of teachers trying to steer me away from pursuing a career in classical ballet and rightfully so; my body is built to reject every movement and shape ballet requires and it is still a constant battle to perform simple movements like a tendu. Despite this, I took the time to express my goals and dreams to those who believed in me, pushed myself to achieve them under instruction and mentorship, and consequently a relationship of admiration and respect was formed from both sides. Strong relations have since then played integral roles in my recommendation to be given opportunities which has further led to having a stable professional job in a world class classical ballet company.
The story is quite different for me now despite having a strong track record of reliability, work ethic and desire to always achieve more. When push comes to shove, no matter what dancer you are, the roles you may want and the dreams you chase may not be so easily achievable if your director is more inclined to like someone else than you. It could be for reasons that they may just see parts of themselves in that person and that could be enough to give them opportunities. They may have a strong relationship outside the studio and office and that will be enough for them to have the extra favour. Whichever reason it comes to, it is out of our control, and is by no means a reflection of whether we are a good dancer or not.
How you play the game is up to you. How you chose to approach the political bias that is oh so present in the dance world, is up to you. What is not up to you is the opinion that someone does not like you based on a feature that is impossible for you to change or control. So hold your head high and keep striving towards your dreams regardless of what others think of you!
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