Career Development Plan - Too late to become professional ballet dancer?

Career Development Plan - Too late to become professional ballet dancer?

I am 13 years old and I've danced in many styles including jazz, lyrical, tap, gymnastics, and hip hop for years. However, this is the first year I am studying ballet seriously. I cannot afford to take more than one class a week, but I practice and stretch at home a lot. I am 5 foot 6 and I weigh 118 pounds, and I am not studying pointe yet but I hope to soon, as I have very nice feet (my ballet teacher has even complimented my arches). My question is, is it too late for me to be considering becoming a professional ballet dancer?

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Reply by Odette

To:- Career Development Plan - Too late to become professional ballet dancer?

Hello,

Thank you very much for your queries.

Along with the physical ability, it's absolutely crucial to be mentally prepared for a professional ballet career. It highly depends on your self-motivation to how you succeed in becoming a professional ballet dancer. The Seven Secrets, on the 'Seven Secrets of Ballet' page, will give you the key answers of how to thrive in the ballet world.

By following my Personal Development Plan, you are on the Take Action stage. You are now contemplating on taking up dancing as your profession which means you need to assess where best place is for you to train.

It takes a lot of committed training in order to become a professional which is why most dancers go to train at vocational dance schools for their early years.

Striving professional dancers commit to training at vocational dance schools. These schools are located around the world and offer training for young aspiring dancers from the early age of 11 right up until they are 18.

It is not too late for you in terms of your age, it is the intense, regular training that is most crucial for aspiring professional dancers.

It is highly beneficial that you are studying many other styles of dance as this will open many options for you in terms of becoming a professional dancer. The process to become a professional ballet dancer is very extensive and dancers do have to train rigorously each day for years to develop the strength that's required for ballet. Therefore, if you were able to increase your ballet classes this would give you a higher chance of becoming a professional.

All the best

Odette