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Career Transition For Dancers is a nonprofit organization, with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, dedicated to helping dancers establish new careers when they have retired from their performing careers. Founded in 1985, the organization has provided dancers in 47 states with thousands of hours of career counseling. The organization also awards educational and entrepreneurial grants.

History
In 1982, several foundations and unions including the National Endowment for the Arts and the Actors’ Equity Association, led by Agnes de Mille granted funding for a Conference on Career Transition for Dancers.

The Conference took place on June 8, 1982 and was led by Project Director Edward Weston, Chairman Richard E. LeBlond, Jr., and Honorary Chairman Agnes de Mille.

The Conference was called to discuss the trauma professional dancers faced both during and at the end of their careers with the goal of considering ways of assisting dancers moving into new professions in which they could make use of their backgrounds, talents and skills. By the end of the conference it had been agreed that it was critical for dancers to begin exploring alternative careers at the beginning of their dance training and performing.

In 1985, nonprofit organization Career Transition for Dancers, Inc. was established in New York City with money from Actors’ Equity Association, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, American Guild of Musical Artists, and the Screen Actors Guild. Career Transition for Dancers is the only organization in the United States dedicated solely to the enrichment of dancers’ post-performing years.

Mission
Career Transition For Dancers helps performers from all backgrounds: including ballet, modern dance, musical theatre, avant-garde, freelance, Las Vegas shows, television and film. They stress self-empowerment and development of identity. The organization believes that dancers’ skills are easily translatable to new careers and aims to provide current, former, and training dancers with the tools necessary to help ease the transition. The organization stresses the importance of starting to look at alternate careers early on.

Locations
The organization is based in New York City, where the first office was opened in 1995. A second branch was opened in L.A. in 1995, and a third was established in Chicago in 2008. In addition, the organization does many programs through the country with their National Outreach Projects.

Programs
Career Transition For Dancers makes counseling easily available through its offices, the internet, and over the phone. These methods have provided more than 4,600 dancers in 47 states approximately 43,000 hours of career counseling.

In their offices, the organization provides one-on-one counseling, group counseling, and various seminars. In 2009, the organization began putting archived footage of seminars on their website.

The phone line, called CareerLine, is a toll-free service that allows dancers from all areas of the country to receive counseling and support.

The National Outreach Project (NOP) is a touring program that provides counseling and seminars for two days in various locations. To date, the organization has toured over 30 locations around the country. The success of the NOP program has allowed the program to go from helping only professional dancers to helping local dancers, including pre-professional dance students.

Local Outreach Projects provide dancers with a chance to learn about the organization and the services they provide.

Funding Dancers
Career Transition For Dancers provides grants and educational scholarships that allow dancers to go back to school or start new businesses. Over $4 million have been awarded for educational scholarships towards tuition, books, and related expenses since 1985. Over $400,000 has been awarded to entrepreneurial dancers.

Resources
The organization’s offices have a computer lab and resource centers that are open to all dancers. Resource center materials include self-help manuals, college guides, a job bank, and various publications relative to working dancers pursuing career development. In 2002 the organization launched The National Career Network, a searchable database of successfully transitioned dancers, enabling transitioning dancers to connect with professional mentors and learn about possible career paths. In 2007 the database was posted online and expanded, allowing non-dancer professionals to become mentors as well. The organization also began providing online services on their website in 2008. Program videos were streamed on the sites, and Career Conversations were syndicated through iTunes. The website includes a digital library of the semi-annual newsletter, a directory of third-party career resource websites known as Transition Links, and a comprehensive schedule of events.

Notable "Alumni"
Jock Soto, former principal dancer with NYCB, received a grant from the organization to attend culinary school after retiring, and wrote a cookbook with his former dance partner, Heather Watts. He now teaches at the School of American Ballet and manages a catering events company called Lucky Basset Events.

Gala
In November, the organization holds their annual fundraising gala, known in the dance community at the dance event of the season. Sponsored by Rolex, the gala features leading dancers and actors as hosts, presenters, and performers. Past hosts and presenters include Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones, Chita Rivera and Isabella Rossellini. Past performers have included Ashley Bouder of New York City Ballet, Paloma Herrera and Jose Manuel Carreno of American Ballet Theatre, and students of the Alvin Ailey School.