Going Freelance
A guide to taking your choreography to new audiences-and dancers
From daily classes and recitals to competitions and The Nutcracker, chances are you’re constantly choreographing. But what if you’re ready for a new challenge, or believe you have the potential to present your choreography to a wider audience? There are a variety of options available to teachers who want to take their dancemaking to the next level, and getting your name out there is easier than you think. Here, three experts—full-time teachers whose work has been commissioned by studios, colleges and companies across the country—offer tips to get you started.
Making Connections
So how do you actually find the jobs? First, recognize that it probably won’t just land in your lap. “People don’t know that you’re interested in making work if you don’t tell them!” says Alvin Mayes, an instructor at the University of Maryland, College Park, who also teaches at Maryland Youth Ballet and throughout the Washington, DC, area. Compile a list of teachers, studio owners and choreographers you know and respect—people you’ve competed against, who’ve set work on your students or taught your dancers at summer programs—and pick up the phone. Ask if they need a choreographer for any upcoming shows, or if they know anyone who does.
Think of it this way: Other schools have the same needs as yours. If you’ve brought in a guest choreographer to work with your dancers, picture yourself being that person for someone else. Many competition studios hire freelancers to create a few routines each season. Similarly, professionally oriented schools and regional companies often bring in guests to choreograph for performances and festivals. Students may be looking individually for someone to create a solo for college auditions. At the college level, you can do a guest artist residency, which usually involves making a piece for a dance department concert. Alternatively, check with small, local dance companies to see if they need someone to create work for an upcoming show.
If your school belongs to an arts organization, make it known to other members that you’re interested in doing outside choreography. Robert Kelley, artistic director of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre in Soquel, California, says that most of his commissions come through Regional Dance America, of which SCBT is a member. Mayes, meanwhile, has set work at several schools that saw his choreography at the American College Dance Festival. You can also get the word out to city and state arts councils to capitalize on local resources.
Finally, never underestimate the power of the internet. Emily Shock, owner of Applause Studios in Moore, Oklahoma, reports that demand for her freelance work went through the roof when she started a YouTube page to showcase her choreography. “People are online to get inspired and to make connections,” she says. “If you’re putting nice work out there, you’ll get noticed. Also, if you see work that you like online, take a second to tell the person, ‘I really enjoyed it and here’s why.’ When you do that, they’ll click on your name. It comes back to you.”
Doing the Prep Work
Before taking on any outside choreographic projects, decide how much time you want to invest in freelance work. “You have to be mindful of your own energy so you don’t burn yourself out,” advises Mayes, who has set choreography at schools including James Madison University, Orange Coast College, Washington University in St. Louis and Wayne State University, as well as professional companies Bowen McCauley Dance and CityDance Ensemble.
Mayes takes on no more than two outside commissions each school year, though he works more during the summer months. Shock sets aside weekends from July through October to freelance. In the past year, she’s created routines for competitive studios and dance teams in Florida, Iowa, Kansas, New York, Oklahoma and Texas. “I work a lot, but I try not to leave the studio during regular class times,” she explains.
In addition to scheduling, you have to prepare yourself for the experience itself. “When you have your own school or company, you’re used to those kids. You know how your dancers cover ground, how they adhere to the music,” explains Kelley. “When you walk into a new place, you’ve often got an hour to watch the dancers before you start. It’s the most nerve-wracking hour of the choreographic process!” Not only that, but you’ll generally have a week—or less—to create the work, whereas at home you can nurture a dance for weeks or even months. Kelley, who has set work on Mid-Columbia Ballet, Michigan Classical Ballet Company, Sacramento Ballet, Utah Regional Ballet and others, recommends doing some supplemental training in dancemaking—even if you’ve been doing it for years—so that you go into the freelance realm confident and ready to tackle challenges.
The Benefits
If you take on enough work, freelance choreography can be a great source of income, particularly on the competition circuit. For competition numbers, Shock has set fees for solos, duets/trios, small and large group numbers—and when she creates multiple numbers at several different studios, the money can add up. Just remember that studios’ budgets for commissioning outside work will differ, and if you’re starting out, your fees may not be as high as an already established choreographer.
The intangibles can be worth as much as the money. Each time you choreograph outside your studio, you have the chance to impart your knowledge to a new set of students. “[Freelance work] is not a great source of revenue for me only because I don’t pursue it as much as I could. I do it for the experience,” Kelley explains. “The companies I work with want their students to work with a professional choreographer.”
You’ll also bring back knowledge to your own dancers: “When I go out and set work on other kids, I look at what they’re doing well,” Shock says. “I’ll ask their teacher, ‘How do you work this?’ Then I can come back and implement new ideas at my studio.” And it’s not just about technique: Dancers at another school may have a quality or attitude that you’ll want to develop in your own dancers.
Stepping outside your studio will inspire you as a teacher—and an artist. “Every time I work with a new set of people, I develop new skills,” says Mayes. “Because I tailor each dance to those dancers, I have to look at their strengths, relationships and different body sizes, and work within that realm.”
Kelley finds that working with new dancers enhances his choreography. “My company knows me inside and out—they can often finish a phrase of choreography for me,” he says. “When I’m working elsewhere they don’t know my work, so it stretches me as a choreographer. I have to come up with new and innovative material.”
Why wouldn’t you jump at the chance to build your choreographic knowledge, become a better teacher to your own students, influence new dancers—and bring in a little extra income while you’re at it? If you’re ready to put yourself and your work out there, gather the tools and contacts in your professional arsenal and make it happen. New audiences are waiting. DT
Kathryn Holmes, a former editor of Dance Spirit magazine, is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing at The New School in New York City.
