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We here at ballet bits try and keep up to date on what people are looking for while they search the site. We have notice that the search term "How do I become a professional ballet dancer" is quite popular. Since there is no information yet on balletbits.com about the steps involved in becoming a dancer we felt it was time to change that.

There is no one path to becoming a professional ballet dancer. In fact, the options are much more varied today then they were 10 or 20 years ago. About 20 years ago, at a pre-professional school, a conference was called to talk to parents about the career paths of dancers. During the talk, the principle of the school said " It is unlikely that those wishing to pursue a career in ballet will attend university". A parent at the conference became irate and stood up and said, "how dare you tell my daughter that she does not need to go to university". Today there are many university dance programs where you can study ballet and achieve a degree. However, this is still not the most popular path due to the intensity in which dancers must train in order to be of a professional standard.

Most dancers start their career at a very young age, some as early as three or four. For a variety of reasons male dancers typically start training later in life. Many dancers start at a local small school particularly if they live in a city not serviced by a professional ballet company. Those that show interest, aptitude and talent would then move on to a pre-professional program. A lot of pre-professional schools are attached to major ballet companies, but this is not always the case. A good way to judge the quality of a school is to look at their alumnus. Where are they dancing today? Do they have former students in major companies? The top pre-professional schools are normally full service institutions. They board and feed their students and are responsible for both the academic and ballet aspects of education. Here is a short list of some of the best ballet schools in the world..

The National Ballet School of Canada

The Royal Ballet School, White Lodge

Vaganova Choreographic Institute

Bolshoi Academy (Bolshoi Ballet)

School of the Paris Opera Ballet

The School of American Ballet

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School

This is by no means a complete list of schools, but it should give you an idea about what to expect.Of course, you don't have to attend one of the best ballet schools in the world in order to become a professional dancer. Most regional companies have excellent schools attached to them. Not everybody that attends a ballet school ends up being a professional ballet dancer either. Unfortunately, bodies change over time, particularly when young boys and girls become men and women. The ballet world is cruel and harsh, each year students are evaluated and those that don't make it are asked to leave.

The top students from a graduating class are often asked to join the company. Those that are not asked or choose not to join head out on an audition tour. This is often the hardest part of a young dancer's career. After spending many years in a relatively isolated environment, the dancer starts to realize just how competitive ballet is. For every one open position in a ballet company , an artistic director may see as many as 100-200 people. Learning how to deal with rejection early is a key skill.

Like many professions, there is usually a period of apprenticeship. However, a particularly talented dancer might be asked to join the company as a corps de ballet member. A extraordinarily talented individual may be asked to join a company as a soloist or even principal, but this is very rare.

Another option these days is to attend a university program specializing in dance. In recent years, some of these programs have become very popular. Meeting a dancer with a bachelor of arts degree is still an exception rather than the rule. Dancing careers are very short, most dancers begin dancing professionally at 15 or 16 and retire in their early to mid 30s. However, the advantages of obtaining a university degree might outweigh a few years lost dancing. Here's a short list of some of the top dancing programs in North American universities.

University of Oklahoma

Cornell University

Duke University

Princeton University, Theatre and Dance

Kansas State University, Dance Program

Columbia College, Chicago, Dance Department

New York University, Dance Education

There is no step by step guide to becoming a professional ballet dancer, but we hope this article has helped to get you started. If you have any questions do not hesitate to post in our forum. One of our dancers would be happy to further assist you. As we have stated many times here at ballet bits, dancing is a very hard profession. With low pay, substandard working conditions and the risk of career ending injuries, the decision to become a professional ballet dancer should not be taken lightly. As a closing note, please don't listen to people that say you'll never become a dancer. It has been our experience that almost every professional ballet dancer was told this at least once during their training, even some of the world's most famous ballet dancers. Remember the famous quote written of Fred Astaire, during one of his first auditions... "Can't sing, can't dance can act a little".

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Am I too fat to be a ballet dancer?

While I was doing research for this site I read a lot of various dance related forums on the net.  Unfortunately, questions like "I am X feet tall and Y lbs...am I too fat to be a dancer?" and "My teacher has told me to loose weight, what is the best way?" seem to be among the most common.  Maintaining a healthy body image has to be among the most challenging aspects of professional dance.

Ours is a strange profession.  I can think of no other where you are asked to look at yourself in the mirror 6 hours a day for years and years wearing next to nothing. I have worked in companies where you could determine the status of a dancer in a the company by which mirror he/she stands in front of. The warping of the mirrors over time could produce a fattening or thinning effect much like in a fun house at a circus. So the greater your status in the company the "thinner" the mirror you got. Sounds crazy, but it is true.  That combined with the ever critical eye of the ballet masters/mistresses and artistic director and you have the perfect environment to develop eating disorders. 

Disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and the abuse of laxatives are rampant in ballet companies and schools, particularly among women.  Yes Balanchine said "ballet is thin.", but I personally believe this to be an outdated and dangerous model. A young student of ballet should concentrate on eating healthy and staying injury free.  What is the point of doing permanent damage to your body before you have even started your professional career? The PBS program NOVA did a good special of the problems of eating disorders in the ballet world.  You can read the transcript and even watch the program online at the NOVA website here. Ballet is a hard physical activity, particularly when you are in a professional ballet school.  If you are eating well your weight should be right for your unique genetic make up. I am glad to see that many schools are including nutrition education as part of their overall curriculum. 

We as dancers will be required to make many sacrifices for our art. You will require as much training as a doctor or lawyer, but make a very little money.   Much of your childhood will be spent inside a studio while your friends are pursuing more traditional activities.  Working conditions can be tough and the constant strain on your body will make your career very short.  Your health is something that should not be sacrificed.

As dancers, our bodies are our instruments. In order for it to work to its best ability, it has to be taken care of. Try to remember that it isn't about the number on the scale but rather how you actually look. I worked with a girl who was about 5'8" and was so thin that to look at her you would swear she was sick. I would have guessed her weight at about 110lbs, but as it turned out she was 135lbs! This is a great example of the look rather than number point. She was thin, long and just very lean. Muscle weighs more than fat and it is important not to lose so much to obtain a magic number that you lose your muscle. There is no point in being skinny if you are too weak to actually do anything.

Being a dancer isn't about being skinny. While image is a huge factor in getting a job, it is not the only thing. You can be stick thin, but have off proportions, you could be turned in, have bad feet, bad technique, or a multitude of other things that would hinder you from "making it". Look around an open class at Steps In NY and you will see what I mean. There are skinny girls in there working hard, taking class everyday but still won't make it. Even in a professional school, there are still lots of girls who don't become professionals. It is a hard business and while there is a standard "ballet look" this doesn't mean falling over from starvation thin. Ballet is athletic, strong, and powerful while at the same time graceful. Ballet is supposed to be the human body at its most ethereal and most beautiful. It is so much more satisfying to watch a strong, healthy body perform such graceful movements rather than a stick figure. Eat well, stay healthy, and remember that your ideal weight is something your doctor should decide not your ballet teacher.