For a dancer, food is everything.

It’s like owning a Bugatti and deciding what kind of fuel you’re going to fill it with – will you use regular or high octane; which quality of fuel is going to make your million-dollar car run at its best?

Sports athletes deal with the same dilemmas but because of the requirements involved in performing well in their profession of choice, their food requirements are a bit different but the goals are the same…optimal performance. 

Personally, I found that if I could put together something in the morning whether it was leftovers or something that I bought that morning, I would make sure that it was enough to last the entire day. I spent most of my waking days in a studio – part for taking classes and the rest rehearsing. As a result, having time to get out and buy something was first, financially a problem and the other was the issue of time – should I spend my time during a break in the day to walk, find something to eat and walk back to the studio when I could just grab something out of by bag, eat it and spent the rest of my time resting or stretching my body…I’d go for option B.

If you are still living at home while attending school, then the food dilemma could be solved fairly quickly. Most of the time your parent/s or guardian/s will buy food for the week – you could ask for a few choice items or combinations of items to bring with you to the studio. You could also just buy food on the way to the studio but then there is the matter of cash – will your parent/s or guardian/s pay or are they going to insist that you get a job if you plan on eating out. If you already have a job then all is well.

If you are living in an apartment or dorm with roommates then things get a little tricky. Ground rules will have to be set on how much kitchen space is allowed for your food. If possible, you may be able to have a small fridge in your room which would be great. You most likely will want to have a small dry storage unit in your room as well. No…I’m not telling you to be a food hoarder. However, you are going to have to learn how to be a bit of a food hoarder. Last thing you want is to be racing out of your dorm only to find that someone took the last of your breakfast bars or ate your leftover Chipotle…damn!

Talking about Chipotle – if your food options consist of eating leftovers, which is entirely possible, make sure it is food that is going to be both nutritious and is going to last. Chipotle is one of those places where you could buy a meal that can last the entire day. Burrito bowls are the best option. For a dancer, brown rice and black beans are the bomb (not talking about gas). Also, you get a choice of meat and lots of free toppings to choose from. You could even ask for extras like dry tacos instead of paying for their chips and salsa (guac is extra of course). A burrito bowl could be consumed in small quantities throughout the day when you have a break and I do mean small quantities. Last thing you want is to go ballistic and eat an entire burrito bowl only to feel as if you have a ball of lead in your gut. Also, get used to eating cold food…beggars can’t be choosers.

Sandwiches are an ok option. I had several problems with sandwiches. 

1. I felt compelled to eat the whole sandwich or at least half of it if the sandwitch was cut in half.
2. Messy…stuff just got everywhere.
3. Doesn’t keep well throughout the day…bread gets soggy, not fun.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good sandwich but as something that was going to sustain me for an entire day of classes and rehearsals, it wasn’t the best option.

A good salad bar can also do the trick. If you have the option, find one that doesn’t charge by the pound this way you could pile on the things that matter most…protein and it’s not going to break the bank.

Lastly, protein shakes are an excellent source of nutrients for dancers.  However, it has been my experience that they were beneficial in terms of providing my body with vital nutrients such as potassium, vitamin C, protein and other nutrients. The downside was the battle that ensued within my gut as a result. I dealt with gas and sometimes bouts of running to the bathroom. These were on days that I used protein shakes as a standalone meal. When I had food and sipped a protein shake throughout the day, I felt that my body did a better job at tolerating the shake better. Don’t get me wrong, having a good protein shake is a fantastic way of fueling your body with the nutrients it needs but I am of the opinion that just having a shake on its own could produce results that for a dancer can be both embarrassing and uncomfortable. 

Dance On!

Gibney Dance Company – an uncompromising focus on artistic excellence & social integrity. Find out more about GDC.
— Read on gibneydance.org/company/

See the current class schedule and get information on dates, times, and more. Find out more about dance & movement classes.
— Read on gibneydance.org/class-schedule/

The feature film “Deep Water,” directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Ben Affleck, needs talent and more gigs in Texas and the South.
— Read on www.backstage.com/magazine/article/casting-alert-texas-and-the-south-68003/

The entrancing power of Instagram can’t be denied. I’ve lost hours of my life scrolling the platform looking at other people documenting theirs. What starts as a “quick” fill-the-moment check-in can easily lead to a good 10-15 minute session, especially if I enter the nebulous realm of “suggested vi…
— Read on www.dancemagazine.com/instagram-dance-2585216791.amp.html

The upcoming 20th Century Fox remake of “Home Alone” is casting its starring role and more great gigs nationwide.
— Read on www.backstage.com/magazine/article/now-casting-20th-century-fox-home-alone-69155/

Montclair State University will offer free childcare during its all-day Women Entrepreneurship Week Conference on Oct. 23 at the University’s campus. The unique offering of no-charge, on-site childcare allows entrepreneurs at all levels to attend the event, which is free and open to the public.

When I was studying at Juilliard, I would commute from Paterson NJ. A round trip bus ticket back then was approximately seven dollars. I would wake at around 6AM and ask my mother for ten dollars. I’d purchase a round trip ticket from the driver, that left me with three dollars. Then I’d purchase two subway tokens, about fifty cents each, that left me with two dollars…and that is how much I had to eat with.

At the Juilliard cafe I could get a plain cinnamon raisin bagel for fifty cents after my first Ballet class. Then a couple more classes and several rehearsals later, on my way home, I could order a slice and a coke from the pizza shop at Port Authority while I waited for my bus.

Back in my day you could be a bit more creative with two dollars in terms of food options. However, the one thing I could not do is not eat. Lucky for me, I did not have any addictions that caused me to have to make a choice between eating and something else like smoking (which I did on occasion for social acceptance but was rewarded with intense nausea…it was my curse). Wait…I lied; I did have an addiction – video games. It was serious, especially if all you had was two dollars. Playing one video game can be the difference between a slice of pizza and a snickers bar.

One thing is for sure…dancers have to eat!

Each dancer’s path is influenced by different circumstances. Take me for example, having two dollars a day to eat was clearly not ideal. I suffered from black-outs due to lack of nutrition and I was extremely thin which made me weak which narrowed my options for roles I could play due to the inability to lift anyone. To remedy my situation, I could have tried to seek stable employment however, making such a decision would have restricted me from doing the very thing that I went to Juilliard to
do…dance.

Later in the year I was chosen to dance in the touring company and was paid for it which was nice. Another thing that I was able to do was perform in pickup companies created by past Juilliard graduates that were trying to make it on their own – this also brought in some cash. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a lot…I couldn’t get my own apartment that’s for sure or even share an apartment with someone. The one thing it did do was enabled me to eat a bit

better and to pay for my own transportation for a while to take the burden off my mother.

When I went to Rutgers several years later after I retired to get my Master’s degree, I realized that living on campus or even near campus was the ideal situation for a dancer studying at a university or any student for that matter.

Living with parents in your early adult years is a bummer…no privacy and your probably hounded constantly about finding a job or something…that’s what parents do. On the other hand, the food question and where to live is taken care of. That’s a huge expense that is completely off the table. You could focus on being the best student you could be. You may even have enough time to get a part-time job.

When I started out at Rutgers, I lived on Busch Campus. My first job was working for the IT Department taking calls from students that were having trouble with their internet connection. Then I worked for Graduate Family Residence Life for five years as a Graduate Apartment Assistant helping families and children of various cultural backgrounds come together as a community.

Transportation at Rutgers was AWESOME. I rarely had to use my car because I took the shuttle everywhere. It was a free service and there were several routes to choose from.

There were also lots of food options at the College Ave, Livingston and Busch Campus Centers all within distance of the shuttle. If you were lucky enough to afford a meal plan, you were set.

The other cool thing about being a student at Rutgers compared to Juilliard was the access to quiet places to study or just chill. At Rutgers, I was fortunate enough to live in an apartment with my family on Busch Campus. For me going home to my apartment was nice, not always private but nice. On the other hand, working for ResLife I knew what it was like for students living in a dorm situation. Many were four or five persons to a room; everyone had a different concept of what it meant to keep a clean space and there was very little privacy. To remedy this, a person could go to any of the nearby campus libraries or student centers and find a quiet space to do homework or just chill.

All in all, with what I know now, living on or near campus is the most ideal for any student. In my case, I think if I had the option to attend Rutgers and had chosen that option, I would not have had the opportunity of dancing with some of the best dancers and best companies in the world.

As dancers we have to face many hard choices that are not too different from games of chance. You’re not going to know where your path is going to go but just know that just about any outcome derived from the choices you make can be nudged to go in a different direction.

So here is our list of the best college dance programs for this year, both BFA and BA.
— Read on www.onstageblog.com/onstage-blog-news/2018/8/21/the-top-25-college-dance-programs-for-2018-19