Throughout my college experience, I have frequently found myself in deep conversations with people regarding my dance major. As a junior, I have begun to realize that some of the same questions continually come up when talking to peers, professors, family, and friends. Here are a few questions that I always seem to be asked.

1. What do you do?

As a dance major, you are expected to take dance classes such as ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, and pas de deux (partnering) every week on top of all your other academic classes and rehearsals. There are also specific dance history classes you must take each semester. Once more, all dancers have concentrations in either performance, pedagogy (teaching), or arts and administration and some dancers even have minors or double majors in something totally different!

2. Do you have to wear a leotard ALL day long?

Yes and no. There have been many days where I have found myself in a leotard from eight in the morning to six at night but there are also days where I don’t have to put on a leotard till the afternoon! It just depends on my schedule. Either way, you can find dance majors in a leotard six out of the seven days of the week, and on really busy weeks, all seven days.

3. Is it anything like the movie Black Swan?

No... next question. Dance majors will literally roll their eyes at you if you ask us this question, so please, just don’t.

4. How are you graded?

Grades and dance are a bit of a tricky matter. While there is a right and wrong way to go about dancing, dance is a visual art form and therefore is subjective. Unlike the academic courses we all take, there is no definitive right or wrong answer when it comes to dance. Instead, a lot of how we are graded is left up to our professor’s personal opinion regarding a person’s technique and they have been progressing throughout the semester. They really make you work for that A!

5. Do you have homework?

Whenever I am asked this question I always like to equate our rehearsals to homework and studying. For a dance major, spending hours in the studio in class and in rehearsals is how we refine and get better at our art form. Once more, many dancers cross train and go to the gym regularly to build endurance and strength. Some also take yoga and Pilates. This, of course, is on top of all the other homework we have from our academic classes.

6. Do pointe shoes hurt?

Human beings are not meant to bend and move their bodies in the weird ways we define as dance. So naturally, dancing on our toes can be painful and result in many blisters, bruised or fallen off toenails, and bleeding, especially after dancing with them on for hours. However, many dancers wear toe pads, which is a light lining that can reduce blisters and ease the pain. After a while, the callouses we form on our feet significantly reduce the pain we might have felt.

7. Are there any guys that dance and are they all gay?

While it is true that the number of women dominate the number of men in dance, there are quite a lot of male dancers. Almost all our big ballets and productions involve partnering and roles for male dancers, so they are quite essential to a ballet’s success.

As for if they are all gay, that is a common misconception and stereotype that has been going on for decades. In any profession, there are both gay and straight guys AND girls and the same is true when it comes to dance.

8. What are you going to do with that major after college?

For many dance majors, it is extremely stressful to think about considering there are so many amazing dancers out there, some straight out of or even still in high school auditioning into dance companies right alongside us. Many of us during our senior year of college will go on several auditions for companies throughout the country with hopes of joining a ballet, modern, or contemporary company. Some of us might also find administrative positions at an arts organization. Dance is competitive and TOUGH!

9. Do your professors put an emphasis on your weight?

Our professors don’t focus entirely on weight but they do expect everyone to be in fit shape. By no means would they kick us out of the program if they believe we have gained weight. However, dance is very visual and having a pleasing physical aesthetic is always the goal. In fact, in order for us to be able to dance every day for long grueling hours, we must be physically healthy and in our best shape.

10. What is assessment week?

At least here at Butler University, it is the one week during the whole school year that we do not have any dance classes. This is the time where we meet with all our professors one on one and have a chance to receive constructive feedback on how we are progressing. It is quite an intimidating process because when you walk into the room, all the professors are sitting at one table and then there is a chair in front of them with a box of tissues right beside it on the floor. While it can get emotional, because let’s face it, it’s hard to hear all your professors tell you everything you are doing wrong and need to improve on, this week is truly meant to be informative to students and help them improve in the long run.