More SCOPE to life after dance

Dramatic Online, 15 March 2007,Australia

A world-first Australia Council program will assist Australian dancers to better plan and manage their professional careers. The Securing Career Opportunities and Professional Employment (SCOPE) program, which was launched on Tuesday, aims to provide career, networking, education support and professional development opportunities for dancers throughout their artistic careers and beyond. Twenty-five dancers and choreographers from across Australia have been selected to take part in SCOPE’s 2007 program, including dancers Byron Perry, Lisa Wilson and Katie Ripley. Sydney-based Ripley has had major roles in SDC productions such as The Director’s Cut and Mulan, and has spent the last twelve years working in the Australian Ballet and Sydney Dance Company. She is reassessing her career after a recent injury forced her to take a year-long break, and hopes to look at retraining options through the program. Melbourne-based Perry has worked as an independent dancer for the past twelve years and recently won the Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer for his performance in Kage Physical Theatre's Headlock. He is looking at a second career in photography. “I’ve been dancing professionally for about twelve, thirteen years,” said Perry. “(But) it’s hard for dancers in any country. We have to find other work to offset our dance work because everything is project-based; we often have things fall through or we don’t work for a month or two, and stuff like that. “I’ve been taking photos for about eighteen months now. I take architecture, urban landscapes, portraits, almost anything at this point … I’m interested in all sorts of photography, and in performance photography as well, because I’m still learning and experimenting and finding my niche. “I think the best thing that I can get out of SCOPE is probably talking to people who are used to developing someone’s business plan, and letting them know what I need to do to set up a small business and ways of managing that, in terms of keeping my dancing career going at least for the next year or two. It would be good to be doing something that’s still artistic that involves sort of throwing yourself around past 35, if at all possible!” “The average dancer retires from performance at the age of 30. While many continue their careers in the industry, others choose to transition into other fields,” SCOPE program ambassador Dein Perry said. “We hope that this world-leading program will provide many dancers with the skills they need to manage their careers effectively.” SCOPE is based on the Australian Sports Commission's Athlete Career Education program, which helps 3000 Australian athletes annually to develop their career within and beyond their sport. “With their similar physical demands, the career trajectory of professional dancers is very similar to athletes,” Dein Perry said. “Through career counselling, education, networking and other support opportunities, participating dancers and choreographers will now have tools to take the next step in their careers.” SCOPE is a partnership between the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australian Sports Commission, with support from the national dance industry body Ausdance. For more information, CLICK HERE

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