Advice for dancers.

Two years ago I threw out my toe shoes for good and registered for college. The time was right to leave ballet because my joints were literally falling apart after dancing until the age of 36. I worked my butt off in school and earned good grades and a partial scholarship. My question now is, how do I figure out what to do next? I can't decide on a college major and I'm losing my motivation to study without a career in sight.

Jean in Seattle, Washington 

I know how difficult it is to change careers, having been a dancer for most of my life. I also counsel dancers who get stuck during the transition process. Some of these dancers feel paralyzed at just the thought of leaving this profession. Others, like you, have begun to prepare for life after dance--in your case, by enrolling in college. The problem is that few dancers know what they want to do outside of performing, after devoting so much of their time to this art form. It's also common to feel disappointed if you don't fall in love with a new career right away, even though it takes time to identify other interests and talents. My advice is to contact Career Transition for Dancers's national hotline for free vocational counseling over the phone [phone]). This group has helped many dancers develop highly satisfying second careers. To find out more about their services for dancers, you can access their Web site at www.careertransition.org. They have offices in Los Angeles and New York.

How bad is it to sign a company contract and then pull out? My daughter has just been offered a contract by a European dance company, where she will perform great soloist roles. However, after spending almost a decade abroad, she is no longer sure she can devote 100 percent of her life to dance while living so far from family and friends. She doesn't want to refuse the contract. Yet, at the same time, she'd like to check out some options in the U.S. I'd appreciate your assistance.

Concerned Mother

According to specialists in labor law, a signed contract is a binding agreement. If your daughter decides to break it in the middle of a season, she may be subject to sanctions, fines, or censure, depending on the dance company. Furthermore, walking away from a signed contract won't go over well with any future employer who decides to contact her director. Instead, your daughter would do better to sit down with her boss, discuss her feelings of homesickness, and ask for a short leave of absence ranging from thirty, to sixty, days. In this way, she'll preserve her professional reputation and (hopefully) her position with the company, while she investigates possible work options at home. As most dancers know, jobs are hard to find. So it's best to hang on to a company position until you have another offer. No one should be able to break a dance contract, including the artistic director.

I'm thinking about doing a research paper on dancers' injuries and want to ask my psychologist to collaborate with me. Is this all right? She helped me get over a bad knee injury last July and I'd love to work with her.

Uncertain

Injuries are extremely stressful for dancers, so it's good to receive help during this time--whether it's from family, friends, or a psychotherapist. Your project on dance injuries also sounds like a great idea that will help you gain even more insight into the recovery process. Unfortunately, working on this project with your therapist is problematic, according to the American Psychological Association, which advises therapists to avoid forming dual relationships with their patients. After all, you want a therapist who gives you unconditional support--not someone who's going to correct your grammar.

I've always been kind of a health nut, eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Lately though, I haven't been feeling that well and my mother got alarmed enough to bring me to the doctor. The problem is his diagnosis. Would you believe he thinks I'm making myself sick with too much carrot juice? Is this a real problem?

Annie From Orlando, Florida

Absolutely! While vitamins and minerals are essential components of a healthy diet, consuming too much or too little may cause a nutritional disorder. In your case, it sounds like your doctor may be concerned about Vitamin A toxicity, which results from ingesting ten times the recommended daily allowance of 900 micrograms. Principal sources include foods like egg yolks or carotenoids, such as yellow vegetables and fruits (which are converted to vitamin A in the intestine). Early symptoms of chronic vitamin A toxicity include thinning of the hair and eyebrows, cracked lips, and dry, rough skin. If you continue to overdo it, you may go on to develop severe headaches, weakness, and painful joints. So, please take your doctor's advice and see a nutritionist if you're confused. A balanced diet should supply all the nutrients needed by the body--no more, no less.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:

Linda Hamilton, Ph.D., at 2000 Broadway, PH2C, New York, NY 10023 and read her answers exclusively in Dance Magazine.

AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT FORDHAM UNIVERSITY, LINDA HAMILTON, PH.D., IS ALSO A LECTURER, A PSYCHOLOGIST, A FORMER DANCER WITH NEW YORK CITY BALLET, AND AUTHOR OF ADVICE FOR DANCERS (JOSSEY-BASS).