Parenting while dancing while parenting

Parenting while dancing, and dancing while parenting, require personal and highly individual choices that vary widely in terms of when and how dance professionals navigate becoming parents. Making the choice to parent can coincide with a significant portion of parents' dance lifespans, commencing as early as late teens and twenties or later in middle age. Finding the "right time" to have a child while navigating a dance career can produce numerous complexities, often contributing to one's perceived success as a dancing parent. The authors present mixed method survey data from dance professionals (n = 349) who are parents and whose combined voices offer an informed snapshot of parenthood timing, employment demands, access to resources and achievement of work-life balance.