Tiny Dancer

[Guest coppelia]

Is it possible to make it in the dance world as a very tiny dancer. I am very small and may not get much taller than 5 feet. Can I still make it in the dance world? I have wanted to be a dancer my whole life and I need to know if my efforts are worth while.

 

Thats not bad enough, I am very muscular (not fat at all) will this also effect my dancing carreer. My turnout and arch are also not that great, I guess you could say that my body just wasn't built for dance...

 

HELP! I really want to be a dancer, what can I do???

[Mel Johnson]

Hi, Coppelia, and welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers.

 

I'm moving this to Young Dancers, and presuming it is the younger group, but if it's not, let us know and we'll move it to the right place. Teachers is for teachers to discuss...well, teaching! Young Dancers is the place for Teen dancers to get advice on their class and performance issues.

 

Small dancers are not written off, but you have to be a very, very good dancer, as the height limits the possibilities for use in a corps de ballet. There are, and have been many short girls in many professional companies, so it's not an unbreakable barrier.

[Guest coppelia]

thanks, i saw the teacher thing and was a little confused because I thought I had changed it. Thanks, Happy Holidays

[Tiffany]

Knock, knock, adult dancer here.

 

I am 5'2.5" (yes I count that 1/2 inch!) so I always notice companys that prefer shorter dancers. Off the top of my head, Joffrey Ballet, Alabama Ballet, and Sarasota Ballet of Florida prefer shorter dancers. I know that Joffrey and AL post that women must be 5'6" and under and a few years ago Sarasota posted height max of 5'6" for women. Many companies do not post height requirements, and some companies post height minimums of 5'3" or 5'4" for women. Boston Ballet has a 5'4" minimum this year and Richmond Ballet posted a minimum of 5'3". So, if you look around, you can find companies that aren't geared towards taller dancers. Companies change their standard also; the standards this year are not what they were last year for some companies; for example I think that Boston Ballet's height is higher than it was lat year. However, companies that you can mark off are Pacific NW Ballet and NYCB, as they both prefer taller dancers. Take a look at the thread about company auditions in 2006 in the career discussion forum, this will show you what companies want height wise.

 

Also, you sound like a teenager and aren't finished growing yet, so who knows where you will end up! Work on your technique right now, don't worry about things that you can't control. You can make sure you're getting adequate nutrients, which Ms. Babsaroo can help you with in the nutrition forum.

[balletbum74]

At least you will have a wider variety of partners then the tall girls! But you can still grow more by the time you reach 17 and 18. I know that Pointe Magazine had an article on a dancer who was 5'2'' [is that right?] in their Oct/Nov issue. Anyways, she is 25 now and a principal at the Carolina Ballet. I don't know all the details but if you do a bit of research you can find out about her.

[Guest theskysthelimit]

lots of dancers are really tiny...look at some of the principles in NBC. I feel your pain with height, but I'm the opposite, gaining rapidly on 5'8 and still growing so a pro-career is toast for me! But think about it and turn it on its head. If you should meet a director or choreographer who likes your style you may get out of the corps a lot quicker!

[Guest coppelia]

Thanks! I am feeling a lot more secure about my height! Now I just gotta make it to 5'3 :/ lol

[Guest tinydancersam]

im in the exact same boat as you! im 14 and barely taller than 4'10"! lol. (my mom was worried so she took me to an endocrinolodgist when i had just turned 13 and hadnt grown in 3 years, and the reports said i had the skeletal maturity of a 16 and a half year old "with minimal risidual growth plate tissue as in im totally done growing not a chance in the world i even have another half inch left!) But hey, Tina Leblanc is barely 5ft tall, and shes a principal for san fransisco ballet, and i asked my teacher if i still have a chance in the dance world and she said yes, you just have to be at the right company at the right time and plus, we'll be an E-Z lift when we get to pas de duex! lol

Edited January 21, 2006 by tinydancersam

[dancelyssa]

I'm a bit under 4'11" at age 14 and I will probably also only hit about 5'. I am also of a muscular build. People constantly tell me I would be a good gymnast, but I am a dancer.

Is upper body and core stregnth good for a dancer, or will muscular arms and legs look bad?

[Xandra]

I feel that I grow and grow and grow latley. My predicted hight was 5' not the case. The last couple of months i've shot up. I went from 4'10 to 5' in two weeks. Currentley I'm 5'3. So if you havn't grown theres still hope.