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46. The 5 B’s of Building Your Professional Dance Network
175 Plays2 months ago
In this solo episode, I’m breaking down the art of building a professional dance network. Whether you're auditioning for companies, seeking freelance opportunities, or looking to expand your dance career, networking is essential. I’m sharing my five key strategies—the "Five B’s"—to help you create meaningful connections that lead to lasting career success.
Key “Pointes” in this Episode:
🩰Why networking is crucial for a sustainable dance career
🩰How to approach networking with authenticity and confidence
🩰Simple ways to start connecting with people in the dance industry today
🩰How social media can be a powerful tool for networking (when used authentically).
🩰Why supporting others’ work strengthens your personal network.
Tune in for actionable tips and insight into why networking is more than just “who you know” - it’s about fostering mutual respect and supporting others in the industry. The more meaningful relationships you build, the more opportunities will come your way!
Let’s connect!
My WEBSITE: thebrainyballerina.com
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/thebrainyballerina
1-1 Career Mentoring: book your complimentary career call
Questions/comments? Email me at caitlin@thebrainyballerina.com
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Transcript
Introduction to Brand New Ballerina Podcast
00:00:04
Speaker
I'm Caitlin, a former professional ballerina turned dance educator and career mentor, and this is the Brand New Ballerina podcast. I am here for the aspiring professional ballerina who wants to learn what it really takes to build a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry.
Realities of a Dance Career
00:00:20
Speaker
I'm peeling back the curtain of professional dance world with open and honest conversations about the realities of becoming a professional dancer. Come along to gain the knowledge and inspiration you need to succeed in a dance career on your terms.
00:00:38
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Brainy Ballerina Podcast.
Building a Dance Network
00:00:41
Speaker
Caitlin here today with a solo episode chatting all about building your professional dance network. I'm sure at some points you've heard about the importance of building strong network for your dance career and you might be left wondering what that really means and how to do it.
00:00:59
Speaker
Today I'm going to break it down and they give you some really actionable tips to help you build a network that can support you and your dance career. I can confidently say that the majority of my professional work as a dancer was solidified because of a connection I had in the room.
00:01:15
Speaker
It's so hard to see everything you need to know about a dancer in a short audition session. If you are auditioning for ballet jobs, you might go to an hour and a half ballet class, and then you might be asked to stay for repertoire, partnering to show a variation, and maybe even to have an interview with the director.
00:01:35
Speaker
But in that amount of time, it's really hard to see everything they want to know about if you're going to be a good employee. Because it's not just about how high your extension is, how many turns you can do, or even your technical ability.
00:01:50
Speaker
a lot of what is being looked for is if you will make a good employee. And the things that go into making a great employee are a lot of character traits. Are you dependable?
00:02:00
Speaker
Are you kind? Are you consistent? Do you show up? Do you take correction well? All these things that you can see a little bit within a class or audition setting, but you're not getting the full picture.
00:02:13
Speaker
So your network is essentially those people are going to vouch for you and say, yes, they are a great person to work with. I enjoyed working with them. I would work with them again. i would hire them again. Anything in that realm, if someone can speak up for you and say, yes, give them a chance, that's going to highly, highly up your chances of getting the job because chances are there's going to be a lot of talented dancers in the audition space.
00:02:38
Speaker
And maybe you get to the end and they're deciding between two dancers and they don't know who to choose because you both could be great fits, but there's only one contract Well, that person with a personal connection probably has a leg up
The Five B's of Networking
00:02:51
Speaker
to getting the gig. Today, I'm going to share with you the five B's to building your professional dance network.
00:02:57
Speaker
If you can latch on to these tips, it's going to help you immensely in your dance career. The first tip is to be genuine. Be a genuine person. Really be yourself. Show your personality.
00:03:09
Speaker
When you're meeting other dancers, choreographers, anyone in the industry, focus on building real human connections rather than just seeking opportunities.
00:03:21
Speaker
Sometimes there's a sense of approaching another person with this feeling of what opportunity can they give to me as opposed this is an interesting person that I would like to meet and get to know because we're human beings living on the planet Earth.
00:03:37
Speaker
And I think it would be cool to get to know them and ask them about their work. So here's some actionable tips to help you be more genuine in your interactions because I know it can be a little bit daunting sometimes, especially when you're meeting somebody that you really look up to.
00:03:51
Speaker
The first tip is really just to show true interest in other people's work. Ask them about themselves. Ask them questions. People love to talk about themselves and their work and the things they're passionate about.
00:04:02
Speaker
So the more that you can ask them and generate that kind of conversation and truly learn about what they do, one, it's a much more genuine interaction. And two, you're learning about what they do on a deeper level. And you can actually, from there, have more insight onto how you could collaborate together or if you would make a good employee for that person or colleague.
00:04:24
Speaker
So asking insightful questions is going to be a really helpful strategy for just getting to know a person on a human level, building that connection. And remember, there's not supposed to be an ulterior motive for being a kind, genuine person.
00:04:39
Speaker
It should be a baseline for how you operate in this world. The connections that I have today and the people that I work with now and how I meet people is just friendships, right? It's not that I went out of my way and targeted a person that I wanted to meet and had this ulterior motive of what knowing them or being in their circle could give back to me. Not at all. It was just me making friends, being a nice person, and then those friendships blossom and you realize – I want to work with my friends. And I've heard this before. People have this idea that it's a bad thing. People want to work with their friends. They're like, they're always hiring their friends, hiring people they know.
00:05:15
Speaker
I understand how that can be frustrating. But if you think about it, doesn't it make sense? If you have people in your network, people that you know that you like to work with who do great work, who are reliable, and who you enjoy being around, wouldn't you keep giving them more work?
00:05:29
Speaker
I don't think it's such a negative thing. that people want to work with people they know and who are essentially their friends. So if you want to get more work, make more friends. And I'm not saying that you have to be friends with everyone or that you have to go out there and be a complete social butterfly. Not at all. I'm a very big introvert. i need my space. I need my time to decompress.
00:05:47
Speaker
I think a lot of dancers are like that. And not every connection has to be your closest, dearest friends. We have different kinds of people in our lives, people that you meet while you're just in a class and you stand next to each other at bar and you get to chatting after class and exchange Instagram handles.
00:06:03
Speaker
It can be as simple as that. And then if something comes up and you need someone for a project, you think of them to reach out for them because you've now made this connection. doesn't have to be that deep or your best, closest friends. But even just having these acquaintances that you meet and that you're kind to and you have a reputation for being genuine makes a difference.
00:06:20
Speaker
So that's the first b Be genuine. The second B is pretty similar. be kind. Be a nice person to work with. I'm not saying to be a wallflower or to be a pushover or to be okay with unsafe working conditions or being treated poorly or not having boundaries.
00:06:38
Speaker
And in my opinion, having boundaries is actually one of the most kind things you can do because it sets expectations. And people really thrive on clear expectations. I've learned that as a teacher.
00:06:51
Speaker
I've learned that as a parent. And I've learned that just in my general life, that we all like to know what to expect when we're interacting with other people. So someone telling us their boundaries and what they're okay with and what they're not okay with is kind.
00:07:05
Speaker
Sometimes we hear be kind and we think that you have to just lay down and let people do whatever they want. That's not at all what I'm saying. You can be kind and also assertive.
00:07:16
Speaker
You can be kind and speak your mind. You can do all of these things in a professional way. What it comes down to for me is I want to be the kind of person that people enjoy working with and want to have around.
00:07:28
Speaker
People want to have around somebody who is nice to them, who makes them feel good, who does good work, and who is willing to stand up for themselves and others in situations when things are not as they should be.
00:07:40
Speaker
Being kind can mean a lot of different things, but ultimately, be someone that you'd want to be around, and you will get a lot more work, and you will build your network. The third B is be in the community.
00:07:51
Speaker
If you want to meet people, if you want to build your network, you have to get out there into the community and do things. I hear from dancers sometimes who say they're not getting opportunities and I ask them, what have you been doing?
00:08:03
Speaker
And a lot of times, not much. Not every single job comes from and audition. Sure, a lot of them do and you do have to go to auditions. I talk about that a lot on this podcast and in all of my work.
00:08:18
Speaker
Absolutely. But jobs come from other places. Maybe you take a class at an open studio and you meet somebody who's looking for a freelance artist and they see you dance and they invite you to be part of their project.
00:08:31
Speaker
Maybe you go to a performance and you meet someone. Maybe you go to a competition. Maybe you attend a networking event. All of these different things add up to being in the community and being someone that people remember.
00:08:43
Speaker
And tell people that you're looking for work. Tell people what you want to do. Say it out loud. When you are in the community, when you are attending events, be very vocal about what you want to do, what you're available for.
00:08:55
Speaker
Because then people can think of you for those projects. They might not know that you want to perform. They may not know that you have availability or that your current contract is ending and you're looking for something else. They may have no idea.
00:09:06
Speaker
First of all, you have to know what you want and what you're going for. and once you know that, then tell people, say it out loud, be vocal. Don't assume that people know what you need or what you want.
00:09:17
Speaker
You have to ask. And I know asking for help is the worst. We all hate it. I hate it. i don't want to ask for help. I want help. I need help. I don't want to ask for it.
00:09:29
Speaker
I want people to read my mind and know what I need and then offer that up to me. Wouldn't that be great? Unfortunately, that's not how it works. You have to say what you need, what you want.
00:09:40
Speaker
Give actionable items to people. Just like I'm giving to you right now, I'm giving you action steps of things to do. You have to do that to other people for them be able to take that action. So be in the community and be vocal about what you need and what you are wanting to do with your career.
00:09:57
Speaker
The fourth B is to be collaborative. If you feel like you're not getting a lot of opportunities, create them yourself. And you don't always have to collaborate with someone else in order to create something for yourself.
00:10:10
Speaker
But it sure helps to have buddy to have a partner to work with for that accountability, for that creative spark. So this could look something like maybe you have a performance idea that you really want to put together and you have some other friends who aren't doing much right now.
00:10:26
Speaker
Then you're like, hey, let's get together and rent a studio and put together this performance. And it doesn't to be as big as a whole performance. It could just be like, let's get in the studio and work on some choreography together.
00:10:38
Speaker
Or let's even just take turns teaching each other a class every week so we make sure we get in the studio. I collaborate so often with people in this dance world. And sometimes I have an idea for something that I want to do, but I just don't see...
00:10:51
Speaker
how I'm going to make it happen, what the path is, or I just know that I need a buddy because there's things that you just aren't going to think of on your own, right? We're stronger together. Our ideas are better together.
00:11:03
Speaker
And again, there's this idea in the dance world that we all need to be so independent and it's so tooth and nail and we're all fighting for the same jobs and it's almost sets us up to have this kind of shield up around other people.
00:11:16
Speaker
Like if I tell them what I want to do, will they steal that idea from me? Maybe. But no one could do it like you do. They could never take your idea and do the same thing you were going to do with it.
00:11:30
Speaker
So doesn't matter. And if you have someone that you trust that you want to collaborate with, that should be a non-issue, right? Have I been burned by collaborations before? Yeah, I have and I have learned from them.
00:11:40
Speaker
So my biggest piece of advice if you do want to collaborate with another person would be to, again, set really clear expectations for the work you're going to do the commitment you're making to each other, and clear parameters, time,
00:11:56
Speaker
space, money, energy, what are you expecting from them and what are they expecting in return? Because if you're not on the same page, if you're taking this collaboration very, very seriously and they're just kind of like, that could be fun as a kind of a side thing, but I'm not that focused on it, then you do have different expectations and you might end up clashing over those differing expectations. so get really clear and you might actually be okay hey with the other person not being on the same level as you. like Maybe you're like, I'll take lead on this project.
00:12:31
Speaker
If you can come in and just do little bit, I just need a tiny bit of support so like I can do 80%, you do 20%. That could be fine as long as you're clear about that from the start.
00:12:43
Speaker
If you go into a project collaboratively expecting 50-50, And that's not what happens. That's when issues start to happen. So it all comes back down to expectations, communication.
00:12:54
Speaker
Don't assume that people know what you're thinking, what you want. You have to say it out loud. The last V is to be professional. Show up prepared. Show up on time.
00:13:06
Speaker
Come with an open-minded attitude. Be willing to try things. Have a growth mindset. All of these things make you a professional in the dance world. And professionals want to work with other professionals.
00:13:19
Speaker
We don't want to have to worry about if you're going to show up, if you're going to be ready to rehearse that day. Of course, everyone has bad days, has off days. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about what you do 95% of the time.
00:13:34
Speaker
When you are dependable You are creating a sense of trust that makes people want to work with you again and again. And that's going to naturally grow your professional network. You need to prove to other people that you are trustworthy. and And also prove it to yourself.
00:13:49
Speaker
Prove that you show up when you say you're going to. Prove that you do the things you're going to. I do that for myself all the time and I have to do that very intentionally running a one-woman business because there's not a lot of accountability from other people.
00:14:02
Speaker
Of course, I have my clients who i am always going to show up for So that is a level of accountability that I have for them. But beyond that, just as a general business structure, and don't have a ah co-owner.
00:14:16
Speaker
and don't have a boss. I have to be accountable to myself. And there are days... when I don't want to do the things I have to do. Like today, and like to list down my top three things that I want to do for the day.
00:14:29
Speaker
So my top three things that i felt like if I can get these things done today, that would be great, were meal plan and go to the grocery store, do a strength training workout, and record this podcast episode.
00:14:42
Speaker
And I had block of time that I'm currently sitting in right now recording this episode, and when it came to that block of time, I did not really feel like sitting down and doing this episode. I'm just being totally honest. I wanted to go outside. I wanted to go for a walk. I wanted to do something else.
00:14:59
Speaker
And those are great things to do. And I really do need to get outside and go for a walk. So I'm putting that on my top three things to do tomorrow. But today, this was my third thing that I needed to get done.
00:15:10
Speaker
And I need to show up for myself. and I need to prove to myself that I'm going to do the things I say I'm going to do. Because if I don't do that for myself, if I don't prove to myself that I'm trustworthy, why is anyone else going to believe that I'm trustworthy?
00:15:22
Speaker
What do you think about yourself matters ultimately way more than what anyone else thinks about you. Prove to yourself that you are the person you want to be and that will start showing up to the outside world as well.
00:15:34
Speaker
So to recap these five B's that are going to help you build a strong professional network of people who are going to want to work with you, be genuine, be kind, be in the community,
00:15:48
Speaker
be collaborative, and be professional. And ultimately, remember that networking is about building mutually beneficial relationships. Focus on what you can give as much as you can gain.
00:16:01
Speaker
If you're always taking, taking, taking from other people and never giving back, they're going to get frustrated. They're not going to want to keep working with you in the same way. This dance world is small.
00:16:12
Speaker
We need each other. Artists need each other to thrive. So the next time a gig comes up that you can't do, give someone else's name you think would be a great fit. The next time you think of a project that you want to work on but you don't want to do it alone, who could you ask to do it with you?
00:16:27
Speaker
Next time you need advice about something, who could you reach out to for some advice? And it can be as simple as just DMing someone on Instagram, right? Like I've built so many connections through just reaching out to somebody who I admire on the online space and saying, hey, I love your work. I admire your work.
00:16:46
Speaker
I think what you're doing is amazing. Can you tell me more about it? Or I'd love to talk to you on my podcast about it. I want to spread your work to other people. I think it's so cool. I feel so blessed that I have a platform now that I'm able to build my network and share other people's stories.
00:17:02
Speaker
And one of my big things for my podcast is that I love to ask my guests, Hey, who else do you think would be a great fit for my podcast? Do you know anyone that you could recommend? Because That's how my network grows. That's how I get to meet more people and build more meaningful connections and hear more stories and ultimately create this gorgeous library of people's stories that I'm able to share.
00:17:24
Speaker
And that's really, really special to me. I'm so thankful for the people I've met and the experiences I've had through this career. And I wouldn't have had them if I wasn't open to forming human relationships, making relationships.
00:17:37
Speaker
true friendships with people that I've met. And again, the dance world gets this reputation for being so cutthroat, but 99% of the people that I've met in the dance world are so, so kind and so willing to help.
00:17:50
Speaker
and so open with sharing their experiences because we all know how hard it is We've been there and we want to help other people thrive in this industry because we love dance.
Conclusion and Community Engagement
00:18:00
Speaker
We want to see it survive and we need to keep fueling the future dancers of this art form.
00:18:06
Speaker
So remember that people are just people. Just go out there, be genuine, be kind, and watch your network flourish.
00:18:18
Speaker
Thank you for tuning into the Brainy Ballerina podcast. If you found this episode insightful, entertaining, or maybe a bit of both, I would so appreciate you taking a moment to leave a rating and hit subscribe.
00:18:31
Speaker
By subscribing, you'll never miss an episode. And you'll join our community of dancers passionate about building a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry. Plus your reigns help others discover the show too. I'll be back with a new episode next week.
00:18:47
Speaker
In the meantime, be sure to follow along on Instagram at The Brainy Ballerina for your daily dose of dance career guidance.