ABSTRACT
How have universities readied their dance students to make a good living? This chapter looks at some of the strategies and experiences of our Dance Department at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok to help students effectively use their dance skills and talent to make a living and maintain their respect after graduating with their BFA in dance. Our pedagogy aims to foster their talent, discipline, and understanding so they can enter a career path in the world of dance. While our BFA program offers students credentials to begin working, we stress the importance of lifelong learning in many areas tied to dance for their long-term success. Although they may focus on dance, choreography, acting, production, artistic director, pedagogy, research, makeup artist, costume, scene and lighting design, dance therapy, physical and mental health, our curriculum provides them with practical skills and knowledge in each of these areas. Our focused learning underlaid by a broad understanding of the dance world helps students use what they have learned to benefit society and their own lives. While the COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected how we teach, train, and perform with our students, since the fall of 2022 things have mostly returned to normal.
