The psychiatrist-author summarizes his experience with 160 dancer-clients within the context of various career transitions: e.g., the ballet school student who graduates and moves into a ballet company; the dancer whose career is threatened by injury; the otherwise untrained performer facing retirement at a young age. Some psychological aspects of dance careers and of career transitions are considered, as is the potential role of psychotherapy in mediating their interrelationships. Finally, the career transitions of each of four dancers are presented to illustrate their personal reactions to the experience.
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