At an age when others are just entering their most productive professional years, the dancers career ends. Years of training and rigorous apprenticeship prepare the dancer for a profession that is relentless in its demand, scarce in its material rewards and fiercely defended by those involved in it .
Dancers dance for the love of it, but the performing life is intense, insecure and short .
When it comes to an end, either dancer faces a difficult challenge. Four countries, Great Britain, Canada, the United States and the Netherlands, have developed programs to assist in dealing with this challenge of transition. The success of these programs, together with the universality of the issue, led to the creation of an international organization to promote activities concerning transition for dancers around the world. The Transition of Professional Dancer has members in 19 countries .