Union contracts govern those who perform in public, such as major opera ballet, classical ballet or modern dance corps. These belong to the AFL-CIO and those who appear on live or videotaped TV programs belong to the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Those in films and on TV belong to the Screen Actors Guild and those in musicals are members of Actors' Equity Association. Through the unions minimum salaries, hours, benefits and other conditions are specified before the dancer signs the contract (Munger 5). The professional dancer begins his or her day early, with warm-ups at the barre or with exercises. Then it is off to the studio to practice with the partner or team or troupe. If there is a performance being staged or being planned, work on the specific dances performed will be done. At the end of the day, the dancer is worn out and hungry. A dancer who dances all day may eat a lot, but often might be watching their weight so that costumes will not be outgrown. A dancer goes to bed early because of the demands of the profession (Salary 1).

Dancers and choreographers are covered for injuries and other work-related problems by their union contracts. They are entitled to paid sick leave, paid vacations, health and pension benefits, including extended sick pay and family-leave benefits. Those who are not covered by union contracts do not receive these benefits. A broken leg or even arm may mean the end of a paying career. It may mean the end of a career and perhaps a costly recovery, unless the union has covered extended...

Otherwise, private insurance is a must. Still, the dancer must take care of his or her body, because it is all they have to earn their living by. The history of dance, it is said, is incorporated into the dancer's body and once the body is gone, part of history disappears (Charman 10).
Works Cited

Anderson, Jack. Ballet & Modern Dance: A Concise History, 2nd ed., Princeton, NJ: Princeton Book Company, Publishers, 1992

Balletmet. Ballet. Education. 2006. website: http://www.balletmet.org/EDUCATIO/WhatIs.html.

Charman, S. Kraus, R, G. And Dixon-Stowall, B. History of the Dance in Art and Education. New York: Pearson Education. 1990

Dance / USA. 2007. Website: http://www.danceusa.org/

Kessel, Kristin. Dance Performance From Rehearsal to Opening Night. New York: Rosen Central, 2004

Lee, C. Ballet in Western Culture: A History of its Origins and Evolution. New York: Routledge.2002

Munger, John. Dancing With Dollars in the Millenium: Who's moving ahead, who's falling behind, and why. Annual Report. Dance USA. 2006. http://www.danceusa.org/pdf/pubs/Dancing_Dollars.pdf.

Salary, Wages, Pay: Dancers and Choreographers. 2007. Website: http://www.jobbankusa.com/career_employment/dancers_choreographers/salary_wages_Vartoogian,Linda and Vartoogian, Jack. The Living World of Dance. New York: Smithmark, 1997

Worrik, J. "Children's Dance Program." 3 Jan, 2007. http://www.jndance.com.pay.html.