Ballet Training: Cost, Care, and Compensation
Ballerinas and danseurs have a reputation for being elegant and glamorous, graceful albeit powerful. Well, people cannot be blamed for such a common perception for indeed all these characteristics most ballerinas and danseurs possess in varying degrees.
There are years of training that are required in order to achieve that level of ballet dancing skill. It doesn’t happen without a lot of effort, and a not too small financial outlay!
Cost – Financial and Otherwise
The tuition and incidental expenses related to ballet education can run in the hundreds of thousands. You will have to spend for tuition and matriculation as well as for private tutoring, which depends on your technical level with pre-ballet at around $2,000 to Level 8 at approximately $5,000 per year for a middle-range ballet school.
There are the formal tuition costs which vary depending on whether the dancer is enrolled in a formal ballet school where both dance and academic subjects are taught side by side, or whether there is private and group tuition to be paid on a weekly basis. The higher the skill level, the higher the costs. The same can be said about the incidental costs that are also incurred. These include appropriate clothing, transport, living expenses where appropriate and even school supplies.
There are ballet scholarships available for those ballet dancers who are serious about their dance and hope to pursue this as a profession. Unfortunately these are limited in number and so the standard required to receive one is high.
The emotional and physical cost of ballet dancing at a more advanced level shouldn’t be dismissed. A ballet dancer works long hours and places a lot of stress on their bodies. They may be required to be away from friends and family for weeks at a time. Away from the footlights of the stage on performance night, the ballet world isn’t always glamorous and a dancer needs to be strong enough emotionally to deal with that side of the business.
Care
Ballet dancers ask a lot of their bodies and therefore personal care is a priority. They are aware of the importance of taking care of themselves, and especially their feet, so that their bodies can carry out the demands made on them.
There are many rules that a ballet dancer needs to follow in order to maintain the level of health required. They mustn’t drink alcohol or take drugs. They needs to ensure that they get enough sleep each night. Their nutrition must be good without a lot of empty calories from junk food – even if they’re tired and just want to grab something to eat before falling into bed after a long day of training.
You must maintain a positive attitude through your ups and downs. You must strive for perfection otherwise you will find yourself either out of school or out of work. So many rules, so many things to do but it must be done!
Compensation
Ballet dancing isn’t about the money. From the moment a young child feels the approval of the audience, and hears the applause, they know that there is more to life than financial gain. They will put up with the long hours of training for little more than their next time in spotlight followed by a round of applause.
If you are looking for riches as a ballet dancer, then you will most often be disappointed. Unless, you have endorsement deals, of course. This is because jobs for dancers and choreographers are highly competitive with only the most talented of the bunch finding regular work. The pay is nothing to write home and boast about either!
The negative financial outlook however is often secondary to the opportunity of being paid to dance. It’s something that many people dream of, but very few actually manage to achieve.
Related posts:
- An Overview of Ballet Training Practicalities The ballerina on the stage looks very glamorous. The danseur who carries her around appears strong, making it appear effortless to pick up his graceful partner. But there are a lot of practicalities that go into creating this scene of elegance you watch on the stage....
- Ballet Training – What is the Cost? Ballerinas and danseurs have a reputation for being elegant and glamorous, graceful albeit powerful. Well, people cannot be blamed for such a common perception for indeed all these characteristics most ballerinas and danseurs possess in varying degrees....
- Ballet, It’s More than a Dance Ballet is considered as one of the most amazing dances ever. It has even been considered as an art form which allows the dancer to express his or her emotions freely. Ballet is a particular style of dancing that sets the dancers apart from others because of the focus on grace and poise. Nowadays, there have been innovations when it comes to ballet, it is more than just a dance, it can be mixed in with various art forms such as singing, acting and even miming....
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Written by Sarah Wilkiamson on October 26th, 2009 with
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