Launching the STEP Project

Support Transition & Empower Performers

Μπορείς να διαβάσεις την Ελληνική έκδοση αυτού του άρθρου εδώ.

The Academy of Entrepreneurship is proud to participate as a partner in the European project STEP – Support Transition & Empower Performers, an Erasmus+ initiative that responds to the urgent need for better support systems for professional dancers across Europe.

What is STEP?

STEP (Support Transition & Empower Performers) is a European project that aims to improve career guidance and lifelong learning opportunities for dancers, a group that often faces unique and overlooked challenges. Due to the physically demanding nature of their profession, dancers typically experience short career spans, frequent injuries, and limited job stability.

Despite developing valuable transversal skills such as discipline, resilience, creativity, and teamwork, these competences are rarely formally recognised, making career transitions particularly difficult.

Who does it concern?

The project primarily targets professional dancers across Europe, especially those working in freelance or unstable conditions. It pays particular attention to individuals who face additional barriers, including:

Women with caregiving responsibilities
People from migrant or lower-income backgrounds
Dancers without formal qualifications
Professionals in physically demanding and precarious careers

At the same time, STEP also engages adult education providers, cultural organisations, and policy stakeholders, aiming to improve how systems respond to these learners.

What are the project’s objectives?

STEP seeks to:

Support dancers in recognising and valuing their transferable skills
Help them make informed decisions about their professional future
Expand access to upskilling and reskilling opportunities

Strengthen inclusive and tailored career guidance systems
Promote lifelong learning within the performing arts sector

What will the project develop?

To achieve its goals, STEP will design and implement a set of innovative tools and actions, including:

A Professional Dancer Transition Framework to support skills recognition and career planning
Flexible and modular training opportunities tailored to dancers’ needs

A European network of trained mentors supporting career transition
A digital platform providing self-assessment tools, resources, and personalised learning pathways

Through STEP, professional dancers will be better equipped to understand and communicate their skills, explore new career opportunities, and actively engage in lifelong learning pathways. By strengthening their confidence and expanding their access to tailored support, the project enables them to navigate career transitions in a more informed and sustainable way.

At the same time, organisations and institutions will be supported in adopting more inclusive and forward-looking practices, improving the way they respond to the needs of professionals in the cultural sector. Ultimately, STEP also contributes to a broader recognition of dance as a physically demanding profession, highlighting the need for structured transition support and more inclusive adult education systems across Europe.