In deciding whether to do a certain project, Mattocks consults what he calls a “three-pronged matrix” of freelancer incentives: career advancement, personal satisfaction, and paid compensation. A worthwhile project fulfills at least two out of the three criteria. “If you take the monetary part out of that triangle equation,” Mattocks says, “it really has to be either a definite step in your career, or something that’s going to be completely emotionally satisfying”—or, ideally, both.

With any new opportunity, Mattocks makes an effort to discuss compensation up front. “It’s always good to know in advance that I’m choosing to do something for free,” he says, “because then I feel like I have agency around that choice, and I know how to prioritize the rehearsal schedule.”

Read the whole article: http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/June-2013/When-Should-You-Dance-for-Free