NCEC in the News!
Dancing Through Life With Two Feet On The Ground:
The Story Of Jan Van Dyke
Researched and written
by Karla Davis
As I learned the story of Jan Van Dyke, an educator, artist, business owner, and innovator, inspiration defeated every doubt of the future that was wandering through my mind. As she started from zero, a world of opportunity was born through the determination of Jan Van Dyke.
Van Dyke began dancing at the age of eight, and she immediately knew that dance would forever be a driving force in her life. She was unsure, however, of just how dance would work its way into her life in the future. “I never intended to teach,” said Van Dyke, who was thrown into teaching as a sophomore in high school. She began helping out a teacher by instructing a dance class on the weekends. That gradually evolved into teaching a regular dance class during the week. As a senior she was well aware of her teaching capabilities. After high school, Van Dyke attended the University of Wisconsin where she earned a degree in dance. She then received an MA in dance education from George Washington University.
Van Dyke began teaching dance, performing her own works, and struggling day in and day out to make ends meet. Nearly ten years would pass before she understood how to achieve her life goals. “It took me ten years to figure it all out,” said Van Dyke of her struggle to understand the ins and outs of the industry. “I was a starving artist with a very low income,” Van Dyke said of the life that she led while traveling, dancing, and teaching. She decided to rent out a two-story building in Washington DC where she lived in an apartment on the second floor and had a dance studio on the first floor. Having little money to advertise her studio, she made a few posters, hired a musician, and opened her studio doors. She had high hopes, but all she could do was sit and wait. She soon had a full schedule of instructing dance classes; she was working non-stop to support herself. When asked what exactly kept her going, she said, “a lot of determination.” Being a determined young woman, Van Dyke soon formed her own, non-profit, company. The Jan Van Dyke Dance Company was formed in 1973 in Washington DC; that same company followed Van Dyke to New York. She moved to San Francisco after a couple of years where she started with a new group. Eventually, in the late 1980s, Van Dyke took her Company to North Carolina. She received her doctorate in three years at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she is now Head of the Department of Dance.
Van Dyke never stopped reaching for more; she was soon in charge of production of the North Carolina Dance Festival, an annual showcase of North Carolina dance artists that travels to different communities around North Carolina. Now Van Dyke owns her own dance company, produces the NC Dance Festival, and, most recently, has undertaken management of the Greensboro Dance Project at City Arts. All of these enterprises and projects are nonprofit and for the betterment of the community. With an overwhelming schedule, Van Dyke faces a challenge in keeping all of these things going. “Oh yes, sometimes it seems to be too much, but I stay hopeful . . . there are good people around who work very hard.” Van Dyke assures herself day in and day out that she has been able to do what she loves in life because of hard work. Today she teaches classes in career management in which she gives students advice on the ins and outs of the business.
When asked about advice for young artists, Van Dyke said, “a lot of artists are well-trained, but they really must think along two tracks.” Jennifer Rincon, a freshman at UNCG with an undecided major, agrees with Van Dyke. “I came to college to gain knowledge about the things that I would like to do; I have yet to narrow down my career options,” said Rincon, who aspires to be a dancer after college. Solid advice about the industry is something Van Dyke wishes she could have had when she was in college; however, she has no regrets about the life she has made for herself. Dedication has been the driving force throughout Van Dyke’s life; and she continues to hope for the dedication of instructors, students, and the community to further her already considerable efforts. From the open doors of her downstairs studio in Washington DC, to the open windows of her corner office at UNCG, Jan Van Dyke has certainly come a long way from “never intending to teach.” She continues striving to reach more people through dance everyday, always keeping both feet on the ground.
This case study was conducted in October 2007 by Karla Davis, a News and Documentary major in the Media Studies Department. Her work was part of an undergraduate research assistantship funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research, under the directorship of Dr. Mary Crowe.
These case studies were compiled and archived as part of the former BELL (Building Entrepreneuruial Learning for Life) Program's Entrepreneurial Innovation in the Arts (EIA) initiative to provide a library of examples of how artists in many different fields have achieved success. The cases were researched and written by UNCG students.