At a time when a young mind's imagination has no limits, becoming a ballerina is an ideal many have for themselves. However, as the college years pass by and the reality of finding a career comes to surface, those lofty goals tend to be suppressed.

"Unfortunately, with a limited number of jobs, few go on to be professional ballet dancers," said Kayti Bouljon, 2004 UW alumna and youth education coordinator of Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB).

But just because you can't be the star on stage does not mean you can't still make an impact in the profession, she explained.

Bouljon began dancing when she was 4 years old. She now teaches outreach programs for PNB and instructs students who have never experienced the thrill of live dance performance before.

"Working within a professional ballet company is a very creative and fun place to be," Bouljon said. "No day is ever the same."

She said she absolutely loves to see her students' faces light up when they perform a dance in front of thousands for the first time.

Like Bouljon, Jill Hanson, 2003 UW alumna and production stage manager for PNB found guidance and support for her interest in dance while taking dance courses at the UW.

"The dance department professors quickly learned of my love for stage management and did everything possible to support me," said Jill Hanson, 2003 UW alumna and production stage manager for PNB.

Through fulfilling a requirement for the major to work backstage, Hanson discovered her passion for being backstage. She took a job as a stage manager at Mercer Island Children's Theatre just out of college and started at PNB a year later. While in college she never thought she'd end up at PNB.

"I was so uncertain about my life after graduation that I actually double degreed; my other degree is in Romance Linguistics," Hanson said. "I figured I would end up teaching French, Italian or dance in a high school setting."

Instead she became an integral part of the behind-the-scenes workings of PNB.

Along with managing lighting, scenery and sound effects, she acts as a liaison between the artistic staff and stage crew, ensures union rules are followed and keeps inventory of the company's "pointe" shoes.

"It's an odd responsibility for a stage manager, but I love it," Hanson said.

Bouljon interned at PNB her junior and senior years in college and was hired at PNB just one month before graduating.

"Take advantage of being a student. Be an intern where you would like to work, hold informational interviews with those in positions you admire, [or] visit a company even just for a day," Bouljon said.

Being involved in the dance community in Seattle prior to graduation was very helpful for her, Bouljon said.

There are many facets within dance besides performance, which Bouljon and Hanson discovered while at the UW.

Hanson noted that there is a long list of things to do behind the scenes. It includes making costumes, writing grants and producing commercials. In addition, theaters must be run, lighting must be designed, classes must be taught, companies must be organized and cues must be called.

"Don't think that you have to perform to be involved," Hanson said.

Hannah Wiley graduated from the UW in 1973 with a degree in drama. She directs the UW's Chamber Dance Company, made up of hopeful candidates for the Master of Fine Arts in Dance. She also teaches courses in ballet, anatomy and educational theory at the UW.

"Many students arrive here with only dreams of being a ballet dancer and then find the vast, very rich field of dance with a myriad of possibilities," Wiley said.

The ballet and modern dance courses she took at the UW built upon years of dance training while growing up, and now she loves teaching dance to students in the classroom and studio.

"I would advise students who want to go into ballet to either postpone college or pursue a BFA," Wiley stated. "Students interested in dance in general, I would advise to major in dance, get involved in other arts and experiment with every aspect of dance while in school."

Wiley mentioned the contributions the UW has made to the dance profession. Alumni are dancing with companies including Merce Cunningham, Zvi Gotheiner, Doug Varone and Pilobolus — all familiar and well-known names in the dance community.

Choreography, dance aesthetics, physical therapy, criticism and technical theater are also areas which alumni have entered.

Careers with dance companies are becoming increasingly accessible to educated men and women, and males are often hired to dance professionally.

"Because there are few males compared to females interested in being ballet dancers, there are many more opportunities for men," Wiley said. "We had a student who started dancing here at the UW and went on to be a professional. That would never happen to a woman."

Bouljon pointed out that about half of the PNB dancers are male, and most of the men are not from the United States. She believes this has to do with a stereotype Americans may have by associating dance with delicate, dainty women or homosexual men.

But dance performance is no picnic.

"Most professional ballet situations involve extremely difficult physical work, an insular lifestyle, frequent injury, extreme competition and early retirement," Wiley said.

Hanson actually enjoys the "men dances" most of all.

"It's actually a pretty good job for straight men," Hanson said. "In what other job are you expected to put your hands on the waist or thigh of a ballerina?"

From the beginning, Hanson knew she loved dance and that it made her happy, and despite some initial uncertainty about landing a career in dance, she discovered her love for backstage management; she advises college students interested in dance as a career to keep an open mind as she did.

"I expect I will be here for many, many more years," Hanson said.

For those realizing their dance career dreams for the first time or rediscovering a passion of the past, Hanson has a few last words.

"I feel that any dream is worth following," she said. "It may not lead you exactly where you think you want to go, but it's worth it to follow your dream as far as you can."

[Reach reporter Evelyn Fenner-Dorrity at features@thedaily.washington.edu.]