“They aren’t going to be professional dancers.”

In recent weeks I have read this phrase numerous times. It pops up in social media discussions often; usually to justify less than ideal teaching practices. I am aware that it is nearly impossible to find highly qualified teachers, in every discipline and genre, in every rural area of the country. I am keenly aware that I can never understand the financial intricacies of running a small neighborhood studio. I am also aware that most dancers who enter our studios are not going to be professional dancers; in fact many dancers who graduate from preprofessional programs at prestigious colleges and conservatories don’t end up becoming professional dancers. But the fact of the matter is that you just don’t know. And every student who comes to us to train is entitled to receive the very best training that we can possibly provide.

I walked into Luigi’s studio at the age of 25 to take my very first dance class. I had no idea who he was. I had no knowledge of his importance in the history of western dance or the list of Broadway luminaries who trained at his school. I was told, by a friend, that he was good with beginners. It never occurred to me that I could be a professional dancer. I never expected to take more than two classes per week. But Luigi took an interest in every student. Luigi taught every student as if the professional stage was their goal. Luigi whispered in my ear one day: “You think it’s too late; but it’s not.”. And because he never provided anything less than his best, dancers who “weren’t going to be professionals” had careers. And because of his dedication, and the dedication of my ballet and modern teachers to providing the best training possible to EVERYONE, I am still, nearly 40 years later, part of this industry.

When I began my performing career, I supplemented my income by teaching ballet at a small neighborhood studio. It was the kind of studio that is now called “recreational”, where children take one or two classes per week. The studio owner was extremely careful about who she hired; every teacher was educated at a well known and respected institution and had professional performing credentials. Every teacher gave their students the best training that they could, working within the confines of a recreational program. From this tiny “recreational” studio, students went on to programs at respected colleges, Ballet Hispanico and The School of American Ballet. This tiny recreational studio was responsible for setting just a few professionals on the path to their careers. What a tragedy it might have been for those lucky few, if the studio owner thought of her school “they aren’t going to be professional dancers”.

I have learned, both by example and experience, never to dismiss any student as not worthy of my best simply because I decided that they weren’t going to be a professional. It doesn’t happen often, but I have had students surprise me. And I love to be proven wrong. My greatest joy is when that student that I didn’t think would be a professional, books their first job. And they booked that job because I and my colleagues teach the way that we do. Please be the reason that some kid who is shy, some kid who is awkward, some kid who is dismissed as “not going to be a professional”, goes on to a career on the stage. There is no greater satisfaction.

When a class at Joffrey graduates, and students are saying goodbye, there are always those tearful “thank you’s”. And the thing I hear most often is: “Thank you for believing in me”. It is a gift and privilege to get to believe in those students; because the result brings rewards beyond measure.