Resumé; 2.0

 
A dancer’s body is her instrument. All she needs is her own talent to land a job. Right?

Well, yes and no. While nothing replaces raw ability—and a knack for nailing an audition—a smart dancer knows how to market that ability. Of course, a professional headshot, resumé, and networking savvy are essential. But if you want to stand out in a sea of job-hunters, a personal website is key. Whether you’re a contemporary or commercial dancer, breaking into Broadway or ballet, a website gives you space to be seen, and for potential employers, you’re just a Google search away.

Noellie Bordelet, a contemporary dancer based in Los Angeles and Paris, says she didn’t need her website to land gigs in the tight-knit L.A. modern dance community but got a wake-up call after a show in New York. “A choreographer was talking to me about working with him for an upcoming piece. He asked what my web address was, and when I told him I didn’t have one, he left!”

This would come as little surprise to Terry Lindholm, a dance agent with McDonald Selznick Associates in L.A. For a quick, efficient look at new talent, he watches video clips posted on potential clients’ sites. “It’s great to be able to see those skills instantaneously, and we’re not wasting anyone’s time,” he says. “In the commercial marketplace, even in the theatrical stage world, it’s becoming more prevalent to submit clients to casting directors via the web.”

Once you do land a job, you’re more likely to snag others through your site, as tap dancer and choreographer Chloe Arnold was happy to find. “Because the web works off links,” she says, “the more jobs you do, the more jobs you get.” Google ranks a page according to its traffic volume and the relative importance of pages linked to it. The more your name is floating around the web through various jobs, the more people will search your name and wind up at your site. This makes your site more popular and more likely to be located by employers.

Even for dancers with steady gigs or long-term contracts, websites are invaluable marketing and networking tools. Chan Hon Goh, National Ballet of Canada principal, sees her site as an extension of her bio, a place where fans and interested employers can browse reviews and photos. Nathalie Nordquist, a soloist with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, doesn’t rely on her website to find jobs, but she has been contacted by newspapers and other projects via her site, “which usually contributes to new opportunities,” she says.

Be appropriate, though, in how you use your site. Tom Mossbrucker, artistic director of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, says, “I get e-mails from dancers telling me, ‘I can’t make the audition, but you can go to my website.’ I find that sloppy. It doesn’t show the kind of discipline and motivation you need to be a dancer. I’m not cranky and old-fashioned,” Mossbrucker jokes, but sometimes you just need to do it the old-fashioned way.

While your website can’t audition for you, a video link could help, as dancers learned last fall at a New York audition for the British dance-theater company DV8. Before the first cut, director Lloyd Newson extended a magnanimous gesture. “If you feel like you’re an amazing dancer and we haven’t seen your best, feel free to send us a YouTube video.”

When it comes to content and design, simplicity and professionalism win. “A good website contains the same information that’s essential in a press kit,” says Kim Konikow, director of Artservices & Company, which offers marketing and development guidance to artists and nonprofits. Your resumé and photos (printable if possible) are musts, along with videos and reviews.

“I keep my site pretty formal and make it as user-friendly as possible,” says Broadway performer Tyler Hanes. “Nothing too cluttered or flashy, just enough to make it pop.” Keep the
page number to a minimum for easy navigation, and make sure your information is current.

The aesthetic of your site, Konikow says, should match the aesthetic of your dance style. “I wouldn’t expect a hip hop dancer to use a cursive font.” Remember that your site reflects who you are, not just as a dancer but as a person. “Be clear on what you want to present, knowing you have a world audience,” Arnold says. A blog can be a great addition, but it shouldn’t be too personal. Contact information shouldn’t be too specific either.

Raring to go? If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, a variety of templates are available on the web. Otherwise, “I tell my students that their first best friend is a graphic designer, their second, a computer geek,” Konikow says with a smile.

Once you’ve created your masterpiece, get the word out! Post links on MySpace or Facebook, attach it as a signature to your e-mails, add it to your resumé, list it in performance programs, and print business cards.

As you make yourself known on the web, you’ll join the global arts community. What’s so exciting, says Lindholm, is that dancers are “utilizing their sites to share their craft in a way they couldn’t before. There’s ground to share. It’s a larger canvas.”

Erika Eichelberger is a writer and dancer based in NYC.

Originally published in Dance Magazine Auditions Guide, February 2009