Meet Kieran and learn more about his life as a professional dancer. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Kieran:
I realised that I wanted to be a dancer at a really young age. My sister was a professional dancer and she took me along to one of her dance rehearsals. And I remember watching her and just be in awe of everything that she was and just basically how good she was.
She pushed me to go and audition for the company and I ended up getting in and I only lasted there for about a year before she left and started her own company, and so then I trained under her direction - my training just progressed from there.
My parents and teachers really supported me from the beginning. At school I studied Performing Arts and then after leaving school I went on to do dance at Dance College. I was lucky enough to be chosen to start working on X Factor as a dancer. Everything that I learnt at college is beneficial for me for this for this career, because in every single job I've had to use some element of what I've learnt over those three years and actually even before that. I just got to finish the Spice Girls tour and I had to use every single element of what I've learnt.
Being a dance is not an easy job and it takes a lot of determination and passion. Being upbeat is like it's part of the job. You always have to kind of maintain positivity, composure. There are obviously times where you may not be having a good day, but you respectfully remove yourself. You have your moment and then you come back and you rejoin the group and you bring back a good energy.
If you're passionate about something and go forward and do it, you know. You can dance anywhere. If you wanna dance you can put on YouTube in your bedroom and you can learn from there. Most importantly, show those people that doubting you that you are passionate about it, because if you believe in something I think enough others will start believing it.
This job takes a lot of determination and passion.
Kieran wanted to be a dancer from a really young age
He was trained by his sister in her dance company
In school he did performing arts and then moved on to study dance at dance college
Kieran found that what he learnt at school and college were important elements in his job
He then performed on The X Factor as a dancer
Kieran thinks to be a dancer you need to have determination, passion and positivity.
What to expect if you want to be a professional dancer
- Professional dancer average salary: Your salary as a professional dancer can vary and there is no average wage
- Professional dancer typical working hours: It's likely you'll work in the evenings and at weekends for performances but there are no fixed hours
What qualifications do you need to be a professional dancer?
You could get into this role via a university course, a college course, applying directly or specialist courses run by private training organisations.
Sources: National Careers Service
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
Find out more on the Prospects website about the role of a dancer.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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