It’s hard to imagine how we got anything done before the Internet. E-mail for school, Google for dance research, MySpace and Facebook for pics and catching up, YouTube for dance videos—the list goes on and on. This no-holds-barred exposure just might be your ticket to making it big! (Impressing a director or choreographer from a video on your MySpace page? Priceless.) But are you making the most of web-based resources for your job search? And are you protecting yourself—and your professional reputation—in the process?

DS chatted with performers including NYC-based dancer, choreographer and clothing designer Luam, who maintains both a website and a MySpace page and credits the web with helping to build buzz around her career. “It’s allowed people all over the world to see my choreography and what I’m all about when they couldn’t physically come to my classes,” Luam explains. Want to follow in her footsteps? Be savvy in promoting yourself online, and your career could take off before you can type S-U-C-C-E-S-S.

Create a Smart Site
Luam’s pages are chock full of videos of her teaching (at Broadway Dance Center and Djoniba Dance & Drum Centre) and performing (on tour with artists such as Rihanna), as well as links to her L.U.A.M. and Wildchild Nation clothing lines (for more on these, turn to p. 22!). She even posts a blog. Luam’s must-haves for a great site include uncluttered, easy-to navigate pages, and plenty of informative content.

“Put up videos, videos, videos,” she says. “The first thing that I go to is video.” Overall, keep your pages current and regularly update info, including posting recent photos and videos, any press mentions, upcoming gigs and an up-to-date resumé.

Ask an Expert
So how do you get your website off the ground? “Hire a professional designer and research other performers’ websites to see which ones hold up as professional and portray the person with integrity,” advises Rey Lozano, noted choreographer and owner/founder of U.S. Spiritleaders Cheerleading and Dance Camps. Do a two-part web search: one for dancers’ pages that you admire and like, and another for a web designer who can help you create a look you’ll love. Don’t worry if you don’t have a big budget. Chances are you already know someone who has some web design experience who’d be willing to help you for an affordable price or even a barter—dance lessons in exchange for web services, anyone?

Strictly Business
If you decide to use your website or MySpace page as a networking tool, keep it professional. “The industry is extremely small and you’d be surprised who will research on the Internet,” says Nichole Walker, choreographer and director of Corona, CA’s Storm Dance Team. “Employers are looking to hire responsible and accountable individuals.” Luam’s online world is drama-free because her sites focus on her professional life. Expect to find details on her classes, tours, appearances and clothing lines—not personal info.

Also, watch how you present yourself. “If you post stuff on MySpace that makes you appear like a total diva, saying you’re the best and no one can dance like you, I’m not going to want to hire that,” Luam says. What may just be an in-joke with friends could come across as serious to potential employers.

Surf Safely
As you incorporate the web into your job search and networking, keep these tips in mind:

• Watch out for predators. Anyone can get an AIM or e-mail account and pass himself or herself off as someone else. If you get a message from someone claiming to be the world’s greatest agent, photographer or manager, be wary. “Assume that people online are not who they say they are,” says Jeff Godlis, director of communications for i-SAFE (an Internet safety education organization). Never give out your financial information, home address, phone number or passwords over the net—even if you think it will help your career.
• Think before you post. You might be super-proud of that pic of you in booty shorts showing off your leg extensions, but think before posting it on the web. Same goes for those awesome pics of your night out with friends. There’s nothing wrong with showing off your talent or sharing memories, but photos—and videos—can be misinterpreted and used against you in the blink of an eye. “Dancers should be especially thoughtful of which videos they post online,” says Paul Pennelli, senior director of marketing and partnerships at ReputationDefender. “It’s regrettably easy to take a video snippet out of context and attach explicit captions, and these videos can take on lives of their own on the web.” (For one performer’s story, see “Net Nightmare,” at left.)
• Google yourself. Your own page might not be the only place online where there’s info about you. “Search engines make it easy for college entrance staff and job recruiters to go beyond the basic application or resumé to check up on you,” says Godlis. “Do a search on yourself and see what comes up. If you were the decision maker, what would you think of this person?” Make sure your online info is accurate, current and easily searchable.
• Keep your work yours. Once your stuff is online, it’s up for grabs to the billions of people with Internet access. Take a page out of Luam’s book: Her MySpace page features a copyright warning, and she regularly polices YouTube to make sure no one posts videos of her choreography without her permission. “Be careful with your content. If it’s your intellectual property, you have to make sure that you have control over it,” she says. “I’m very picky about what I put on the Internet dance-wise, because that’s how I make my living; that’s my career.”
  

The moral of the story: The Internet is a great networking tool—if you play it safe and stay professional. “You are your own commodity,” Luam says, “so you have to market yourself properly.”