Do i need a diploma to dance? PLEASE read!?

Question:im homeschooling, but dancing in shows put me really far behind (almost a year). i have excellent grades and high SAT scores, but at the rate im going, i might have to get a GED just to avoid being held back. (can i get a GED if im technically a junior?)

if i get a high school diploma, i still cant get the Hope scholarship because im homeschooled.
BUT i do get the Hope if i have a GED. so, it kind of looks to me like GED= college, and trying for a HS diploma= no college,
because if i have to pay for another year of high school, i wont be able to afford college.

DANCERS- please tell me- can i still have a successful career as a teacher/choreographer if i get a GED instead of a diploma? because if i get a GED and go to college, i can study dance and get a degree that could help me be a better teacher, right???
i know it sounds like im trying to justify dropping out, but i really am thinking of my future.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: im homeschooling, but dancing in shows put me really far behind (almost a year). i have excellent grades and high SAT scores, but at the rate im going, i might have to get a GED just to avoid being held back. (can i get a GED if im technically a junior?)

if i get a high school diploma, i still cant get the Hope scholarship because im homeschooled.
BUT i do get the Hope if i have a GED. so, it kind of looks to me like GED= college, and trying for a HS diploma= no college,
because if i have to pay for another year of high school, i wont be able to afford college.

DANCERS- please tell me- can i still have a successful career as a teacher/choreographer if i get a GED instead of a diploma? because if i get a GED and go to college, i can study dance and get a degree that could help me be a better teacher, right???
i know it sounds like im trying to justify dropping out, but i really am thinking of my future.

In the dance world, most of the times it's not about the degree or certificate you have, unless you want to teach dance as a professor at a college dance program. It's better to get your GED and move on with your dance career. If a choreographer had to pick between a dancer who has never gone to college, but started touring for years with JLo and Beyonce straight out of high school, or a dancer who got a B.A. in Dance at college...who would you choose? It's true that some good college dance programs can prepare you to be a teacher. So can assisting at your studio. In fact, assisting and then teaching at your studio will get you experience. Which equals jobs. :) I would concentrate on your dance career first. Teachers get famous because of things they've done during their career... in fact, most dancers don't even start teaching until their career is over, or during it so supplement their income.

What i'm trying to say is, it's totally OK to get your GED and go to college. A high school diploma is nice to have on a wall. A GED is its equivalent! Relax. Dance careers are rarely based off of schooling. (I mean academically). Most of my dance teachers went to community college and started teaching full time. My teacher Paul just got signed onto the faculty of West Coast Dance Explosion, and he went straight to dancing on cruises after high school. No college. Just experience, and a few tours with Gloria Estefan.

=)

Good luck!