Careers in Performing Arts

Dec. 2, 2010 - PRLog -- Today dance & music enthusiasts, who wish to give their passions dimensions of a career, have in front of them an interesting range of pursuits and consequent opportunities. However, proceeding towards selecting a pursuit from this mind boggling range requires a clear understanding of one’s aptitude and inclination towards a particular performing art. The process of selection though does not end here. There are several facets to the way a performing art can be taken up…. For instance one may choose to become a performer, practitioner or even an academician or researcher. Therefore after the successful selection of a particular performing art one needs to move towards identifying an area that suits his capability and talent the most.  

World over, it has been observed that there aren’t any hard and fast rules pertaining to an entry into performing arts. The most common way in one’s quest to taking up a career in performing arts is through structured training from an appropriate institution. While getting into an institution and pursuing an art may, to an extent be contingent on inherent talent, it is certainly not the only prerequisite to successful training and career. Despite the prevalence of several debates on “to what extent is training beneficial in bringing out a talent that as per many is inborn”, the advantages of education have been quite established. In fact, several experts believe that a well nurtured talent is capable of doing and achieving much more than talent that is relies on spontaneity alone.  
Moving on to the recruitment aspect, as known to many performing art enthusiasts, getting into industry involves huge amount of commitment, persistence and patience. Apart from these, an ability to look at one’s own work critically is pivotal. Once a chance to perform is obtained it must be ensured that every opportunity to perform on a diverse platform should be seized. Performing continuously on various platforms not only helps in terms of getting greater visibility and work but is also imperative for individual growth.

Delving further into the areas of application for performing arts, it is worth mentioning that this expertise has been successful in percolating to various aspects of life. Nowadays art performances are increasingly being used for purposes beyond their traditional roles of entertainment and art piece creation. A theatre workshop for example may successfully be used to help someone in boosting his or her confidence. Or a music therapy session may assist an individual in dealing with high stress levels. Such ‘applied’ uses of the arts have thus become an important subject of much research and study. These newer applications and uses of performing arts thus throw open a host of opportunities to those who wish to look at arts not just for the sake of creating an art piece, but from the perspective of deploying art in various other spheres of life. It may also be noted that on account of this field being new, there are very few trained professionals in it. The prospects for growth for young professionals who wish to take this aspect of the arts as a career are therefore quite inspiring and promising.

The possibilities associated with research and academics are also quite interesting. Traditionally, training pertaining to Indian performing arts has been oral. Very few artists have articulated their thoughts and ideas in the form of text, thus have limited the possibility of forming a theoretical framework and evolution of philosophical thought. Indian artists have also always believed in performance which in turn has restricted the classical arts practice to the elite. Traditional forms of performing arts have reached the masses through folk art to an extent but again without much documentation. Preserving various art forms and comprehending reasons behind several of their socio-political-economic-philosophical fall outs through proper documentation is undisputedly the need of the hour. This research aspect of performing arts is steadily evolving into an industry that is marked by the presence of many institutions, organizations, funding agencies dedicated to the cause.
In a nutshell, “performing arts” as a career choice is a serious decision and a tough one as well. The glamour and razzmatazz aside, a thorough understanding of all areas and applications of this field are crucial for the right career choice. Further, just like any other career option, this area too requires preparation, formal training, & internship followed by work experience for accomplishment.

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FLAME, a non-profit organization was established in 2004 with an objective to create and build an excellent Institution of higher learning that is grounded in Indian values. Foundation for Liberal And Management Education, better known as FLAME is founded by Mr. Nemish Shah of Enam Financial Consultants Pvt. Limited and Mr. Parag Shah. FLAME, nestled in the hills of Pune, currently has over 400 students and more than 45 full time faculties from renowned Universities like Stanford, Yale, Rice, Brown, Chicago and Washington.