Career Development Plan - What To Do For Ballet Companies

by Monique
(san francisco)

Career Development Plan - What To Do For Ballet Companies

Hi , i really want to be a ballet dancer in a ballet company . iv'e been in ballet since i was 13 i'm 15 now i'll be 16 in 2 months . i know that i started very late and that my chances are slim to none. but i want this so badly . What should i do to be in a ballet company ? . i'm going to a Joffrey ballet Chicago summer camp this summer and i'm so excited . what is all the stuff i need to know to make this dream into my reality :)

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Reply by Odette
To:- Career Development Plan - What To Do For Ballet Companies

Hello,

Thank you for you message, it’s great to hear from you. Well, it’s great news you’re attending Joffrey’s summer camp. This is already a step towards the right direction to making your dreams a reality. It’s really important to put yourself out there and get recognised as a dancer, because summer camps like this have excellent connections to ballet schools that could potentially train you into a professional.

At aged 16, it is a critical age to take ballet training more seriously to get closer to dancing in a ballet company. You could say it is ‘make or break’, because you really need to find a vocational dance school to increase your training and prepare you for a professional career. Most dancers begin to join a ballet company from the age of 18, and before that they would be training seriously to meet the standards of each ballet company.

You need to be utterly determined, with the focus and drive that will last you the next 20 years (literally). There will be many knock backs and disappointments, which make you feel like you want to give up. It is not the right career for everyone and honestly, this will be made quite clear early on. Even though many talented dancers get criticised, if you are not in the right place for you it can either crush or excel your confidence which is a major part of you succeeding in ballet.

Your next action steps is to audition for vocational dance schools, which will cost time and money but worth it to secure a place for further training and determine whether this is the right career for you.

You can look through the different chapters of my eBook "7 Virtues of a Professional Dancer" , which will give you a clear idea and action plan to make this dream of yours a reality.

Best wishes,
Odette