Dancers Meet Their Mentors.

The summer after she graduated from Penn State, Melissa Aubrecht found herself back home in Pittsburgh unsure of what to do next. With a major in health education and a minor in dance, she could have pursued a number of different goals. Dance performance was at the top of her list, but she didn't know how to begin and wondered what chances she had for success. Before committing to the life of a performer, she wanted to hear first-hand what it would really be like. Aubrecht turned to her childhood dance teacher, Patti Goulding.

Goulding, of Pittsburgh, executive director of National Dance Week, told her about an NDW-sponsored program that matches dance students with professionals willing to give them advice. The Mentoring Program has paired young dancers thinking about careers in dance-related fields with performers, dance therapists, journalists and others. In one-on-one meetings, phone chats or through email, the students are able to ask their mentors questions about their work lives and how they launched their careers.

Through Goulding, Aubrecht contacted Jeff Shade, a dancer who has appeared on Broadway in several shows, including Sweet Charity, Teddy & Alice and Gotta Getaway. Most recently, he was dance captain for Chicago. Shade's professional credentials made Aubrecht shy about contacting him at first. "I was worried," she says, "because I knew he was really busy. But he was so willing to answer my questions. It was a fabulous opportunity."

By the time she emailed him, Aubrecht had come up with a list of things to talk about. Many were very practical--like how to behave and what to expect at auditions and what information she should include on her resume. Since Aubrecht is five feet four inches tall, she also wanted to know how many opportunities there are for shorter dancers. And finally, she just wanted Shade to tell her about his own experiences. She wondered what his typical day was like and how he filled his time between auditions and classes when he wasn't working.

Aubrecht says Shade provided her with lots of great information. On her resume, for instance, "He suggested I mention the different classes I've taken and all types of experiences I've had because you never know what they'll want," she says. "Jeff gave me advice you just can't get in books," says Aubrecht. "And most of all, he made a professional life seem attainable. He said that if you really want to do it, you can," she remembers. "It was so refreshing."

Shade says he often reminds young dancers of the breadth of options the field has to offer. "If dance is what you must do--if there is absolutely nothing else you'd consider doing instead--you must dance." Your body may not be perfect for ABT but if you're really driven, you'll find a company of dancers shaped like you to work with. "The possibilities are limitless," he says.

Now a graduate student at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Shade has left the stage to study dance/movement therapy. But even in the midst of teaching dance at Harvard and the Boston Conservatory and his own studies, he finds time to counsel dance students like Aubrecht.

"I had some wonderful mentors when I was young, like Patti Goulding and Lenora Nemitz, who danced with Bob Fosse," says Shade, who remembers having many of the same questions dancers ask him these days. "They helped me develop into who I am. Now I have this diskette of knowledge in my head and it seems selfish not to share it."

Shade says communicating by email works out fine, but he adds that even more insight can be gained by meeting your mentor and watching him or her in action. "You can learn a lot by just seeing how someone behaves, moves and interacts," he says. "You don't even have to spend that much time with the person," he says. "You can pick up a lot in a day or even an hour." Goulding hopes to grow the list of mentors so that someday they'll have contacts in every state. Until then, dancers seeking advice may want to contact local experts on their own. A quick call to your local newspaper might lead to a chat with its dance critic. A medical school might be able to put you in touch with a student studying physical therapy. And if you want to see what a day in the life of a ballerina is like, consider contacting a nearby company to ask if you can watch a rehearsal. "Just say you're really interested in what they do," says Shade, and most people will be happy to help.

National Dance Week is looking for more volunteers to serve as mentors. Dancers who want to be matched with a mentor and potential mentors who would like to help dancers should contact Patti Goulding, National Dance WeekFA Executive Director, at 412/276-5989, through email at [e-mail] or write to her at 142 Parkedge Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15220.