Hi! I'm 20 and i started to dance hip hop last year. I always love it, but in my country i didn't have a chance and club to do it... So now, i really, really want to do something greater than just taking a regular dance classes. The biggest wish of mine is to become a professional dancer and make my own choreos.
Now im wondering:
Is that possible?
If it is, what steps do i need to take in order to make it?!?

Thanks!

OK, you're facing a LOT of issues. First, there is no money in hip-hop. If you want to teach at a studio or choreograph for music videos (just for example), you almost always need a formal dance background that includes ballet and jazz. In addition, hip-hop gigs are almost always pick-up jobs - meaning you only get hired for each project individually. It's practically impossible to make a living that way. Also, you're almost certainly too old to become a full-time professional dancer.

That said, if you're very talented and very motivated, you might be able to earn a few bucks as a part-time choreographer. I didn't start dancing seriously until I was about 16, and I became director of a very excellent dance program when I was 19. I worked my butt off though - dancing up to 40 hours/week even while I was in high school. So it really depends on how much effort you're willing to put in.

Bottom line - if you're VERY VERY serious about dancing, even MORE serious about networking, and if you open yourself up to other styles of dance, you might be able to get a few part-time dance/choreo jobs. But you will almost surely never be able to support yourself through dance.

I know this advice sounds kinda bleak, but if it makes you feel any better, I would say the exact same thing to someone who had 15 years of ballet experience. Only a handful of people in the entire world support themselves exclusively as dancers. There are TONS of reasons to dance, but money and a career are not on that list for most people.

I would not specifically state that there is no money in hip hop because that's not particularly true however you do need to be marketable therefore I would suggest mastering more than one genre because you have already started with hip hop I would say move on toward jazz because the two can be combined...if that makes sense.

I would not specifically state that there is no money in hip hop because that's not particularly true

ORLY? Provide some examples then.

As the others have said you have to be able to do Hip Hop AND... not just more dance but lots of other entertainment skills. The more the better. Even if you can earn a living at it, it is still a tough life. You need an agent (if you are an individual, auditioning) or a producer (if you have a full-blown act you are trying to book). Since Panic will want an example, here's one, below. These guys are now functioning as their own producer, the last I knew.
www.alfredandseymour.us

Do you know anything about that act or did you just google hip hop and post the first link? I could have done that myself as I'm not completely retarded. They're not even a hip-hop act. They're a novelty comedy act. Completely unhelpful. Have you ever judged hip-hop, and if not, why are you posting here?

I do know several people who make a living choreographing hip-hop, but they all have a classical dance background. I don't know anyone who makes a living solely as a hip-hop dancer. There might be a few (VERY few!) full-time hip-hop gigs out there, but they are VERY VERY VERY rare. There just isn't an industry for hip-hop the way there is for ballet and jazz. There are ballet companies all over the world. And lots of places hire jazz dancers - cruise lines, amusement parks, dinner theaters, hotels, broadway, vegas, etc. There are many thousands of jobs for ballet and jazz dancers (and those jobs are STILL nearly impossible to get). There are NOT many thousands of jobs for hip-hop dancers. That's what I meant when I said there is no money in hip-hop.

I didn't notice that this posting was under "Ask a Judge", since I saw it under the "Hot" category.

I've known Seymour and Alfred for over 20 years. They got into show business because they loved doing break-dancing/hip-hop. And, although they did not have the opportunity of classical training but were "self-taught" street dancers, they really worked at it, watching other dancers and practicing for hours every day. (And today, since they have continued to learn, working with other dancers and choreographers, I'd classify them as jazz dancers, too.)

After they had won all the club competitions available around Denver, they realized they were at a dead end unless they moved to a place where there was work doing what they wanted. When they got to LA they realized they would have to be more versatile. You can't do 5 athletic break-dance shows each afternoon at Venice Beach without killing yourself! So they developed an act which went way beyond just the dancing. But the dancing is still an important, integral component of their acts.

So I totally agree that you can't make a living doing hip-hop ONLY (as I mentioned, above). The more training you can get and the more versatile you can be the better. Plus even when you can make a living in show-biz, the life is not easy. The guys are still based in LA but are constantly on the go with cruise ship schedules. And then there is the fact that these are two of the most incredibly creative, talented people you will ever meet. Whether ShaWtyDance is equally talented and has a chance of doing anything which incorporates his hip-hop dancing, who knows? But if he has the opportunity he should give it a go, otherwise he will always wonder.