A dancer's career is short ...

How many times have you heard that disheartening phrase? Add to that the astonishing number of dancers who must work side jobs to stay afloat financially, and the case for developing an alternative career becomes quite strong.

Nearly every dancer we profiled for this edition of Beyond Performance thought dancing was the only thing they'd ever want to do. But when injury or other life circumstances led them in other directions, they found they didn't necessarily need to leave their first love behind. And further, the same characteristics that made them good dancers also positioned them well for success in other fields!

We love learning about the surprising things former and current dancers are doing with their lives and livelihoods, and we hope you, too, will be inspired by the ten people you'll meet in the following pages.

And if you are considering a change of your own, please know that there is help available. Career Transition For Dancers, with offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, provides free career counseling, online resources, and scholarships, www.careertransition.org.

Karen Hildebrand, Editor