How much money do backup dancers 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 Tickets

Dancers 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 FramePay
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:

  1. Freelance Dancer
  2. Company Dancer
  3. Dance Instructor
  4. 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 Instructors

Dance 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 Owners

Dance 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 Living

You 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. 

  1. 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. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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. 
  4. 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. 
  5. 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! 
  6. 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! 
  7. 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.
  8. 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 in nightclubs in Moscow earn?

How much do they earn . ..

8 answers

Relcome

#1

#2

Board

Watching how many customers per night.

#3

#4

#5

from appearance depends, they make good money. but there is no intima in any way, the same prostitution. June 14, 2014 I'm just interested in the details. How much per day do they pay for the actual dancing? How much for 1 hour of sexual services? And what percentage of the girl from this money? nine0003

#7

Dasha

how much they pay for the dances themselves depends on the club - is it ordinary or elite or middle class, I don’t know where you are going. sex services also, if your appearance allows you, where will you work? in the elite, and if not ... an average hour of intimacy is 3 thousand, divide it in half, that's your money per hour.
if you have a desire, go, you will earn well, interest or 50 to 50 or 40 percent is usually for girls ... well, tips are also a plus, by the way, they can come out more per day than the salary itself. nine0003

#8

Dasha

how much they pay for the dances themselves depends on the club - is it ordinary or elite or middle class, I don’t know where you are going. sex services also, if your appearance allows you, where will you work? in the elite, and if not ... an average hour of intimacy is 3 thousand, divide it in half, that's your money per hour.
if you have a desire, go, you will earn well, interest or 50 to 50 or 40 percent is usually for girls ... well, tips are also a plus, by the way, they can come out more per day than the salary itself. nine0003

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Hourly pay Why do half-naked girls support athletes and how much do they earn: Summer sports: Sports: Lenta.ru

Cheerleading in the United States has a long history, but in recent years, Russian dancers have taken an increasingly strong position in basketball, volleyball and hockey matches. How the world of American support groups works and how it differs from the Russian one, Lenta. ru found out.

Cheerleading is a cult in the USA. Every American woman dreams of being on a high school team, a college team, and then a professional club. Cheerleaders are associated with the sport as team mascots and hot dog stands. nine0003

The National Cheerleading Association was founded in 1948. At the same time, a clothing company for girls from the cheerleading group appeared. Then the passion for cheerleading became ubiquitous - that is, the business plan became the main trigger for creating an industry.

Cheerleading gained world fame only in 1956, when the pom-poms of American dancers appeared. At the same time, support for professional football clubs came into fashion.

The Dallas Cowboys revolutionized the early 1970s: their cheerleading squad abandoned classical acrobatics in favor of fiery dances. Everything we see in sports breaks today was invented more than three decades ago in the United States. nine0003

Dream Team

Despite a rich history in cheerleading, professional dancers in the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) today earn between $75 and $150 a game. For comparison: American waitresses receive 7-12 dollars per hour.

Photo: Danny Moloshok / AP

However, women are not sitting idly by and have already begun to fight for their rights. In April 2017, the Milwaukee Bucks lost a lawsuit to former cheerleader Lauren Herington after the court ruled to pay her monetary compensation for the team's failure to comply with labor standards. The plaintiff alleged that, on average, the dancers spent 30-40 hours per week rehearsing, training, charity events, and performing at games. Despite this, she said, their salary was only $65 per game and $30-$50 for special events. With the total amount of time worked, it came out to about four dollars an hour. nine0003

In the NFL, girls from cheerleading groups also started legal proceedings, expressing dissatisfaction with working conditions and wages. The Oakland Raiders cheerleaders sued for $1.25 million after proving their hourly wage was five times the minimum wage.

Lawsuits eventually led to some clubs guaranteeing girls pay raises, but the highest paid cheerleaders still earn below market minimums, so the girls continue to fight for better living conditions. Their main argument is that they are an integral part of the NBA and NFL, they provide entertainment and branding, so their salary should be appropriate. nine0003

American Goddesses

NFL and NBA leaders take the position that groupies (as cheerleaders are called) are independent contractors rather than employees. Consequently, clubs are not required to pay them wages in accordance with the fixed minimum.

However, in 1995, the Buffalo Braves cheerleading team won a lawsuit against the club: the court ruled to qualify the girls as employees of the team. The dancers subsequently formed the first cheerleading union in history. nine0003

In 2015, the State of California passed a law requiring professional cheerleaders to be treated as club employees. This guarantees the cheerleaders of the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings a salary of at least nine dollars an hour.

Bring It On

Clubs rely on cheerleaders' love of dancing and unpaid service to athletes. But not a single person works for thanks, out of love for the profession. Moreover, in sports - especially in America - fabulous money is spinning. The minimum salary for an NBA rookie is $815,000 per year; $465,000 a year is the salary of an NFL first-year player. These salaries allow every athlete to live comfortably, while doing what he loves. nine0003

However, this principle does not apply to support groups. The New York Knicks' cheerleaders, who fill commercial breaks with rousing dance routines and receive more workloads than some reserve players, work for next to nothing. Their fee for one performance is less than $ 200, they perform many dangerous stunts, but they do not even have insurance.

“At first you are ready to put on shorts that show almost half your butt for the love of dancing. At the beginning of a career, enthusiasm and a thirst for fame push everything else into the background. But by the end of the first season, your life turns into hell, ”said one of the Knicks cheerleaders. nine0003

View from the East

American cheerleaders see dancing as a business that makes money. For the United States, sports are part of the entertainment industry, designed to increase the audience and financial gain. In Russia the situation is different.

The first Russian support group appeared in 1995 on the wave of post-perestroika sentiments and love for everything Western. Today there are cheerleaders in almost every basketball, volleyball and hockey club.

However, our girls consider themselves dancers first and foremost. Even the word "cheerleading" did not take root in Russia, it remained something foreign. nine0003

“In 1995, when cheerleading was born in Russia, the goal of our team was precisely to support the players. But we set a goal: not to the detriment of the support of the team to be professional dancers. At the same time, when Khimki play on the road, the girls follow the matches, statistics and worry about the guys, ”says Tatyana Stankevich, head of the Khimki basketball club cheerleading team.

To get into the group, the girls go through a rigorous selection process. External data should be practically model. Height from 170 to 180 centimeters, age - 18-22 years. “A girl must have dance and choreographic training. The main thing is not to be shy to dance beautifully, not to lower your eyes to the floor. There must be artistry and energy that can be conveyed to the audience,” says Stankevich. The head of the CSKA support group, Anna Burkina, also believes that girls need a good stretch, physical data and appearance, the ability to convey emotions to the audience. nine0003

Finance

Russian cheerleaders don't earn much, but the head of the Khimki cheerleaders is pleased with the state of affairs and sympathizes with the girls from the US: “I know they get paid less Russians. But in the US, this work is not designed for profit, but for advertising. In Los Angeles, the girls come to the team in the hope that the producer will come and notice them. And then their future will be formed.

Photo: Dmitry Lebedev / Kommersant

Before the crisis, Khimki were Moscow's highest-paid cheerleading group; today, finances have been cut. However, according to Stankevich, even now everything is fine with salaries at Khimki: “For girls who combine cheerleading with studies or other work, the support group is ideal.” nine0003

CSKA thinks $65 per game is normal. However, unlike American dancers, CSKA cheerleaders are employees of the club's office and receive a stable monthly salary.

Things are worse in the regions. Ulyana Trigubchak from the support group of the Salavat Yulaev hockey club said that only hockey players and bosses make good money. “I personally only have enough for pocket expenses. I couldn't live on this money. Therefore, for me it’s just a hobby, ”Trigubchak told Lente.ru. nine0003

Have a dream

But girls still dream of being a cheerleader because it's prestigious. “Initially, girls come for the love of dancing. But sometimes it turns out and become famous.


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