By Laura Galbraith Staff Writer

A few years ago, Shanelle Newton, now 20, told her family that she did not need to worry about academics.

Trained in classic ballet since age 3, Ms. Newton was certain that she would end up dancing for a living.

“When I was younger, I absolutely wanted to be a professional dancer, and in fact I frustrated my dad a lot,” she said. “I was home schooled, and he would try to teach me math. I insisted that, no, I don’t need to know fractions because I’m going to be a ballerina.”

Ms. Newton’s plans have changed significantly. Although she still dances, she also devotes increasingly more time to her studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Soon after she graduates in May 2010 with a degree in chemistry and a minor in music performance, Ms. Newton plans to attend graduate school and earn a doctorate.

“I found science and loved it,” she said.

Young adults immersed in the performing arts often have to make hard career decisions. Should they follow their dreams or seek a more direct path to a paycheck?

For example, only the most talented dancers and choreographers find regular work, and their yearly earnings are often modest. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2006 the average mid-range pay for dancers was $7.31 to $17.50 an hour. Choreographers earned a little more.

Ms. Newton said she realized that although she was experienced in many areas of dance, the professional world was too competitive for her taste. She said that if she were to audition for a big dance company, she would probably get a minor role.

“I could probably do something with (dance), but I like to be here. I’m kind of a big fish in a small pond,” Ms. Newton said. “There are very few dancers who can actually sustain themselves just by performing.

“I don’t want to have to dance, if that makes sense. I want to do it because I love it and not because I have to pay the bills,” she said.

Finding professional success in other performing arts can be just as challenging, said actress Holli Smith, 20, of Hixson.

Ms. Smith began acting when she was in 6th grade. A graduate of the Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts, she majored in musical theater and developed passion for the stage.

“From the very first second I stepped onstage, I knew I loved it so much,” she said.

Experienced in acting, dancing and singing, Ms. Smith decided to try her luck in New York City. However, like Ms. Newton, she soon realized that this career path was not for her.

“I knew I just couldn’t live there in such a big city, and I didn’t want to live the life of a ‘starving actress’ just trying to work my way into the business,” she said.

Ms. Smith said that life can be overwhelming for a young actress because there is so much talented competition. Furthermore, it is tiring to work all day at a regular job and then spend hours rehearsing or auditioning at night.

In truth, most actors must take another job in order to live in a big, expensive metropolitan area like New York City or Los Angeles. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2006, the middle half of all actors made hourly earnings between $8.47 and $22.51. The lowest-paid 10 percent of actors made less than $7.31.

This year, Ms. Smith will begin her senior year as an accounting major at UTC. She said she enjoys her studies, as well as her current accounting internship at US Express.

“Once I decided that Broadway wasn’t for me, I just kind of relied on my other strength, which is numbers,” she said.

Allan A. Ledford is the musical theater teacher at CCA and the director for Choo Choo Kids, the school’s musical theatre troupe. He said that many of his young students are serious about a career in performing arts.

“We have students that already know that this is what they want to do. This is how they want to spend their life,” he said.

Still, Mr. Ledford said it is not uncommon for young performers to change their minds entirely once they realize how demanding a performing career really is. He said that this summer Choo Choo Kids performed about 180 shows at outside venues. For some, dealing with the constant heat, humidity and exhaustion became too much. While some kids looked forward to each performance, others discovered that this type of lifestyle did not fit them.

“It’s interesting to me to see the different epiphanies,” Mr. Ledford said.

Although she has decided not to pursue acting as a career, Ms. Smith still looks for opportunities to perform. Recently, she was cast in the leading role of Gabriella Montez at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s upcoming stage production of the popular Disney franchise, “High School Musical.”

She said she believes other actors should persist in their attempts to act professionally on stage or in movies if it is what they really want to do.

“I think if performing is (someone’s) absolute passion and that’s what they want to do, then they should for sure go for it and give it all they have,” she said. “But for me, I knew that that wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to live in New York and live that life, so that’s why I chose an alternate path.”