Navigating a graduate career in dance can be challenging. MFA and Ph.D. students may find themselves with very different needs. We are often at a strange crossroads between the arts and humanities. Still, your cohort and other colleagues within the program can be a great support network. (Thanks to all our alumni who contributed their ideas to help me write this post!) While you will need your network's support as you navigate your time through graduate school, we wanted to help you prepare to transition from fall into winter on a high note. With that in mind,  gathered below are a few additional resources to help support your journey.

 

[Image Description: A tabby cat standing on its hind legs on a couch. The tabby is shifting back and forth in a simple dance.]

Pictured: The cool moves you'll bust out after reading this blog

 

Conferences

Attending conferences is a great way to network, learn more about the field, and develop and share your own research. When planning conference travel, make sure to apply for funding through the Graduate Student Association’s conference travel grant.

• The Dance Studies Association hosts annual conferences and additional special topics conferences with the potential to present both written and performance-based scholarships.
• The National Dance Education Organization focuses primarily on supporting teaching.
• The American College Dance Association is an excellent place to present creative work and take a class.

As interdisciplinary scholars, many of us find that attending additional conferences that are not dance specific can be beneficial as they help build those interdisciplinary skills. Seek these opportunities out in relation to your own particular research interests and cross-disciplinary boundaries. A few such conferences to consider are those hosted by the American Studies Association, Popular Culture Association (with a designated dance subject area), and the Association of Theatre in Higher Education.  

 

 

[Image Description: A black cat curled up on its side around a stack of dollar bills. A hand reaches out to take the bills, but the cat slaps the hand away.]

Pictured: Your wallet, when it sees all the conferences you want to attend without seeking funding support 

 

Funding

Dance Studies is often positioned as and/or considered a humanities field. Despite that, Dance Studies is rarely named as a specific subject in lists of humanities jobs, fellowships, etc. Due to this, it is important to know where to look, as well as what keywords to use, when searching for opportunities for which you might be eligible to apply. Some things to consider:

• Does your research focus on a specific genre of dance that may be associated with an area studies field?
• Is there a focus within your research on gender, sexuality or race that would suggest other fields to focus on?
• Is your research historical? Political? Where might you cross boundaries with other more traditional fields?

When seeking funding, begin by referring back to Grad Division’s website and the Dance Department Graduate Student Handbook. Several key opportunities to revisit from within the handbook are the Department of Dance’s Departmental Research Grant (DRG) - $300, the Gluck Fellows Program of the Arts, and the Humanities Graduate Student Research Grant. Ph.D. students may want to apply for the Graduate Division Dissertation Research Grant and Graduate Research Mentorship Program (GRMP)/Dissertation Year Fellowship (DYP). MFA’s should consider applying for Master’s Thesis Research Grant and Continuing Fellowships for MFAs.

 

 

[Image Description: A white cat with orange ears lifts a paw to push black-rimmed glasses off its face.]

Pictured: You, taking a closer look at these funding opportunities 

 

Professionalization

Although it may seem like a lot to consider when you are still early on in graduate school, it’s helpful to keep in mind where you want to end up when you finish this stage of your educational journey. If you want to end up in a dance department, you may need to seek out opportunities to maintain your own physical practice. If you are not interested in academia, what other skill sets can you develop during your time in graduate school?

Update your CV regularly throughout graduate school. Not only will this save you from having to use your sleuthing skills later to remember every teaching assignment, conference presentation and fellowship you received, but it will help you be prepared to take advantage of last-minute opportunities along the way.

If you are a Ph.D. student, start to think about publications early in your graduate career. Could you do a book review or revise a term paper for submission in an anthology? Think strategically about what you can fine tune and publish well before you begin applying for jobs.

If you’re an MFA student, you want to consider where you can present your choreography locally as you develop your thesis work.

Academic jobs can be found at ChronicleVitae, the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, HigherEd Jobs, and H-Net. Prepare yourself for the job search by attending GradSuccess events such as After Grad: Academic Development and After Grad: Teaching Development days.

If you’re looking outside of academia you might want to check out Humanists at Work, ImaginePhD, and Americans for the Arts Job Bank. Start finding out about your options early by attending After Grad: Career Pathways Day.

 

 

[Image Description: A tabby cat looking down at the viewer as it seems to punch the screen with its little paws.]

Pictured: You, ready to conquer graduate school 

 

Now that you have this information, you're ready to transition into Winter Quarter. If you have any questions along the way, come visit us in the Graduate Writing Center as you develop those creative projects, articles, fellowship applications, and job materials.

  Get out there and kick graduate school’s butt!