Photo: David Gaylord Hometown: Cerritos, CA Current city: Richmond, CA Age: 52 College and degree: California State University, Long Beach (CSULB); BA in Philosophy and Dance Graduate school and degree: California State University, Long Beach; MFA in Dance: Choreography and Performance when I was 32 years old. Website: www.davalosdance.org and...
Financial advice for dancers and choreographers:
Be flexible, versatile, and smart.
Do whatever it takes to make dance happen wherever you are. Don’t wait for dance to come to you.
Get a job you enjoy and one that is not too hard on your body.
Pay your dancers a little something, even if it is in meals or trade.
Don’t settle for love, find a partner that supports you. Because being an artist has its own innate struggles, this part of your life should be easy. When you come home from a long day of work, followed by dance class, and then rehearsal, your partner should ask: How was your day? Can I get you something? Oh, and if you plan on having children, make sure one of you is good at math.
It doesn’t have to be at Zellerbach, the Lincoln Center, or the Kennedy Center to be good. Some of the best dance I have seen happens in unusual performance venues.