Whether you started out as a young prodigy or fell into it by chance later on, the instability and often ebb and flow of a career in the arts allow only the passionate and truly dedicated to pursue it.

“Dance can give you a very different outlook on life ... that can be applied to other parts of your life, such as working with people and learning to focus,” said Jürg Koch, assistant professor in the UW’s dance department. Koch began dancing while pursuing a degree in education in Switzerland.

“I was attending teacher’s college ... and during that time I discovered dance,” Koch said. “I didn’t like sports but dance was a way I could be physical. It’s such a connection between your body and personality — you’re there as a whole person. There’s an aesthetic component that leads to a complete engagement.”

Koch became hooked on dance when she took a class from Martha Graham, one of the pioneers of modern dance. Graham has been likened to Picasso, in his revolutionary interpretation of visual art.

“Modern is what really got me into dance,” Koch said. “I appreciate ballet as a form of training.”

Koch has studied dance in Bern, Amsterdam and London.

He has also worked with the dance companies Diversions in Wales as well as CandoCo in London, which integrates disabled and non-disabled performers.

CandoCo pieces can be found on YouTube. Koch has also performed as a freelance dancer.

“Dancers are often on short-term contracts. Being at the University [with] longer contracts allows you to establish a different type of work than when you’re moving from project to project,” Koch said.

In 2003, Koch moved to Seattle and became a lecturer in 2004. He recently became an assistant professor.

As a male dancer, Koch is used to being surrounded by women in the department, which is quite a reverse in some academic environments where men outnumber women.

While male dancers may have more opportunities than women, male dancers still need to be a viable contender when auditioning and performing.

“It’s more athletic than people think,” said Nathan Ma, a dance major who has taken Koch’s class and will be choreographing a piece for the Dance Major’s Concert this spring. “It’s a good combination of athletics and artistry.”

For the last five years, Koch has been the director of the Dance Major’s Concert that occurs in the spring and is teaching Dance Composition I and Integrated Dance.

“His energy is really good; even if it’s something simple, he goes all out [and] has good presence,” Ma said. “It’s hard work, but he doesn’t make it seem like it ... he’s critical but doesn’t put you down.”

Koch takes a comfortable approach when teaching dance while still expecting high-quality work from his students.

He encourages his students to copy each other because dancers never perform on their own and can learn from one another.

“I think it’s good to show you can goof up,” Koch said. “[I] get students to work together. In a traditional class, you face the mirror and your teacher but don’t interact. You feel like you’re surrounded by strangers. It’s important to break through this and work things through together. ... So make use of your peers in class.”

UW dance classes often have dancers at different skill levels, and the environment encourages each student to work individually on their own progress as well as together to help each other improve.

“What I really enjoy here is the diversity of students we get here with our 101 athletes and [more experienced dancers] and that they interact and work together,” Koch said. “The University kind of has its own dance community, but ... [you can] continue to pursue outside sources and see how you can contribute to the dance community.”

Reach columnist Doris Wu at news@dailyuw.com.