Career Transition

Former dancer Kias Burget, now a restaurateur, used his discipline and time management skills from dance to succeed in his culinary career, even opening a restaurant during the pandemic. He encourages dance institutions to prepare dancers for career transitions and advises those considering a change to prepare thoroughly and learn about their new field.

Former ballet dancer Lucie Barthélémy became a food blogger and pastry chef, starting in 2005 during her dance career in Munich. Her passion for cooking, personal struggle with an eating disorder, and ballet background influenced her blogging journey. Her transition opened collaborations with restaurants and cafes, focusing on unique flavors and textures in her recipes. She encourages dancers transitioning careers to embrace change and leverage their ballet background.

Former principal dancer of the Australian Ballet, Lana Jones, transitioned to midwifery, inspired by her son's birth and a shift in her priorities. Despite initial fears about academia, she pursued nursing, finding that her resilience and discipline from ballet were advantageous.

Former Vienna State Opera Ballet dancer, Suzan Sittig, transitioned to a flight attendant due to an injury and a thirst for adventure. Her ballet skills aided her in adapting to this role. Despite challenges, she enjoys her new career and views it as a stepping stone. She advises dancers contemplating a career switch to be patient and follow their intuition.

Former ballet dancer Jessica Andrew, now a Residential Valuer at National Australia Bank, recounts her career transition. After failing to secure an EU company contract, she returned from Munich to Australia and found her interest in property, leading to her current job. She advises dancers planning a career change to brace for a challenging journey, but asserts it's worthwhile in the end.

Former ballet dancer, Jennifer Quent, retired at 22 to explore other interests. She studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology and held roles such as the Chief of Staff for Guggenheim Partners and now a manager at Marcum’s Family Office division. She attributes her business success to her discipline and adaptability as a dancer, and advises dancers to educate themselves in other fields and pursue a degree while dancing.

Dr. Hannah Coleman, a former dancer, now serves as a CICM trainee at John Hunter Hospital ICU and PICU. She sees parallels between ballet and medicine, citing discipline and the acceptance of constructive criticism as key traits. She assures dancers considering a career switch that their work ethic and discipline are valuable assets.

Professional dancer Boris Richir transitioned to arts administration, focusing on inclusive dance education. Inspired by his work with the Boston Ballet's Adaptive Dance department, he founded United Dance in 2017. The organization, which offers tailored dance courses for individuals with Down syndrome, has expanded to seven locations across Europe and the United States.

Former Staatsballett Berlin dancer, Caroline Bird, transitioned to digital communications at Beiersdorf, a leading skincare corporation. Despite challenges like company leadership change and securing her first non-ballet job, her resilience, passion, and discipline proved valuable in her new career.

Professional ballet dancer Abby Bushnell discusses transitioning from ballet to a clinical child psychology program at DePaul University. Despite time differences between Europe and the US, she balanced her career and studies. She encourages dancers to overcome the fear of career transition, emphasizing the value of effort even if initial attempts aren't successful.

Former professional ballet dancer, Gavin McCaig, transitioned into arts leadership, fueled by his passion for writing, choreography, and finance. His determination and perseverance led him to the role of Director of Business Operations at the London Vocational Ballet School.

Sarah Reynolds, a former dancer with the Netherlands Dans Theater, transitioned to work with the Dancers Council and Kunstenbond, a union for artists. Her union work and efforts for freelance dancers focus on fair pay, sustainable careers, and dancers' voices in the cultural sector.

Samantha Canedy, an ex-ballet dancer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The University of Texas, has extensive experience in performing arts and business development. Currently, she's an account manager at Pivot Pointe's consulting pillar.

Misha Tchoupakov, a renowned ballet dancer, reflects on his career transition and highlights his extensive experience dancing with prestigious ballet companies such as the Bolshoi Ballet and teaching at various institutions worldwide.

Patricia Keleher, a former ballet dancer, shares her experience of transitioning from ballet to project management. She discusses the challenges she encountered, the limited support for career planning in the ballet industry, and the opportunities that arose through networking and exploring new interests.

Ellen Warren, a former ballet dancer, became a costume designer and developed a custom-fit sizing and construction method for leotards. She launched her own leotard brand, Louise Apparel, and plans to expand into one-piece swimwear in 2021.

Benjamin Goodly's career transition from being a dancer to becoming a senior process engineer showcases the challenges of auditioning as a dancer and the skills he acquired from dance that have proven valuable in his engineering career.

Mariam Saprichyan, co-owner and esthetician of Kariné Kazarian, is a renowned industry expert in the cosmetics industry, offering invaluable knowledge for skincare and beauty enthusiasts, with her top skincare boutique in New York City and a client roster of elites.

Former ballet dancer Rika Brixie shares her experience with scoliosis and its impact on her ballet aspirations, emphasizing the importance of a well-designed conditioning program like Pilates for Scoliosis.

Pascalle Paerel and Hannah de Klein founded The Fashion Composers to address the lack of dancer representation in commercial and fashion contexts and enhance the quality of movement-focused advertisements.

Emma White, a former dancer from New Zealand, discovered the benefits of Pilates for preventing and aiding injury while conditioning the body. Now, Pilates is still a part of her life, and she enjoys sharing her knowledge and helping clients incorporate movement into their daily lives. We asked Emma to reflect on her career transition.

Shih-Huai Liang is a Taiwanese ballet dancer. Despite the challenges posed by limited accessibility to ballet in Taiwan, he tirelessly pursued a world-class classical ballet education to become a professional dancer in the U.S., New Zealand, and Korea. In 2019, fueled by his unwavering passion, he founded the Master Class Project Taiwan, leaving a lasting impact on the local dance community.

Pascal Johnson is an Amsterdam-based producer and movement director with a decade of experience dancing for international ballet companies. In 2020, he began producing and choreographing his own work, collaborating with architecture, artists, and galleries.

Teegan Kollmann discusses transitioning from a dancer to a physiotherapist and Dance for Parkinson's teacher. She shares her motivations and strategies for making dance accessible to all.

Sayaka Wakita, a former ballet dancer, shares her career journey and how she successfully transitioned to marketing and business after completing her higher education. She currently works as a sponsorship manager at Theater Dortmund.

Pivot Pointe talks career transition with classical ballet dancer cum licensed real estate agent, Serge Endinian.

Pivot Pointe talks career transition with self-employed dancer & Ayurveda practitioner, Jessica Thompson

Pivot Pointe talks to Ballet Dortmund's Alysson Rocha about career transition.