You love to dance. You probably can’t even remember a time when you weren’t dancing. Unfortunately, a professional career for dancers usually lasts about 15 years.
But what happens after the last curtain call? What do you do then?
Although it hurts your heart to think about, our bodies are not designed to dance forever at a professional level. Eventually, age catches up with you. Still, making the choice to pull back from a dance career can be an extremely hard decision.
But there is a career that blends perfectly with lessons learned from dance.
Copywriting.
What is copywriting?
Copywriting is an art form in itself. It’s a perfect marriage of psychology and sales writing that gets people to take action. Those actions can be anything from purchasing a new leotard, registering for a summer intensive, or signing up for a free trial of strength training.
Every business needs help getting people to take the action that they want. The dance industry is no exception. This is where you, as a dancer, come in. You have four core qualities that gracefully transfer to copywriting.
4 Reasons dancers make great copywriters:
1. You’re creative.
Not everyone is born with creativity. Some writers have to develop the skill of thinking outside the box. Marketing often requires you to look at something from a different perspective to solve a problem. But you’ve already learned how to do this.
Every time there is a costume mishap, you choreograph an audition piece, or teach a barre exercise, you’re presenting a creative solution. Hiding a tear in a costume, presenting your talent for a company, or helping students learn proper technique. It’s all creative problem solving. That’s part of copywriting.
You’re already one step ahead.
2. You know the industry.
Some copywriters choose a niche or a specific type of copy (type of sales writing). Most people don’t know what tombé, pas de bourreé, glissade, grand jeté across the floor means. It’s quite literally another language. No matter when you started dancing, you know more about the dance community than the average person.
But guess what? There aren’t many copywriters who specialize in dance. Who better to write about dance than you, a dancer? Many dance based companies work with copywriters who don’t know anything about dance, and the owner ends up with lackluster writing they aren’t happy with.
You can use your knowledge to fill in gaps of information in an industry you’re passionate about. Topics like body image, adult-focused ballet, or mental health.
3. You’re disciplined.
Copywriters can work with a marketing team or as a freelancer. Either route you take, you have to meet deadlines. Some business owners have had bad experiences with copywriters because the writer didn’t get the work done on time. But dancers understand the value of a person’s time.
You probably agree that dance requires time, dedication, practice, and focus. All ideal qualities of a disciplined writer. Copywriting is similar to dance because you practice every day, you manage your time wisely, you focus on the project at hand, and you always give your best to your clients.
It’s almost like preparing for a recital or a show. Daily rehearsal and stretching, cutting out distractions, focusing on one show at a time, and performing your best.
It’s basically the same process.
Speaking of discipline...
4. You’re motivated to do your best.
Dancers constantly grow as artists because of their motivation. It drives you to work hard until you reach success, whatever that looks like for you. A study showed that dancers who were more motivated, performed better because of their motivation.1
Maybe you want to be a Rockette, start a dance studio, or coach dancers. Whatever you want to do, you work hard toward your specific goals. And desire and motivation make it possible for you to achieve those goals.
Copywriting is the same. The desire to be better and improve, helps copywriters to grow in their art form.
What are the benefits of being a professional copywriter?
You can work full-time at a company as a copywriter. But it’s 100% possible to start your own business as a freelance copywriter.
Starting your own business allows you to do three things.
1. Be Your Own Boss
That means that you can decide when you work, who you work with, and how you run your business. You have total control of how your time is spent and how much of it is focused on writing. If you don’t feel well and need to take a day or two off, you can. Want to take a last minute vacation? You can do that too!
2. Gain Financial Freedom
You can make as much or as little money as you want as a copywriter. If you would like to try something that’s not a typical 40-hour workweek but has the potential to pay like one, consider copywriting. Many writers have been able to quit their corporate jobs and work a fraction of the time.
3. Work From Anywhere
As long as you have internet, you can be a copywriter wherever you are in the world. Since copywriting is an online business, you aren’t limited to your local area. That means you can share your knowledge and experience from the couch in your living room, a beach in Hawaii, or a coffee shop down the street.
Blog by: Michelle Hauck
Michelle is a dancer turned copywriter. She enjoys working with other dancers who have made the switch to entrepreneurship. Her goal is to help them grow their business and spread reliable information for the next generation of dancers.
Connect with Michelle:
Instagram: @mcihelle.hauck.agency
Website: www.michellehauckagency.com
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