Ballerinas
Rising to the Top

Ballerinas are beautiful and charming, but they are full a lot of a strong mentality and determination too. There is a lot they have to go through to reach where they are and it isn't all highs or glory.

It's easy to think ballet dancing is a wonderful and almost effortless career, but there is a lot more behind it than what meets the eye.

I know it looks glamorous and almost dream-like, but it is not an easy ride to become a dancer.

You have to be extremely hard-working, persistent and determined.

Let me give you an insight to what dancers have to face in order to become a real professional.

There are so many young dancers dreaming to become a ballerina. Do you really know what it takes? Do you know how to reach that level?

When training as a ballet student, it can feel like you spend years of your life perfecting your technique. It's so important to get the most out of your training. The time and attention you get in school is very precious, which is why you must appreciate it and use every second to improve.

However, the time will come for every training ballerina to be set free into the real world of professional dancing into a ballet company. This can bring so much excitment!

You wait so long for this moment and now it is finally your chance to take the big step into the real world. It is time to pursue your dreams of having a career in dance!

However, the process of auditions and trying to find a place in a ballet company is a harder than you might think. It takes a huge amount of persistence, determination and focus. As well as travelling, organising and money.

You start auditioning for a ballet company by sending your ballet photographs and CV to the director of a company for an approval to audition. There can be a countless number of ballet companies who may not even respond or you can be turned away before even going to the audition. 

It can feel like you are getting rejection after rejection, so you have not learn not to take it personally. There's no doubt it is a tough experience auditioning for ballet companies. What does not kill you, makes you stronger and this is certainly true in the world of dance.

Even when you have secured a job in a ballet company, it is not the end! Although it is an incredible achievement to have reached the level of a professional, it really is just the beginning.

Your future can remain uncertain for a lot of the time as a dancer. Most ballet companies offer a yearly contract, which means you won't neccessarily know if you will stay longer than your first year. 

Especially when you are younger, it is easy to feel like a small fish in a big sea so you always have to keep improving and striving for more. It's so important to build up a strong mentality and find your own way to keep motivated to believe in yourself.

Many ballerinas join different ballet companies throughout their careers. It's a constant search to find new challenges and where suits you most as a dancer, as well as somewhere that appreciates what you bring to the dance world.

Mostly, as a dancer you have to learn to take one step at a time! It's a huge moment to begin as a professional dancer and you never know what could happen! Every dancer will have their own journey and it isn't always in your hands to decide. That's why you have to make the most out of every second wherever you are.

return from Ambitious Ballerinas to Ballet Dancers Guide homepage or alternatively back to Audition Tips