How to Know if You can Become a Professional Ballet Dancer - TwinTalksBallet 

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As an aspiring professional dancer (*note* not a ballet dancer), I believe there are two big things you need in order to be a professional. 1) You need to really want to do it. I know all kinds of people who could do it, but there heart isnt in it. If you're not this in love with dance, if you don't take it that seriously, you'll never make it. 2) You need to be flexible. The industry is fast paced. You need to do what you need to do to survive. What I mean is you can't just go in with the mindset of "I'm gonna be in a company" or whatever it may be, and expect that to always be true. Things change, and you need to change with them. That's just my experience though.

I was going to become an apprentice so I know I have at least some chance but I decided I didn’t want to be a professional. I still love dancing so much though and I want to train and keep improving myself and keep on performing recreationally :)

fantastic, sensible and realistic advice I'm passing on to my extremely focused and passionate-about-ballet 10 year old. Thank you for your balanced and thoughtful information.x

I want to become a professional dancer when I grow up but I started at 14. I'm 15 now. Is there stills a chance? I've improved quickly and I can do the splits and my turn out is fine.

Thank you so much! This really helped me find some direction in my plans to pursue dance as a profession

Very helpfull! Thank you 💕

I first danced ballet when I was 5, I danced for about a year I even had time to perform. I then started figure skating, took some lessons for a few months. I eventually left and then tried out swimming, I swam competitively for the entire year. Lastly I danced hip hop for two years, in school and at a local studio. I am currently 13, I will be turning 14 next month (February). A few days ago I went to my first ballet class, in 8 years. It's a professional ballet school near where I live, me and my mother took a liking to it so she called, and thus I attended my first ballet lesson. There are two groups, the younger one ages 8-10 (there's a large age gap due to covid). And then there's the advancing group, dancers around my age 13-15 (obviously they're already on pointe). For my first lesson the teacher decided to place me in the younger group, to be able to see my skill level. I was lacking of course, I haven't danced ballet in 8 years. My coordination wasn't perfect, my turnout was and still is weak, my flexibility is a little lacking, I bearly knew any dance terminology, my back wasn't always straight. I was a mess in my eyes, I have a lot to work on however, perhaps my teacher saw something in me. After the class had ended, the advanced group was entering to start their class. She asked me and my mother to stay for a few minutes, to watch them for a bit. Later on she approached my mother and told her that- she will keep me in the younger group for a short period of time, and then move me up to the advanced group. That just made my day, I even did the splits in my first class. I didn't even know I could do them because so much time had passed, I thought I lost a lot of my flexibility, which is true. But hey at least that's good. My mother told me that my teacher, had probably seen potential in me, to be telling her that. I knew that ballet was difficult, but I could never comprehend how hard it would be. I want to do my best in ballet, and improve with time. I loved my first lesson and can't wait for more! I know that there's a really slim chance for me to succeed in ballet (becoming a professional ballet dancer). But I currently see ballet as a hobby of mine. Yes it was my childhood dream, and I've missed ballet ever since I had stopped dancing. Yet it's really difficult, and you have to have the drive to push forward. I don't know if I have (and want) that, I am taking classes because it was a dream of mine since I was young, and I am currently fulfilling it. Most people change with time, and their interests change. I also really enjoy horseback riding, and swimming. I want to try everything, there is to try. In order to find my true passion, and stick with it to the very end. That's what I thought with ballet, but sometimes reality differs from fantasy. I love ballet with all my heart, it brings me joy. And I love it as a hobby of mine, but not as my career path, that's for sure. Either way I want to improve my skills as much as I possibly can, and love what I do. And I hope everyone else can do the same, pursue their true passions, along side their hobbies.

this video really helped me. i started dancing at 11 and im now 12 and want to be a professional dancer. i think i have almost everything you said so maybe i do have a chance😂. thank you so much!!!!

Can you suggest any exercises or stretches that can help me improve my foot flexibility?

I grew up in the north of England, I hit every marker you've said and those that others have said about knowing whether or not you can be a professional dancer. However there are a lot less opportunities in the UK, regional companies aren't really a thing. What really annoyed me then and still does is that both my teacher and my parents very much had a view that intelligent people do ballet for fun. To be fair I'm probably more talented in that way than ballet (I went to a university that at times has been listed as the top in the world), but I loved ballet more. No one every recognised that was an asset for ballet. I don't know if this is a common thing in the US - I lived there for a while, but that was one community in one area, I felt that being intelligent as a woman was discouraged and I did know people who were hoping for a career in ballet.

What dance schools/academy do you recommend for 9-12 year olds

my ribcage is wide, along with my shoulders, i have prominent hip dips and my body shape is an inverted triangle, please tell me honestly if i could still be professional

Thanks for this video it was really on pointe (haha sorry)!! I was wondering if you could help me with a problem I have with my turnout : I definitely don't have à crazy turnout (I'm far from having my middle split even though i'm working on it, i feel like it's not improving much) and when i'm in cinquième, my feet are really really far from being parallel to one another (I know they don't have to be perfectly parallel but my best cinquième just doesn't look good). Maybe i'm forcing too much or maybe i'm not feeling my turnout the right way (not enough from the hip ?) because my knees often hurt after class and i'm worried it can get worse. Hope all this makes sense 😌 do you have any tips for me ? Thanks ! And I would love a video on confidence and self esteem !!! Lise

Do video for little kids ( 9-12

Okay so I’m a dancer and I want to be a. Professional dancers but not just in ballet I love all stylus of dance but I don’t know what I can do after college can someone help me and give me so options!

Can you improve your arches.

I am 15 years old and I know I want to be a professional dancer, 3 years ago I stopped taking dance classes due to the studio shutting down 😭, but while I was in the classes within 1 year I was en pointe, my question is I’m 5’8 am I too tall? Also what are some good ballet schools on the east coast! Thank you- Destiny 💜

What is a “good” summer program? My daughter goes to a “pre-professional” dance school. I just want to make sure we are looking into summer experiences.

Does your height effect you or even prevent you from doing well in the ballet world?

I have a ton of questions lol. Trying to find a way to private message you. I’ve been doing ballet my whole life. I have “the perfect arch”, the “perfect legs” but I quit senior year (which was 10 years ago) because I couldn’t hold my legs up. I didn’t have enough stomach strength.. although I did a ton. Anyway. Everyone keeps telling me I need to “get back into it” and I would love too.. not trying to be in ABT lol. But seeing if I have a chance in my local ballet I grew up in.

I’m 23 just starting ballet and my teacher keeps telling me she’s impressed, she thought I had danced before and she says I’m very intuitive. I know I can’t make it as a professional but I’m taking classes 3x a week, I hope one day I can at least perform...