Treefrog -
You bring up a very good point. Many schools are training disillusioned dancers. Its like the teachers are just as caught up in having a student of theirs go pro as the kids are. Instead of taking a realistic step back and recognizing if its a reality for that specific dancer. And if not, they should encourage them to continue dancing and expressing their love for it, but not "leading them on" so to speak. Because when a dancers dreams are shattered, its harder for them to appreciate the artform that broke their heart. So as a result, you rarely will find those ex-dancers in the audiences. As terrible as it is, the kids should not blame anything for their unsuccessful career. But they should instead find the career path that is best for THEM, and continue their passion for dance as a supporter. Now I know this is a very unrealistic approach, but hopefully in the future, this trend will begin to take effect. And maybe it will grow our audiences, instead of decreasing them!