How much does a backup dancer make
How Much Do Backup Dancers Make On Tour?
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Music videos, movies, and most media content would be empty without backup dancers. They add flavor to the video by providing rhythms for some of its more boring moments like in Hollywood blockbusters where they act as an extra pair of eyes that provide emotional context when necessary or even just break up long stretches between dialogue scenes with interesting choreography sequences on top.
Do you dream of being a backup dancer on tour? How much do backup dancers make on tour? What are the qualifications to be a backup dancer? Find out in this blog post.
As a backup dancer, you spend your days rehearsing and performing to the best of your ability. You may feel like it’s not enough, but did you know that many backup dancers make over $1 million dollars on tour? I’ll go into more detail in my blog post.
How Dancers Make Their Money
Dancers are in high demand these days, but not everyone knows how they make their money. This blog post is for anyone who wants to know more about the financial side of being a backup dancer.
We’ll cover the different ways backup dancers can earn money and what it’s like when they’re on tour with an artist or group. If you want to find out what it takes to become a dancer, keep reading.
The world of dance can be a very competitive one. It’s not uncommon for dancers with degrees in this field, like Peter Chu and Cat Cogliandro to face an uphill battle when trying to make it big time – even though they’re doing quite well as professionals today.
Dancers are professionals, but they may not have degrees. If you’re talented and skilled enough to be one of the elite dancers in this industry then it’s possible that your payment could go up even higher than what is offered by promoters or entertainment companies per show hour – according to an agreement reached between them with the proposed dancer.
So, how do dancers make money with their dancing skills? Well, there are big companies that hire the best of them. They pay these professionals as salary earners and sometimes give work on a contract basis too! Why am I telling you this? To prepare for what’s ahead of an aspiring dancer like yourself who wants some guidance before taking such a big bet into something so new (and possibly risky).
I’m going to elaborate about casting call details because knowing these beforehand can help us plan better or know if we’ll fit somewhere without wasting time trying out when it might not be worth our while after all.
Read More: Symphony X Announced “North American Tour 2022 25th Anniversary : Where to Buy TicketsDancers hired by a company
If you’re not ready to be tied down by a company, then consider heading to the more established and financially stable companies that hire dancers.
You’ll get your chance at building up an impressive resume while still enjoying some high demand working with them.
Lately, we’ve seen this trend in corporate America: talented young professionals who want careers on both sides of the stage- they can dance for hours but know when they need business expertise too This is good news if any aspiring dancer wants longevity because these outfits have resources like no other organization out there; plus when someone joins their ranks.
In this article, I’m going to talk about how some companies hire dancers and place them on salary. One example of these is the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (based in New York). Another prominent company that hires dancers from all over the world for its shows or videos is ABT – The Official Company Name Here!. As you can see they both have a history of employing people who perform artsy dances during live theatre events.
Do smaller performing arts groups/or individual performers ever get paid by dance instruction only? Yes but it’s rare because most artists want income coming out of their pocket so if there isn’t any other form available then earnings will come directly as cash instead which saves tax.
Working as a dance teacher (primary, secondary or college level)
Dance is a competitive field, and it’s no surprise that many people may think they can’t reach the top. However, if you work hard enough to become an academic or company lecturer in dance then your dream will come true.
As part of being one such professor at any level of academia from assistant professor up through tenured associate dean for Arts schools across Canada are expected to teach various courses on techniques related to their specializations–this includes teaching how-to classes as well as discussing plays/ballet pieces onstage during performances so please don’t forget theater arts while looking into job opportunities elsewhere !!! Dance instructors might need more than just knowledge about choreography.
To become a teacher, you need to first obtain certifications and degrees. For those who want the opportunity of teaching full-time or just courses on an adjunct basis (which may include secondary school), professional voices should aim for higher-paying institutions such as universities where tenure slots exist within departments that require it; this will provide them more stability in their careers than working outside schools entirely would.
Work as a freelance (commercial) dancer
Here is the type of dance project that you want to get involved with once your reach commercial status. Commercial dancers are one-time workers, so it’s all about making money for them instead of building up an extensive resume or portfolio over time as some people do in other careers where they have steady work but still need income every month just because their job isn’t stable enough on certain occasions when things slow down too much financially speaking–like during economic slumps.
In this competitive world, it is important to be serious about what puts food on your table. Some days you will have dry spells where the only cash in your wallet comes from tips and other times when bills are paid comfortably with advances from employers who want nothing more than for their dancers’ careers not to fade away after just one project or job offer but instead flourish across many opportunities (this can happen).
A great way of ensuring longevity while also helping yourself financially-Dancing professionally guarantees an income; however, whether it’s because you impress them time after time again by working hard at building up networks that could help land bigger gigs down the road.
As a commercial or freelance dancer, you might end up auditioning for the sake of landing one gig. Working in this industry also has plenty to offer like working with different choreographers and building your skills; however, there is no guarantee that these opportunities will come about every time so it’s important not only to be flexible but always ready!
You could choose between going solo (on their own) as well as having an agent who helps land projects after negotiating how much commission they receive once successful-in which case we recommend doing some research first before getting into any agreement upfront just because dancers deserve fair compensation too.
How Much Do Backup Dancers Make On Tour?
Backup dancers are like the backup singers in a band. They’re freelance and often work on shorter-term projects than those of Broadway performers, so their role as a full-time job is auditioning for jobs left-right, and center.
A backup dancer’s location is not limited only to the entertainment mecca of America where music videos are filmed, but they must also give up performing altogether if their job requires them to tour. All dancers belong to the Union and set pay standards so no matter what part you travel in as a backup dancer there will always be some kind of protection for yourself.
If they stay put and work on music videos, their income is broken up into two categories: rehearsals (which take place during the day) and shoots. This way you know if an artist has a midday shoot or not without having to check what time range says in between 10 am-1 pm because those hours would be taken as part of morning/evening sessions rather than afternoon ones.
| Rehearsal Time Frame | Pay |
| 8-hour day | $250 per day |
| 4-hour day | $175 per day |
| Overtime | $46 per hour |
| Overtime after 12 hours | $65 per hour |
An $80-per-hour job that only lasts one or two weeks of the month? Sounds too good to be true. But it’s not! That pay scale is fair and negotiated by an active union, so if you can land any gigs in this time frame your earnings will soar high into six figures per year (depending on how many jobs come up).
Touring backup dancers are paid a flat rate of $500 per show. They’re also given food and hotel accommodations on tour days, as well as the standard 150% pay increase for rehearsals or performances– meaning those who work with them can expect to be compensated between 50%-150%.
Travel costs vary depending upon how far from home each day’s performance/rehearsal site is located; these locations receive either an additional daily stipend ($35) OR reimbursement up until staying puts their own lodging bill at less than 30 dollars.
The Different Type Of Dances
The dance started many centuries ago, and it is still going strong. It represents togetherness to this day with its original intent for victory in battle or feats of strength-backed up by a confidence that comes from being content at home too.
There are hardly any music videos you will see on TV without seeing some kind of dancer moving their body (or parts!) according to rhythmically against the beat; whether slow or quick-paced doesn’t matter because both types have been choreographed so well into each song’s melody line.
- Ballet: How can we talk about dances and not say a word about ballet? It would be an injustice to do such. Ballet originated in Italy, where it later became popular way back during the 15th century when they first began performing this art form for audiences across Europe. Excitingly many other dance styles were influenced by what’s called “the classics,” which shows just how important these movements really are.
- Jazz: With roots in Africa, jazz is a primarily American dance style that combines elements from different cultures and time periods. The music has been around since the early 1900’s when African rhythms were first put to instrumentation like guitar or clarinet for example; at one point it even had its own category within popular culture as evidenced by this famous scene from “Singin’ In The Rain”.
- Hip-hop dance: Hip Hop’s transformation into a more entertaining dance style was in part due to its jazz roots. This began in the 1970s with Puerto Rican and African communities, who developed this step for their own enjoyment but found that others enjoyed it too – eventually they passed on these moves via word-of-mouth like any other oral tradition before them so today we have krumping.
- Latin dance: Latin dance is still trendy today. It’s a style that has deep roots in Europe and Africa, but the modern street-style of it began during the 19th century when people started to mix different types together for fun – not just one particular type like ballroom or salsa dancing.
Some other notable dances
- Modern dance
- Swing dance
- Contra dance
- Folk dance
- Flamenco dance
- Country and Western dance
How Much Do Dancers Make?
Growing up, someone probably told you, “Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” For many young, aspiring dancers, this seems a worthy motto, but even if you think you can eat, sleep, and breathe dance, you do actually need to make money to survive, even as a professional dancer.
On average US-based professional dancers can expect to earn about $24.50 an hour. However, this statistic begins to change drastically once you consider different types of dancers, different markets, and different dance careers.
Ultimately, what you can expect to make as a dancer depends on your location, genre, and career path you decide to take within the world of dance. So, before you start budgeting your New York City studio apartment based on a statistic, let us explore how dancers are paid across the industry.
How Much Do Dancers Make?
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How much a professional dancer earns is highly dependent on the market they find themselves in, and there is a lot of pay diversity within the dance industry.
For instance, on one end of the spectrum, the highest-paid performance ballerina in the world, Nina Ananiashvili, earns a whopping $30,000 per performance! On the other end of the spectrum, your local, small-town dance instructor might be lucky to earn $8,000 in annual profits after paying for studio space and recital costs.
Ultimately, a dancer’s income is determined by their career path, genre, and location. Taken together, these three elements form what we’re calling a dancer’s individual “market.”
To illustrate what we mean, take a look at these four different dancer profiles:
- NYC Ballerina: This classically trained ballet dancer works for a dance company in New York City.
Their income is salaried, and they can expect to make approximately $13,500 per year. - High School Dance Teacher: This dance teacher works at a middle school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. They are salaried and can expect to make $49,000 a year based on their location and career path.
- LA-Based Backup Dancer: This hip-hop dancer lives and works on a gig-basis in LA, where they can expect to earn $500 per day when filming a music video.
- Disney Cast Dancer: This dancer, based in Orlando, is paid $16.05 per hour for performing in Disney World shows.
From these profiles, you can get a basic understanding of the variation in dancer’s wages and earnings throughout the industry, but let us dive a little deeper.
Types of Professional Dance Careers vs. Income
As demonstrated above, not all dancers are salaried or even paid hourly; some will be paid per gig. Generally, how a dancer is paid depends on the career path they choose to take.
There are four main career paths for professional dancers; they are:
- Freelance Dancer
- Company Dancer
- Dance Instructor
- Choreographer
Here we will explore each career path in depth in hopes that prospective professional dancers may gain a better sense of what type of dance career suits their needs and financial goals.
Freelance Dancers
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Freelance dancers tend to work on a project basis and will generally have a very diverse career. Some freelancers may take gigs within a single genre, but most successful freelancers dabble in multiple dance genres. As a result, they are continually growing and learning new techniques and styles.
What these dancers gain in career diversity, they sacrifice in income stability because they will not be earning money between gigs. As a result, they must constantly be scouting new opportunities.
Some examples of freelance dance gigs include:
- Backup dancing
- Cruise ship casts
- Theme park casts
- Theatre and musical casts
- Movie or commercial appearances
The length of time and the amount a gig pays will depend on the contract you sign for each project. If you land a role in a Broadway musical, for example, that gig will last as long as you stay with the cast and could provide you with long term income. If you work on a music video, on the other hand, your project may only last a week or two.
The vast majority of professional dancers working in the United States fall into this category, which means there are many services in place to help protect freelance dancers.
It is essential to keep in mind that, as a freelance dancer, you will often be expected to commit to a gig before signing a final pay contract. Because of this precarious situation, most freelance dancers will have an agent that has the legal prowess to ensure that clients pay their dancers what they are due.
Freelance dancers have exciting and fulfilling careers, but the insecurity is not for everyone.
Company Dancers
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If performance dance is still your passion, but you are looking for a little more income stability, striving to become a company dancer may be a better career fit for you.
Company dancers will work for the same company for an extended period, hence the name company dancer. These types of dance careers are limited to major urban areas that can sustain a professional dance company.
Company dancers are salaried, but their location will determine their income. A company dancer in NYC can generally expect to earn more than a company dancer in a smaller city, like Albuquerque.
Dance companies are also generally focused on one particular genre of dance.
The vast majority of dance companies worldwide are ballet or modern dance companies, but there are a growing number of companies specializing in other dance genres, such as:
- Historical Performance: This genre includes genres like folk dance, trad, and other kinds of ethnic dance genres.
- Jazz: Jazz companies are usually further specialized based on the specific evolutionary style of dance within jazz, such as tap or breakdance.
- Circus Dance: This genre encompasses the dance style made famous by Cirque du Soleil, which, we think we can all agree, is very different from ballet.
The genre of company you join, and their reputation, will also factor into the money you make. More popular genres will bring in more company revenue through ticket sales, resulting in higher salaries for the company members. Furthermore, if you can land a spot in a well-known and well-respected company, chances are you will be paid a higher salary.
Company dancers get to earn a living performing with passionate collogues, but the stage is not the only place professional dancers can shine.
Dance Instructors
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If you love to dance, but do not necessarily care for being in the spotlight, perhaps you will find fulfillment in becoming a dance instructor. Teaching dance can be a very meaningful way to earn money doing what you love because you are also given the opportunity to share your passion with others.
School Dance InstructorsDance instructors associated with an established institution, such as a university, college, or school district, are salaried. Dance instructors at a studio tend to earn anywhere from $30,000 – $80,000, depending on the location of the studio you work for and the level of education you choose to provide.
Note: Suppose you do wish to teach dance for an institution, especially at the collegiate level. In that case, you will likely need to have a formal degree in dance, which will include coursework on dance history and choreography.
Dance School OwnersDance teachers associated with a studio are typically paid hourly based on the number of classes they teach and the dance school or studio's tuition.
If you hope to operate a dance school or studio of your own, you will have to factor the studio space and equipment costs into your income calculations. Based on some available statistics, studio dance teachers/owners can earn anywhere from $8,000 - $325,000, depending on the studio's location, size, and management.
Choreographer
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The final dance career path we will discuss here is a little different from the others.
Choreographers are trained dancers who create and direct new dance routines. Dance instructors and studio teachers may do this to some extent within their role. Still, there are also full-time choreographers who help develop dance choreography for everything from music videos to major ballet movements.
Choreographers, like freelance dancers, are usually paid per project. Therefore, a choreographer’s annual income is based on the number of project contracts they take on in a given year and how well those contracts pay.
To give our readers a ballpark idea of what you can expect to make as a choreographer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly income of a choreographer is $18.68.
Typically, choreographers start out as dancers, so it might help think of this career path as a possible evolution, but you will likely start out following one of the careers mentioned above paths.
Dance Markets and Prospective Pay
Now that we have discussed the most common dance career paths and what they have to offer, let us dive a little deeper and consider some of the most common dance markets in the United States and what they have offer pay-wise.
Remember, for the purpose of this article, a “market” is the sum total of a dancer’s career path, genre, and location.
Most dancers will either make concrete decisions about their career path and/or genre, allowing the opportunities available within those parameters determine their location. Although, a select few will pick their location first and let the locally available opportunities dictate their career path and genre.
No matter how they end up in their market, once they have found it, it will be easier to estimate what they may earn from their work as professional dancers.
Urban Company Ballerinas
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The New York City Ballet Company is one of the most well-known and prestigious ballet companies in the United States. As such, a position in their corps de ballet is highly coveted among dancers. The audition process for a spot on their roster is intense, allowing them to select the best of the best.
But is it the highest-paid company in the US? Not necessarily.
Based on data from August 2020, company members of the New York City Ballet can expect to make, on average, $53,000. Whereas, members of the Bay Pointe Ballet company in San Francisco can expect to earn $57,000.
The point is, the highest paid ballet companies are not necessarily those in the biggest cities. Before picking your market location, do some research, and find out which companies bring in the highest revenues and have the most loyal patrons because they will ultimately pay the most.
Considering Income vs. Cost of LivingYou will also want to balance the company dancers' average income in a given location against the cost of living in that area. Some “small town” ballet companies offer generous salaries relative to the cost of living in that area.
For example, based on Dance Magazine's income information, a ballerina in a Tennessee-based company could make up to $54,000 a year, which will undoubtedly go further in Tennessee than it would in New York!
Essentially, if your heart is set upon being a company ballet dancer, we recommend checking multiple locations to see what different companies, in various locations, have to offer you.
Broadway
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If you are more interested in theatre dance, performing in a Broadway show has likely been one of your long-term dreams.
It might be interesting to note that professional Broadway dancers have a union that negotiates minimum wages. This means that, while Broadway dancers do tend to be considered freelance dancers, in the sense that they are only paid as long as they are part of the cast, there is income security for that timeframe.
How much you make as a Broadway dancer will depend on your rank within the dance corps, overtime, and risk. According to union regulations, Broadway dancers' baseline pay is $1,861 per week with additions as follows:
| Reason for Added Income | Premium Paid Above Weekly Baseline |
|---|---|
| Dance Captain | $372.20 per week |
| Assistant Dance Captain | $186. 10 per week |
| Overtime | $44 per hour |
| Understudy | $20 per week |
For the most part, the market for Broadway dancers is based in NYC, but there are off-Broadway performances of Broadway productions in other cities.
Income for dancers in off-Broadway productions is also union regulated, so they will be consistent from city to city. That said, off-Broadway dancers are paid based on how much their production profits each week. At the lowest, off-Broadway dancers are paid $566 a week; at the highest, they are paid $1008 per week.
Based on these numbers, if you can consistently be cast in Broadway or off-Broadway productions, you will likely gross a respectable income. After all, the national average is $64,256 per year.
Backup Dancing
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Backup dancers are freelance dancers, plain and simple. And their projects tend to be shorter-term than those of Broadway dancers. So, if we’re honest, a backup dancer’s real full-time job is auditioning.
Location wise, US-based backup dancers will be limited to the entertainment meccas where music videos are filmed, or they will be required to give up location entirely and travel with artists on tour. No matter where a backup dancer performs, they are represented by a union that sets pay standards.
If they stay put and work on music videos, their income is broken up into two categories, rehearsals and shoots, and determined by the length of their day as follows:
| Rehearsal Time Frame | Pay |
|---|---|
| 8-hour day | $250 per day |
| 4-hour day | $175 per day |
| Overtime | $46 per hour |
| Overtime after 12 hours | $65 per hour |
If this pay scale looks great, that’s because it is fair and negotiated by a hard-working union.
But keep in mind you may only work a week or two per month, depending on how many gigs you can land.
If a backup dancer is on the road, the same pay scale is used for rehearsal days, and they are paid a flat rate of $500 per show. Besides rehearsal and show payments, touring backup dancers are paid $150 per travel day plus paid travel and hotel accommodations; they are also given $35 per day for food expenses.
If you enjoy traveling, becoming a backup dancer might just be a great way to be paid to see the world!
Show Dancers
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Show dancers are not the same as Broadway dancers; these show dancers can be found gracing the stages of Las Vegas, Theme Parks, or Cruise lines. Show dancers are freelancers who covet seasonal positions and are generally well-trained jazz, tap, or circus dancers. Their market location is dictated by the contracts they sign and can land them anywhere from Vegas to the high seas.
Show dancers are paid on an hourly, weekly, or monthly basis.
- Professional dancers who sign onto a contract in Las Vegas can expect to be paid between $680 and $1,800 per week, depending on which resort or casino they end up at.
- Professional dancers who work at theme parks are generally paid anywhere from $10.50 to $16.05 per hour. Although some theme parks also pay weekly.
- Professional dancers who work on cruise lines are paid, on average, $2,995 per month and are given room and board on the ship.
Show dancers are hard workers, often having to perform multiple shows a day, but this environment does lend itself well to resume building for those breaking into the professional dance world.
Institutional Dance Instructor
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So far, in this section, we have focused on performance-centered markets, but teaching dance is also a good profession in the dance industry.
Institutional dance teachers are salaried and make anywhere from $28,000 per year to $124,000 per year. Unlike other dancers, instructors' incomes are based upon their institution's standards, be that a school district or a university.
Opting to teach dance can be great for dance professionals, young and old. Let’s face it: dance is hard on your body, and most dancers will hit a wall when they can no longer keep up with the physical rigors of performance life. When that day comes, teaching is a great profession to fall back on.
As mentioned above, most schools will require you to have at least a bachelor’s degree in dance and education, as well as a teaching license. Depending on which state you live in, there may be ways to get your education degree and teaching license after you start teaching. However, some universities will require you to have at least a master’s degree in dance.
Once you have those qualifications and secure a teaching position, your income will be stable, and you can stop hustling to endless auditions.
Tips to Maximize Income as a Dancer
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By this point, we hope you are starting to gain a clearer idea of what you might expect to make as a dancer in a given market. Now, let’s talk about ways you can boost your income as a professional dancer, no matter what market you are in.
As dancers, we are inherently creative people, and that creativity does not appear to stop at the end of the stage or studio floor. These tips, collected from other entrepreneurial and creative dancers, are designed to be done in addition to your professional dance career.
- Write about dance: There are tons of dance-themed blogs out there! You can make money writing for blogs, magazines, and newspapers and get paid for it. Ghostwritten blog posts can typically earn you anywhere from $20-$100 extra per article.
- Take side gigs: Even if you aren’t a freelance dancer, there are some tools out there to help connect dancers to one-time dance gigs, like corporate events.
This one was recommended by a fellow dancer. - Become a dancewear salesperson: You know you need dance gear anyway; working for a retail dancewear brand can help you earn a few extra bucks and gets you access to employee pricing on expensive things like pointe shoes.
- Become an Amazon affiliate: If retail isn’t your thing, and you want to be your own boss, becoming an affiliate for stores like Amazon could be an option for you. All you have to do is rave about the products that changed your life and get people to buy them using your link.
- Teach private lessons: There is always a need for dance teachers in a local studio, so even if you don’t want to make this your full-time career path, you could consider teaching a class or two per week. Plus, think of all the cute three-year-olds in tutus you might get to hang out with!
- Side hustle: Is there something else you happen to be passionate about? Do you love children, or taking photographs? Anything can be a side hustle in today’s economy, so put yourself out there!
- Make money off your followers: Are you popular on social media? Use that popularity to put money in the bank by monetizing your social media or blog.
- Get a part-time job: Finding a part-time job you can do will help you stabilize your income, especially if you are a freelance dancer. We recommend thinking less along the lines of foodservice and more tele-customer service agent. Do something not on your feet when you can.
The point is, unless you make it as a prima ballerina or become a pop star's most beloved backup dancer, you probably could stand to benefit from finding creative ways to pad your income as a professional dancer.
Consider Joining a Union
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Above we talked about how unions have helped Broadway and backup dancers, but unions are essential for all dancers and are also available to company dancers and even teachers associated with public school.
Unions help dancers get paid fairly and consistently. They also help insure that pay rates keep up with the cost of living inflation and provide union members with access to employment benefits that full-time employers would generally provide.
Other benefits of joining a union include:
- Access to auditions that prioritize union members
- Protections for safe working conditions
- Access to retirement investment programs and pensions
- Payment protection programs
Union membership isn’t required, but joining one does help support the work they do to protect dancers. The mere fact that they exist helps lift up every dancer in the industry regardless of whether they are union members or not.
However, there are a few possible drawbacks to consider:
- Unions generally require the payment of annual dues to get the full benefits of membership.
- Union rules may stop members from taking gigs with non-union companies or clients who have violated the negotiated union terms.
The leading dancer’s unions are the American Guild of Musical Artists, the Actors' Equity Association, and the Screen Actors Guild. You may notice these unions also tend to serve musicians and actors, which helps keep the industry on the same page.
Find a Patron
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Patrons are wealthy people who simply love dance and want to support it in a philanthropic way. Some patrons will give money directly to dance companies or specific dance projects; others will give directly to individual artists.
Bankrolling dancers is a long and proud tradition among members of the upper echelon, dating back to the 1830s when society members would brag about supporting members of the Paris Opera Ballet Company.
Nowadays, to avoid ethical complications, patrons who support individual dancers pay the company “in honor of” a particular dancer. The contribution typically subsidies that dancer’s salary, which is intended to eliminate the occurrences of quid pro quo arrangements that might violate a dancer’s consent.
Most ballet companies will operate their own sponsorship programs to connect dancers to patrons.
In its current format, patrons more-or-less “adopt” dancers from the local company. One dancer from the Carolina Ballet, Lilyan Vigo Ellis, reported that her sponsors would take her out to dinner after performances and treated her sons like their very own grandchildren. So, finding a patron that you get along well with can go a long way to increasing your salary long term.
Final Thoughts
You can make money as a dancer, no matter what anyone tells you. It will take hard work, dedication, out-of-the-box thinking, and perhaps even a little schmoozing, but it can be done, so don’t give up on your dream!
No matter what career path you follow or market you enter, doing what you love for a living is a worthy endeavor. And remember, picking up a side hustle or taking a patron does not detract from all the fact that you will be making your way in the world as a professional dancer, all on your own.
How much do dancers earn and how to become a professional - November 1, 2018
Ivan Slavinsky
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It is never easy, but wildly interesting.
Members of the FAM Factory dance team told Sport24 about the difference between a professional team and an amateur one, how much coaches earn and how long it takes to become a good dancer from scratch.
Our team is called FAM Factory and has been around for a very long time. We regularly perform at the largest dance championships throughout Russia, we work at major events. Our choreographer, Yevgeny Kevler, is one of the top choreographers in Russia, staged dances for "Dances" on TNT, "Dance" on Channel One, and has brought up more than one generation of dancers. Our team is diverse - students, office workers, teachers and coaches, but they all have one thing in common - an unimaginable love for dancing.
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At first, technique is not so important, it comes with experience. It is worth paying attention to physical form, especially if you prefer styles that are characterized by frequent level changes or powerful energy: you may simply not have enough strength. The breather also needs to be developed: fast choreography cannot be danced to the end if the volume of the lungs is not enough.
Many dancers take up running to develop their lungs. And for the development of physical strength, functional training or crossfit are suitable - of all training, these will probably be the most useful in our business. If there is no time for this, then you need to at least minimally pump the press, do push-ups, squat. We sometimes conduct physical training classes at team training.
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and year, everything is very individual here. Many schools have their own reporting concerts and parties. As a rule, at such events, students go on stage for the first time.
If we talk about more complex numbers, then it takes a month and a half to set them up with 3-4 workouts a week for 2-3 hours.
The mode of training in a serious team changes, especially if the number is complex and many dancers participate in it. A fairly common occurrence is night workouts. As you might guess, they take place at night, and, as a rule, last 5-6 hours. It's not easy, especially at first and if you have to go to work in the morning, but it's also more efficient in terms of the speed of staging the show, and the result is definitely worth it.
Championships
In the dance world, the year can be conditionally divided into two seasons - spring and autumn. All this time, championships of various levels go one after another, the most "fruitful" in this regard are April and May, as well as November and December. As a rule, all groups put on a performance a month or two in advance, but it all depends on the level of training and available time for the dancers themselves.
In general, championships are a separate and very entertaining cuisine. Dancers are constantly preparing for some kind of competition, it rarely happens that you just come and hang out aimlessly.
Everything is almost like in the movie "Step Up": the whole season is the process of preparing for the competition, and in the off-season, everyone either rests, or pumps, or shoots a video.
At dance championships there is always a division according to the level of training and age: children are separated from adults, beginners are separated from professionals. And within these categories, there is also style: hip-hop, ladies, contemporary.
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Our favorite nomination is best dance show. The name speaks for itself: there are no style bindings here, the main thing is the idea and combination of styles. At some major competitions, the styles used in the show must be declared in advance, at some there are no restrictions, only creativity.
Now even in some championships there is a separate Show nomination, and a separate Performance nomination. In the first case, the show should have a story and plot, in the second case, it is important who dances stronger, more powerful and cooler. And there are also solos with duets, which are not limited by styles at all, only by timing. In general, there are a lot of nominations. Beginners or people unfamiliar with dancing can get confused. But as soon as you immerse yourself in this world, everything becomes clear pretty quickly.
Refereeing at championships is always represented by top dancers: sometimes Russian, sometimes foreign, but always super authoritative. The evaluation criteria, like the judges, are also different, but they look primarily at choreography, technique, synchronism and creativity. You can earn money at good status tournaments. On average, you can get about 30 thousand per team for winning such a tournament. But it is not at all necessary that there will be prize money for winning any championship: somewhere the organizers limit themselves to cups and gifts from sponsors.
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Nutrition
Nutrition is a matter of personal preference. Most dancers are ordinary people, so until their legs start to fall off, few people even think about nutrition and injury prevention. Many are killed in training, and few people know how to recover, they do not take care. If you don’t eat normally, you may not have enough strength for the whole season. Protein and BCAAs often help out, but in reality, for some reason, few people use them.
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A: Regular exercise is usually enough to stay in shape.
Although, of course, you need to take care of yourself, but adults who have survived a couple of injuries or dancers who work in commerce are already thinking about this.
"Sneakers kill instantly"
As for clothes, this is a separate topic of conversation, which will take more than one hour. Firstly, the style of dance and what you dance in are very closely related. No one will go dancing popping in leggings or short shorts, twerk in sweatpants, too, you know, I don’t rub, like a strip in a baseball cap. Things are, of course, very important. You can't really train in Chinese sneakers. Not even because they are uncomfortable, they just fall apart in a moment. In general, if you danced at least once in shoes, then you can say goodbye to it - it only kills if you train often and for a long time. Especially for us, jazzfunkers, because a lot of techniques are combined, the foot is actively working. And it’s good for contemporary people in general: they dance barefoot in socks, and with simpler things - they put on something very wide and similar to oversized pajamas - and you are the most fashionable in the class.
Income and expenses
As for the payment for training for teams, it is similar to amateur sports sections: in many teams, participants pay a monthly fee, which includes the rent of the hall and the work of the choreographer.
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Is it possible to make money from dancing? Of course, there is plenty of work. First, dance schools. There are now ten of them at each metro station, a novice teacher, if desired, will quickly find a job. But if you want to get into a top school as a teacher, then you need to work hard, have a name, constantly upgrade, be socially active, shoot videos and shine at the same championships. The main thing is not to be lazy.
There is also such a great thing as commerce - these are corporate parties, working with stars, large events and the like. Such projects are well paid, and it is always interesting to participate in them. We somehow opened with our show a major event of stylists - Wella Trend Vision. There was so much creativity and creativity behind the scenes that we ourselves were inspired by the most do not indulge. It was very interesting to watch all this behind-the-scenes turmoil and the process of creating images.
On March 22, 2022, by a court decision, the Meta company, the social networks Instagram and Facebook were recognized as an extremist organization, their activities in the territory of the Russian Federation are prohibited.
where to study, salary, pros and cons
Author: ProfGuide
Updated by
Dancer is a person of art who performs rhythmic movements to music, taking part in theatrical performances, shows.
The profession belongs to the type “a person is an artistic image”, it requires excellent self-discipline and, of course, talent. Children who distinguish literature, physical education, music and singing from all school subjects can become dancers. By the way, the ProfGid career guidance center has recently developed an accurate career guidance test that will tell you which professions suit you, give an opinion about your personality type and intelligence.
Professional knowledge Famous dancers Examples of companies with vacancies as a dancer Brief description
This profession has a rich history and is closely associated with the arts. However, the success of dancers by more than 50% depends on dedication, endurance, self-discipline. A specialist can work independently, performing solo choreographic numbers, it is also worth highlighting pair and collective dances. There are a lot of types and techniques of this art direction:
- ballet;
- pop and folk dance;
- historical dance and others.
See also:
Also distinguish styles such as street jazz, hip-hop, R'n'B, contemporary dance, street dance, etc. Dancers choose the style and type of performing arts based on their physical abilities, temperament, personal preferences. On stage, they create artistic images, convey emotions, making the hearts of the audience tremble.
Features of the profession
Anyone can become a professional dancer, but it is worth starting training in childhood. Choreographers recommend giving children to dance studios at the age of 3-7 years, which will allow them to develop good posture, plasticity, stretching, a sense of rhythm and other skills necessary for professional performance. Dancers most often work in 1-2 overlapping styles, they pay special attention to training and rehearsals, maintaining excellent physical shape. A career is short, because its peak is at the age of 15-25 years, and after 30 years, most specialists change their field of activity.
They can realize their talent and knowledge in other areas, working as directors, choreographers, school teachers.
Dancers independently or under the guidance of a choreographer create performances: choice of music, sequence and rhythm of movements, costumes and image, facial expressions, plasticity. Before performing the dance, they rehearse for a long time, honing their skills. Many members of this profession often travel around their home country and go abroad to give concerts. The activity is associated with certain difficulties, which leaves an imprint on the lifestyle and character of the dancer.
Pros and cons of the profession
Pros
- Excellent physical development, because dancing strengthens the body and willpower.
- Opportunity to work on the best stages.
- Talented dancers achieve success quickly.
- The profession is interesting, active and ambitious people will like it.
- Opportunity to earn income from various sources, because dancers work alone or in pairs, can take part in private productions, star in music videos.
- Useful business connections in the world of art.
- The opportunity to change the field of activity, because dancers often open schools, give private lessons, work as choreographers - the choice of directions is huge.
Cons
- High injury rate.
- Serious injuries can put an end to a professional career.
- Short career period.
- Very high competition.
See also:
Important personal qualities
Dancers have excellent plasticity, but in this profession not only technical performance is important, but also emotionality. The dancers convey the idea of the performance with the help of movements, facial expressions, so they must be distinguished by well-developed artistry. Increased efficiency, resistance to physical stress and low pain threshold are very important, because rehearsals and performances often end with sprains, dislocations and other minor injuries. Only those people who do not suffer from laziness, negligence, and excessive self-confidence ascend to the pinnacle of success.
Training for a dancer
Professional education can be obtained in various institutions:
- schools and academies of choreography;
- dance studios;
- colleges;
- universities.
There are no special requirements for the education of a dancer, the level of his skill is determined during choreographic tests. It is worth starting training at a young age in order to reach a professional level. Let's consider the most interesting directions:
- "The art of dance (by type)", implemented in choreographic colleges and schools. You can start training after grades 7-9, which depends on the requirements of the college;
- The Art of Ballet. The direction of training is open in many creative colleges, studio schools, academies. Children who have completed the 4th grade of the school are invited to study.
You can also go to study at a university, choosing a specialty related to choreography, folk dance and other areas.
Primary training can be obtained in public and private schools of choreographic art, during individual lessons.
Universities
4 years
90,000 ₽/year
12 budget places
4 years
158,100 ₽/year
23 budget places
4 years
65,000 ₽/year
8 budget places
4 years
200,000 ₽/year
16 budget places
Best Primary Schools
- Dance Quarter School.
- School for children "Dancevaliya".
- State 27 Dance Studio.
Best colleges and academies for dancers
- A.
Ya. Vaganova.
- MGAH.
- MCU at the Moscow State Academic Art Theater "Gzhel".
- School-studio (school) at GAANT them. I. Moiseeva.
- KMTI them. G. P. Vishnevskaya.
Best universities
- IPCC.
- GITIS-RATI.
- MGAH.
- ARB them. A. Ya. Vaganova.
- Russian State University A. N. Kosygin.
- ISI.
- UGAI.
- SPbGUP.
- AGIIK.
- KemGIK.
Read also:
Place of work
Dancers are in demand in theaters, film industry and organization of holidays and events. They can work as teachers, find vacancies in nightclubs, private groups - there are many options for employment.
Salary
There is no exact tariff rate in this segment, because everything depends on the style in which the dancer works, personal qualities, education, reputation and experience. Dancers can receive a fixed salary or fees for each performance, lesson.
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