Laura Peterman | Pursuing Dance Professionally
What do you want to do when you grow up? Hear the stories of some Ballet 5:8 dancers and their journey to pursue dance professionally.
Company Artist, Laura Peterman
Q. When did you start training in dance?
A. Age 3.
Q. When did you know you wanted to dance full time?
A. Around age 13-14 I made the decision to pursue ballet professionally.
Q. What are the first steps to a career in dance?
A. You have to love it! The long hours and rigorous training needed to become a professional dancer are not for the faint of heart. A love of dance, a hardworking attitude, perseverance, and high-quality classical training.
Q. What was the most challenging part of building a career in dance?
A. The transition from student to professional is tough. There are so many talented dancers out there, and only so many jobs. It can be discouraging to hear "no" over and over again, but all it takes is being in the right place at the right time, not giving up, and continuing to work hard. It is very common these days to spend a couple years in a trainee program, second company, or apprentice position before making the full transition to professional artist.
Q. What do you enjoy most about being a professional dancer?
A. I love getting to be a part of such a unique field. So many little girls dream of being a ballerina one day, so to actually achieve that is something I am so grateful for. My favorite moments are those times on stage where I just look around, seeing my friends dancing beside me, and feel that community within the company. I also love technique class--which is good, since we do that daily!
Q. What valuable skills have you seen yourself develop through dance?
A. I've definitely developed tenacity and perseverance. It also gave me a lot of independence and responsibility: I moved out at 16 to train at a professional school, and moved to Chicago at 18 to join Ballet 5:8's trainee program. My training instilled in me the value of hard work, and gave me a deep appreciate and love for the arts.