6 Elements of a Professional Dance Website
To kick off the new year, we aimed to share insight on how to market yourself as a professional dancer. So far, we’ve covered tips for taking quality dance photos and a guide to upgrading your social media page. Another step you can consider to promote yourself as a dancer is to create a professional dance website. You might be thinking, Huh? A dance website? Isn’t that a little bit much? Isn’t it complicated? Can I afford it? Hopefully, this article will help answer some of these questions for you!
Related: Marketing Yourself as a Professional Dancer
Having a website gives your potential connections a concrete location to contact you, learn more about you, and share your information with others. Of course, social media profiles are great for this too, but since your website is uniquely yours, you can use it as a one-stop-shop for things you're passionate about within your dance career. For example, you may have a blog on your website where you share your experience as a Black or Brown ballerina, along with photos, videos, and a biography. People who visit your site will be able to get a strong impression of your personality, and by having a website, you’ll show an extra level of dance professionalism.
If you can afford it, you can hire someone to design your website for you. However, many sites allow you to create your own website fairly easily; some are even free! Below, we’ve listed 6 of the main elements you’ll need to include on your professional dance website.
Domain Name
First, you’ll need to think of a domain name so that people can easily find your website. Pick a name that is unique, easy to remember, and relevant to dance in some way. Something simple would be “Your Name” + “The Ballerina,” or just your name. You could also use your social media username so that your followers can easily find you across all platforms. Many website hosting services allow you to create a domain name for free, although a completely custom domain name usually requires you to make an annual or monthly payment. Make sure you are comfortable with paying any fees before signing up for a custom domain name. If you are well into your professional dancing career and being paid for your talent, consider making the investment!
Theme
Next, think of the theme of your website. What colors would you like the site to be? Will you use a fancy font or a simple one? Is there a design element you’d like to incorporate throughout your site? As you design your webpage, many of the free website design platforms will offer templates for you to customize so you won’t have to start from scratch. Make sure you have at least two quality photos taken of you on your site - one to serve as a headshot for your “About” page, and another photo showcasing your dance skills. Once you’ve decided on your dance website theme, you can incorporate the colors and style into your dance social media account’s content for a uniform branding design across all of your online outlets.
Related: Tips for Capturing Quality Dance Photos with photographer Shoccara Marcus
Home Page
Your home page is where you can give your first impression to someone who’s visiting your site for the first time. This is the page that will encourage them to either explore your website or click out of it. Use an intriguing dance photo on your home page with a brief description of who you are. You might include a short explanation of your dance specialty, an inspiring quote, or links to recent performances, videos, or articles you were featured in. Lastly, your homepage should have a simple navigation menu leading to other pages on your site.
About Page
As a professional ballerina, casting directors and studio recruiters might want to learn more about you before accepting you into their programs and productions. While your ballet skill-level is a priority, so is your background, involvements, and your personality. Create an “About Me” page to share more about who you are as a person and how you serve your community. Provide a brief history of your dance career, such as when you started dancing, classes you’ve taken, your current studio, and more. Don’t be afraid to discuss your hobbies, dreams, and goals.
Portfolio
Much like a print portfolio, your website’s “Portfolio” page is where you showcase your dance expertise. Upload your professional dance photos to this page. Share your dance reel and any other performance clips you’d like to show. If you’ve been featured in any articles, magazines, music videos, or more, list and link them on this page. Use this page to brag about yourself shamelessly!
Related: 5 Steps to Creating a Quality Dance Reel
Contact Page
Finally, make sure you have a page dedicated to getting in touch with you. You can create a form for your visitors to submit general inquiries or simply list your email address. Be sure to link your social media accounts so your website’s visitors can connect with you on various platforms.
Now that you know what you’ll need to start a professional dance website, you’re ready to market yourself to a wider audience! Once you’ve created your website, you can add the link to your social media pages, business cards, and résumé.
Need inspiration? Do an internet search for “professional dancer website” and explore!
Do you already have a professional dance website? Share it in the comments below!
Make sure you stay tuned to our Brown Ballerina Blog, where we share articles with dance tips, interviews, and other updates.