The Transition Gap: Dance Graduates Navigating the Path to Professional Careers

This study aimed to explore the experiences of dance graduates seeking professional dance work, addressing a gap in the literature, which largely focuses on junior-to-senior transitions in other sports. A longitudinal qualitative study was used, with semi-structured interviews conducted with four dance graduates over four sessions from November 2021 to July 2023. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model (ESM), themes were highlighted across the individual (changes in dancer identity, changes in motivation as priorities change, development of self-awareness and self-compassion); interpersonal (support systems, social comparisons to other dancers, industry experts); organizational (preparation from higher education institutions (HEIs), limited opportunities for training and booking jobs, lack of security as a professional dancer); and sociocultural (long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis) levels. These themes align with previous research, giving insight into COVID-19 and graduate life with practical implications for psychologists and dance educators.