What are the chances of getting into a company if you aren't in th

[Alysse]

Hello! I have had some mixed feelings on this topic. I use JKO and ABT as an example, but this is definetly not the only situation I wonder about. Is there still a chance for you to get into a certain company if you don't go to their school? Like the Royal Ballet School and the Royal Ballet. Or JKO and ABT, Boston Ballet School and Boston Ballet, or any other school in Europe and their comany?

I attend a small ballet school in Cali, but it is with a former ABT professional, Austrailian Ballet Professional, and a Ballet of Marseille professional. (i'm just giving you this information so you can see if it would be more likely to get into a company if i had this group of teachers on my resume.

This is kind of confusing, but i think you catch my drift.

Thanks so much!

[balletbooster]

Read the bios of the dancers in the companies you are interested in on their website. You'll find that some companies hire dancers from all over the world. Others will list dancers with prior training, but almost all have done a finishing year or two at the pre-pro school attached to the company. There is no one formula to getting a job. The best thing to do is start researching the companies you are interested in and track their hiring patterns and decide if the companies are a good fit for you!

[Guest balletandsynchro]

Alysse, balletbooster has given you some good advice. My dd is now a senior in HS and has indeed been researching the various companies that she is interested in. Also, speak with your teachers. They have a lot of knowledge, and can give you their input as to which companies would be good to consider, depending upon your style, height, body type, etc. If you read through the various threads, you'll notice that some people got jobs after attending the company affiliated school for a year or two of "finishing"; others were offered apprentice/second company/corps contracts after the summer intensive; and others were offered contracts after being seen at competitions or when someone from a company gave a master class at a ballet school. My daughter has friends who were hired through each of the situations that I mentioned. Of course these aren't the only ways, but they are what come to mind right now.

[Alysse]

Read the bios of the dancers in the companies you are interested in on their website. You'll find that some companies hire dancers from all over the world. Others will list dancers with prior training, but almost all have done a finishing year or two at the pre-pro school attached to the company. There is no one formula to getting a job. The best thing to do is start researching the companies you are interested in and track their hiring patterns and decide if the companies are a good fit for you!

Beofre i say anything, thanks to both of you for giving such great answers. This website is amazing. But Balletbooster, when you are looking to go in a company, and you haven't gone to their school, will they ask you to go through a year of schooling at their school (finishing) at the company auditions, and then they will consider you? or will they just expect you to have already done your "finishing". Sorry, this is really confusing to try and type out, but it's something i'm worried about. My parents are very firm beleivers in an extreme education, so therefore, i will br finishing high school. Will this get in the way of any "finishing" time?

Thanks again, to both of you! :]

 

Alysse, balletbooster has given you some good advice. My dd is now a senior in HS and has indeed been researching the various companies that she is interested in. Also, speak with your teachers. They have a lot of knowledge, and can give you their input as to which companies would be good to consider, depending upon your style, height, body type, etc. If you read through the various threads, you'll notice that some people got jobs after attending the company affiliated school for a year or two of "finishing"; others were offered apprentice/second company/corps contracts after the summer intensive; and others were offered contracts after being seen at competitions or when someone from a company gave a master class at a ballet school. My daughter has friends who were hired through each of the situations that I mentioned. Of course these aren't the only ways, but they are what come to mind right now.

Balletandsynchro, is your daughter going to pick out a specific company, and then after high school, go for a year of "finishing" there at the company school, and then audition for a company?

Thanks for the info :]

(and best of wishes to your daughter!)

[balletbooster]

Alysse, there is just not one answer to your question. Every company is different and even within one company, there may be many ways to a contract. I think by and large, the keys to getting a contract are to get good training, with enough classes each week to be training at the pre-pro level and to find ways to make contact with and be seen by a wide variety of companies. This might be through SIs, master classes, competitions, auditions, references, etc. Many dancers right out of high school are hired by many companies for trainee, apprentice and corp positions without spending time in the company affiliated schools. These dancers are going to be the ones that that particular AD feels are ready for company work.

 

Remember too that getting a ballet contract is a subjective thing and a dancer that one AD may view as ready for corp work could be offered a spot in the top level of the company school in another company. It is the same dancer, with the same abilities, but two different ADs see that dancer in very different ways. A third AD might not be interested at all. As much as we would like to lay out a very specific road map to success in pro ballet, there really isn't one. Hard work, good research and being at the right place at the right time all need to come together to make for a positive outcome. I wish you all the best!

[dancemaven]

By way of example, I can tell you that I know of one male dancer who did not go to Boston Ballet's pre-pro school, but was offered a contract when he graduated from high school. He had gone to a residency school that was unaffliliated with any company. Actually, several of the senior dancers at that residency received contracts, apprenticeships, or traineeships at various companies that do have pre-pro schools, but which these particular dancers did not attend.

 

I know of a couple dancers from my daughter's home studio, which is again not associated with any company, who have received traineeships or apprenticeships with companies that do have pre-pro schools--even though the dancers never attended that companies' pre-pro school.

 

As we have continually observed, there is not one road to Rome. You just need to figure out which road is the most feasible for you to take!

[Alysse]

balletbooster, Thanks so much for this help! Such an encouragement! Although, I was wondering if you could help me out a little. Just some guidance. (I will also talk to my teacher about this, but it's neat to haev seccond opinions). What do you think is the best route for me to get into a ballet company. I will not be able to move from Southern California to go to a company's school, but I am available for summer intensives and am dancing with Melissa Allen, former ABT dancer. Should I go to a specific company's summer intensive if I would want to attend that company in the future? Should I start doing competitions? Where can I get veiwed by the artistic director? Once again, Thanks for your guidance!

[Fraildove]

My 2 Centsl...

 

Go to your teachers and ask them specifically what you should be aiming towards when selecting companies to aspire to joining. Are they thinking ABT material or perhaps a smaller company? Go to each of the companies websites that they reccomend and read as much information as you can about the companies and their auditions. Then you can ask more specific questions here, and I am sure that the moderators and teachers can point you in a much more clear direction. It is so hard to give advice when there are literally hundreds of variables! Not to mention that no one here knows how you dance, how tall you are, or if you would fit best in a purely classical company or maybe a more contemporary one. Good Luck!!!

[Alysse]

Thanks so much for your advice! You have just brought something new to my attention though. I had forgotten all about height. What seems to be the "scoop" for the most popular and wanted height these days in the ballet word? I am 5'4 but have some seriously growing left. (I'm a late bloomer, as well as both my parents were). I'm 15. Thanks again for your suggestions.

[dancemaven]

Alysse, your very questions have been the subject of many threads and discussions over the years. Collectively, they are, basically, 'the 64 Million Dollar' question of ballet training. We could answer the questions here, and some may post suggestions, and such and that's okay. But, because this is such a frequent and crucial area of questions, you might spend some time going through some of the older threads and you will find a wealth of experience, answers, suggestions, routes, etc. that probably will be helpful to you.

 

I would suggest just starting in this Dance Education forum, grabbing a soda or some other relaxing drink, and spending some time just absorbing all the information that has been shared by those that walked the same path you are on! Enjoy!

[Alysse]

Dancemaven, i totaly agree! Thanks. I am fairly new to this site, a couple weeks old, and wondering, should I make a search, and under what keywords, and do i just look at the different pages of this forum, hoping for a thread like this? thanks again!

[balletbooster]

Alysse, the Career General Discussion board (different from this one) is 7 pages long. That is not too long, so why not just look through the topics and see how many speak to your issue? If you want more information, then do a search. You'll need to experiment with your parameters until you find the information you are looking for, but there is a ton of it out there.

 

I wish I could tell you what is best for you to do to try to find a job. First off, I don't know you or your dancing. Secondly, I am a parent, whose daughter is just beginning her first year with a pro company. What I know about all of this is gleaned from the people I've met here and as a result of my daughter's training and what I've found is that there are as many ways to a pro job as there are dancers trying to get a job! Your teachers can guide you best. But, do take every opportunity that comes your way to be seen by company representatives. That includes SI auditions, master classes, student roles in pro productions, etc. You are still several years away from needing to look seriously for that first job and right now your top priority needs to be good, solid training! The rest will start falling into place as you get nearer your senior year, see where you are technically at that time and the kind of feedback you are getting from your year round teachers and your summer programs.

[Alysse]

balletbooster, thanks so much again, and congrats to your daughter! I'm glad you have helped me figure some of this out, and I will look in the forum and make a search!

:]

[ddm3]

I don't recall seeing your age, Alysse, but at some point I would suggest you attend the SI of the company you are most interested in. If it is ABT, then you should go to the NY program. If it is Boston, then SDP or NYCB, then SAB and so on. You will learn a lot and have a better idea if it is truly the company for you. As others on this board have said, there are several different paths to this profession. Along the way, and as you discover more about other companies and yourself, you may change your mind. With this in mind, do get the best training that is available to you.

[Guest balletandsynchro]

Hi Alysse,

My daughter has been researching companies, and talking to her teachers regarding the companies that would likely be a good fit, and which would be realistic to try for. She will be doing a bit of everything: Auditioning for companies, SIs, and colleges, and taking master classes along the way. Interestingly, the master classes have given her some additional leads. As everyone has said, there is no one specific way to get that job! Hopefully, she'll have that coveted job by next fall!