Artistic Director Research Paper

The Artistic Director: Paving the Way for the Progression of Dance Nobles and royalty created ballet in the 1400s as a means to showcase the grandeur of their courts (Bailey 16). Today, the performance art has evolved into countless techniques and styles, drawing millions of audience members all around the world. This enduring transformation from noble spectacle to professional craftsmanship was spearheaded by the leaders and influential voices of the dance world: artistic directors. Presently, artistic directors are multitalented individuals who can teach, choreograph, and run a business; although traditional schooling is not required, rigorous multifaceted education is necessary and can prepare an individual for a difficult but rewarding future. Dance

Artistic directors must still be strong dancers, choreographers, teachers, innovative thinkers, and artists. However, those wishing to start their own company (rather than being hired at a pre-existing troupe) must also become a fiscally-aware business owner. To achieve this, aspiring artistic directors often obtain a four-year B.A. or B.F.A. in dance, sometimes pursuing a double-major in business, and may go on to obtain a master’s in arts administration or a similar degree (Beebe). Although they do increase an aspiring director’s marketability and foundation of knowledge, these degrees are not invariably necessary and are actually useless if individuals have not also intensely trained in dance prior to college (Kinetz). The difficulty with becoming an artistic director is that revenue is usually low and expenses are perpetually high. Very few companies ever achieve wealth or affluence and artistic directors consistently suffer along with the economy. However, most artistic directors’ goals are not to achieve prosperity, but to create art and bring it into the community, bettering the lives around them, which makes the financial struggle worth while