How do you find a male lead to hire?

[kalip]

Our studio in TN is looking for a male to partner with Sugar Plum and we are not sure how to go about looking/hiring a partner. Any suggestions would be most helpful! Thank you.

[Mel Johnson]

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

 

When "sending out for men" it's usually wise to set up a search radius of all the professional-level schools in your area, and work that circle until you find somebody willing and able to help you. If that doesn't work, expand the search radius. Bear in mind that transportation and lodging for your "guests" really must be footed by the inviter.

 

But why are parents doing this search?

[Momof3darlings]

I think this may be a student rather than a parent, at least that is what the connection line says. Not that it makes a real difference in terms of why a parent or student would need to be searching but to help out anyway....

 

All that Mr. Johnson has stated is correct of course, usually the director uses either local/state connections or if that is not feasible then the director usually uses connections outside the state with working dancers they are familiar with because they will want to make sure that the male dancer matches the ability level of the partner or elevates the ability level of the partner and that he's a nice guy who understands that he is dancing with a student dancer and it should be enjoyable for her.

 

The school also has to be prepared to pay the dancer, the costume rental if applicable, housing, food and sometimes per diem. If there is a professional male dancer who is from the area, alot of times the directors start there because that may take housing out of the equation.

 

I would look at the professional companies in your state, see which ones do not perform their Nutcracker on the same weekend you're needing and begin there.

[Mel Johnson]

Yes, I saw that the connection read: "dancer", but I couldn't be sure that the dancer was not also a parent. Anyway, we seem to be caught in a hairball here; kalip, can you clarify your status?

[kalip]

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

 

When "sending out for men" it's usually wise to set up a search radius of all the professional-level schools in your area, and work that circle until you find somebody willing and able to help you. If that doesn't work, expand the search radius. Bear in mind that transportation and lodging for your "guests" really must be footed by the inviter.

 

But why are parents doing this search?

 

 

Thank you for your response. Our director is so busy and she is not computer savy and she asked me to try and start looking for the role of "Prince." Once I had info to provide her, she was going to start calling.

Again, thank you!

 

I think this may be a student rather than a parent, at least that is what the connection line says. Not that it makes a real difference in terms of why a parent or student would need to be searching but to help out anyway....

 

All that Mr. Johnson has stated is correct of course, usually the director uses either local/state connections or if that is not feasible then the director usually uses connections outside the state with working dancers they are familiar with because they will want to make sure that the male dancer matches the ability level of the partner or elevates the ability level of the partner and that he's a nice guy who understands that he is dancing with a student dancer and it should be enjoyable for her.

 

The school also has to be prepared to pay the dancer, the costume rental if applicable, housing, food and sometimes per diem. If there is a professional male dancer who is from the area, alot of times the directors start there because that may take housing out of the equation.

 

I would look at the professional companies in your state, see which ones do not perform their Nutcracker on the same weekend you're needing and begin there.

 

Thank you for your response. I am a parent and I am using my daughters line. We just set this up and I have not had time to set my own. I will work on that tonight. Thank you for all of your helpful information.

 

AnnP

 

 

Yes, I saw that the connection read: "dancer", but I couldn't be sure that the dancer was not also a parent. Anyway, we seem to be caught in a hairball here; kalip, can you clarify your status?

 

I am a parent using her daughter's line. I am sorry about this. We just set up Kali's info and I did not have time to set up my own. I will do so in a few minutes. So sorry about this!

 

AnnP

[Mel Johnson]

Ah, OK, now we understand. Yes, thank you for getting your own registered identity. It helps us keep the members straight in our minds.

[cheetah]

When hiring out for male dancers, we've also seen requests that the dancer have his own tunic/costume. Not sure how that works since it might not match the studio's costumes!

 

DS' old studio sometimes hired from a company that was kind of like an agent, but they specialized in matching up dancers with studios for just such a situation. I did a search but can't find anything on line. If I can find the old program I can see if the company is still in business, just to give you an idea. In the meantime, you might find some references to these types of agencies in the dance magazines. Other times the studio used dancers from second companies in the local area but also from out of town. The AD offered transportation, provided accommodations, etc. There are guys who do nothing but go from studio to studio doing guest roles like this. They've finished training, but for whatever reason this is the type of work they are doing. Some have been very good, and some have been really, really bad.

 

One word of caution when hiring male dancers - we found that some of them (not all) will have their own set of requirements about the dancers that they will partner. Sometimes it is a personal preference and sometimes (we were told) it is dictated by the company if the dancer is actually affiliated with a company. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but can throw a wrench into your performance since your casting - and maybe even weeks of rehearsal - is likely to be done before you hire the male dancer. So, make sure all parties are on the same page and don't be afraid to find another male that has more flexibility. Searching early will give you more options.

[Balletbun]

admin@elitedance.com

 

This will be very helpful in locating a male ballet dancer for Nutcracker. Be ready to inform them on salary, housing, date, height of the ballerina, how many performances, etc...

Good luck!

[Momof3darlings]

Lexii--a reminder that this is the parent board.

 

But just for your informational help, I'm sure you were just lovely in your part despite the lack of steady rehearsals! But in most cases (outside NYC or another dance mecca) if a professional male is hired, the dancer at the home school rehearses solo so to speak at home and then has intensive 3-4 days of rehearsal while the male is in attendance and has to perform just on those 3-4 days. If hiring local, certainly more rehearsal can be arranged and would be normal. So while your experience was not optimal, it was certainly more common than not. I'm certain you were able to tackle the challenge and perform flawlessly!

 

Kalip were you able to find your male dancer?