by Sarah Wilkiamson

A ballet dancer is by definition graceful. Whether a ballerina or a danseur (male ballet dancer), they have a powerful elegance that helps them achieve the perfection of dance they are required to demonstrate on stage.

On the other hand, what most people don’t realize is that ballet dancers of all shapes and sizes, but most especially those who have attained prima status, have offered blood, toil, sweat and tears (thanks, Winston Churchill) to get to where they are now.

Ballet Training Finances

At first, a young 5 year old may need to pay for a class every Saturday morning. She’ll need the appropriate training clothing, and probably either a home-made costume, or ballet tutu for the end of term recital. Costs here are normal extra-curricular level and are usually absorbed within a family’s budget. This changes as the child becomes more involved with the ballet world, and if they last until turning professional, their training could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As for incidental expenses, you have to purchase proper ballet attire (i.e., leotards and tights, pointe shoes, leg warmers, etc.) and recital attire (tutus and costumes) as well as spend for living expenses. And since some ballet schools also offer undergraduate programs, you also have to spend for school supplies and other stuff.

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.

Taking Care of the Dancer

Sure, the ballerinas and danseurs you see on stage look so graceful, so ethereal and so light on their feet. What you don’t see is the extreme care ballet dancers have to exercise to take care of their bodies and their minds.

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.

One of the best attributes any ballet dancer can have is a positive attitude. A ballet dancer will always strive for perfection and therefore must train hard and maintain a healthy body.

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.

Financial rewards for ballet dancers aren’t great. Unless you have some form of national or international following you are only as good as the show you are currently performing in, and how long that show runs can vary from weeks (or even days) to months. Even a prima ballerina isn’t likely to be compensated financially for anywhere near the amount of hours she spends training and dancing in order to achieve her high level of ability.

Then again, when you are doing something you love and getting paid for it, who needs a boring 8-to-5 job?

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