How to make a dance resume
What Directors Need to Know—And What They Don't
Artistic directors sift through hundreds of audition packets a season, and your resumé is often your first chance to catch their attention. Naturally, you want a document that makes a positive impression. But some surprising (and seemingly minor) details can inadvertently turn a director off. So, how do you make your resumé stand out—for the right reasons?
Focus on Essentials
At an audition, directors need to see your essential information at a glance: where you trained and what companies and choreographers you’ve worked with. Cincinnati Ballet artistic director Victoria Morgan scans for names she recognizes. “It’s good to know if a dancer has worked with a respected leader in the industry, and if there’s a colleague I can call as a reference. I’m also more inclined to take a second look at a student if I recognize a particular school or teacher,” she says.
Your resumé should be no longer than one side of one page. “When I’ve got 600 resumés sitting here, a three-page resumé is a disincentive to me,” says Kansas City Ballet artistic director Devon Carney. “It comes down to time—how quickly can you present your information to an unknown pair of eyes?”
“I don’t need to know you did ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ for eight years,” says Kansas City Ballet artistic director Devon Carney. Photo by Ken Coit, Courtesy KCB.
As for format, contact information should be at the top of the page. Make sure it’s accurate and up to date: Include your full name, address, phone number and an email address you actually use (and check daily—Carney cites opportunities dancers have lost because they didn’t respond promptly enough). Height is helpful to include, but weight, hair and eye color aren’t necessary. Since employment laws differ for minors, if you’re under 18 (or look like you could be), include your date of birth.
Next, list your work and training history. A common method is to organize everything in reverse chronological order, starting with your current job or school, with separate headings for training and professional performing experience.
Putting each school, company or choreographer on a separate line using indentations or bullet points makes it easy to read. Repertoire and roles can either be noted alongside the school or company you performed them with or in a separate category. Morgan suggests including a link or two to any standout performances or studio work. List related experience (TV, commercial, modeling or theatrical work, for example), academic degrees, continuing education and any industry-related awards at the end.
Pennsylvania Ballet corps member Adrianna de Svastich opts to put her training at the top to illustrate her overall progression. “But it’s really about highlighting what best reflects you as a dancer and what you’re most proud of,” she explains.
De Svastich’s resumé, last updated in 2016, neatly fits on one page.
What Stays Out?
An impressive resumé doesn’t have to—and shouldn’t—include every credential you have, whether you’re an experienced professional or a student with only school shows under your belt.
Prioritize what you’ve done and imagine what a director will really care about.
“Pedigree is important when you’re looking at who has influenced a dancer,” says Carney. That means listing the schools that primarily shaped your dancing, but not the studio where you took tap at age 3. Students and inexperienced professionals should include recognized summer programs, but naming the entire faculty (or whether you received a scholarship) is unnecessary.
Listing roles and repertoire gets tricky. Established dancers can fall into the trap of including too much in an effort to show how experienced they are, but an overly detailed list is unwieldy. “I don’t need to know you did ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ for eight years,” says Carney. “When I see featured roles, the assumption is you did corps work, as well. The important thing is to get a snapshot of where you are right now.” If you’ve only danced corps parts, include them, but edit it to highlight the most important or noteworthy ballets.
“Too much information may distract from aspects of your training or performing,” says Cincinnati Ballet artistic director Victoria Morgan. Photo by Jennifer Denham, Courtesy Cincinnati Ballet.
As her experience grew, de Svastich narrowed down her repertoire to only featured roles and added freelance projects, as well as film, commercials and her college degree. She includes her choreography work at the bottom.
It’s worth making room for “extras” if you feel they define you as a dancer or as a person. Morgan thinks a college degree signals maturity and independence, while Carney likes knowing if a dancer does volunteer or community work. But don’t overpack it: “Too much extra information may even distract from aspects of your training or performing that are important to know,” says Morgan.
Putting your life’s passion on a single page is hard, but crafting a concise resumé will leave directors with a lasting impression that reflects your achievements and your professionalism.
Do:
- Proofread (twice!): Typos signal that you’re not conscientious. “It drives me nuts to see well-known choreographers’ or teachers’ names misspelled,” says Kansas City Ballet artistic director Devon Carney. (“Bournonville” and “Kylián” are frequently misspelled.)
- Include continuing education: Pennsylvania Ballet dancer Adrianna de Svastich includes a William Forsythe workshop she attended as a professional to show her effort to continue growing as an artist.
- Consider adding photos: A thumbnail headshot and dance shot in the upper corner of your resumé makes it stand out and helps a director quickly remember you.
Don’t:
- Mention hobbies and things you’re grateful for: “Resumés that are too full of information won’t hold my interest,” says Cincinnati Ballet artistic director Victoria Morgan.
- Leave unexplained chronological gaps or inconsistencies: Directors will wonder what you’re hiding if they see a time period with no training or work, or two schools attended during the same year.
- Be afraid of white space: If your essentials don’t fill an entire page, avoid plumping it up with extraneous tidbits.
- Include personal Instagram or Twitter handles: Unless you have an account or website that is solely professional, leave it off.
5 Dance Resume Examples & Guide Built for 2022
Anyone who's seen a performance of The Nutcracker or Sleeping Beauty can't help but be dazzled and mesmerized by the sheer talent dancing across the stage. Dancers have the power to sweep us into stories and drama through their skilled movement, strength, and choreography.
As a dancer, you make it look so easy, but we all know that your ability to hold your audiences captive through movement hasn't come easy. With countless hours spent strengthening and conditioning your body, the last thing you want to do is pour that same energy into writing a resume.
But don't worry. If you're a dancer looking for your next opportunity to shine in 2022, use our five dance resume samples and writing guide to support you in crafting the resume that gives you a competitive edge and elevates you to the next step on your adventure in the world of dance.
Dancer Resume
Use this template
Download Dancer Resume (PDF)
Why this resume works
- Being a dancer doesn't always require a degree. However, if you do have formal education or certifications in dance that help you stand out, be sure to list your accomplishments on your dancer resume.
- If you have other kinds of experience like internships, certifications from a program, or time spent touring, include those on your resume as well.
- When you've had a few years of experience, you should structure your resume in reverse-chronological format.
- In other words, your most recent experience should go at the top of your resume, and your oldest experience at the bottom.
- Just as dance requires action and demonstration, so your resume must follow suit. Show your strengths in detail, so your work contribution is clear and impactful.
- Action words such as supervised, managed, led, and implemented are a few ways to impact a hiring manager.
Competitive Dancer Resume
Use this template
Download Competitive Dancer Resume (PDF)
Why this resume works
- When writing your competitive dancer resume, be sure to list your most relevant skills included in the company's job description.
- Do this by using as many relevant keywords from the job description as possible.
- Don't be afraid to inject your personality when writing your resume. Artistic directors could be looking at scads of resumes for their open competitive dancer needs, so you don't want to be just another paper in a pile.
- Your resume is often the first impression a potential artistic employer has of you. Even if you've won a score of awards, it won't matter if your resume looks underwhelming.
- Avoid underwhelming your resume reader by using our free resume checkup tool where you'll receive expert tips to help your resume stand out.
- Your resume is often the first impression a potential artistic employer has of you. Even if you've won a score of awards, it won't matter if your resume looks underwhelming.
Dance Student Resume
Use this template
Download Dance Student Resume (PDF)
Why this resume works
- Writing a dance student resume requires you to shine. Did you know the average time spent reviewing a resume by an artistic director or head of a school is only six seconds? To stand out in such little time, make sure your resume objective packs a punch.
- Do this by sprinkling in matching keywords from the job description while describing what you're looking for, the experience you have, and a little about your skills in a nutshell.
- In essence, your objective is a place to briefly sum up the best of your experience.
- Be sure to mention the business by name to show you're not just cranking out generic resumes to the masses.
- Do this by sprinkling in matching keywords from the job description while describing what you're looking for, the experience you have, and a little about your skills in a nutshell.
- Don't hesitate to include soft skills you boast like, "collaborative" and "creative," for an entry position, but laser focus on hard skills that'll be necessary for the job, like "physical fitness," and "modern dance."
- Your resume skills section should be reflected throughout your work experience, demonstrating how you worked with a team, participated in special events, and supported fundraising.
Dance Teacher Resume
Use this template
Download Dance Teacher Resume (PDF)
Why this resume works
- Fill your dance teacher resume with quantifiable metrics. When it comes to your resume, numbers speak louder than words.
- As a dance instructor, numbers, such as the age group of students you taught, how many you taught, and how many routines were performed are appropriate metrics to include.
- Dance instructors, often, are required to have an undergraduate or graduate degree.
- Be sure that any additional certifications, in addition to your degree, are listed. Also, be sure to keep any additional certifications current.
- Keep your resume to one page, remembering that rushed artistic directors and swamped heads of schools spend little time looking at any single resume.
- Make good use of space to avoid diverting attention away from your resume.
- Including a resume summary is one way to attract the attention of hiring personnel. This succinct paragraph showing your many years in the industry (10+ for a summary) will give employers a quick indicator of whether they should continue reading.
- Make good use of space to avoid diverting attention away from your resume.
Ballet Dancer Resume
Use this template
Download Ballet Dancer Resume (PDF)
Why this resume works
- Clearly state your scope of responsibilities in previous roles on your ballet dancer resume.
- There are many opportunities in dance to learn, work, and contribute to a production. All responsibilities will make a difference to an artistic director.
- If you've performed, choreographed, taught, sewed costumes, or organized anything, discuss it in your work experience bullet points.
- Your understanding of various theatrical aspects can show ambition, talent, and progress.
- While content is supreme, organizing your masterpiece well is a close second. For best results, use one of our free Word resume templates, or try a Google docs resume template if you prefer, and don't be afraid to shine with a splash of tasteful color!
- There are many opportunities in dance to learn, work, and contribute to a production. All responsibilities will make a difference to an artistic director.
Sample resume for choreographer | Main responsibilities of a teacher
The application form is used as the main tool for finding vacancies. The form mentions the advantages and professional competencies of a specialist.
A correctly completed document increases the chances of success.
An example on the MyResume website will help you properly format a choreographer's resume.
Choreographer resume example
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- Actress
- Photographer
- Tourism Manager
- Event Manager
- Music teacher
- Vocal teacher
- Dancer
General guidelines for preparing a resume
The form should contain key information that will allow the employer to quickly select the best candidate. It contains information that is primarily of interest to personnel officers:
- A list of basic skills that help to successfully cope with job duties (dance directions).
- Interesting developments, knowledge, awards that give the candidate an advantage over competitors (participation in dance competitions, concert programs).
- Basic education, qualifications, experience, additional courses (learning new styles).
- Contacts for communication: active mailbox, social network page, phone, messenger.
- Desired position.
When filling in the item about the mailbox, you need to pay attention to its name. Characters in email should not add up to offensive or defiant inscriptions:
| is true | incorrect |
|---|---|
| [email protected] | [email protected] |
when the Ulcen is a special focus on the um The rubric format is suitable for mentioning outstanding achievements and positive results of professional activity. Applicants can use it for a mini-presentation. When else will there be an opportunity to brag to the employer. You can use 9 to fill this block.0070 professional choreographer resume template posted in this article.
In order for the employer to have a good impression of the applicant, a high-quality and positive photo is placed on the form.
A photograph on a business letterhead is a noticeable and memorable attribute. It's hard to ignore or forget. Therefore, when looking for a job, this method of eye contact is often used.
About the salary of a choreographer
There are several ways to complete the section:
- Empty field. Option gives freedom of choice, expands the circle of potential employers. This method is suitable for novice teachers who have just completed their education.
- Minimum bar. The method allows to cut off employers with unsuitable offers. A talented dance teacher always knows the cost of his services, so he has the right to set his own price.
Inadequate understanding of one's own importance in the labor market can cause problems with the choreographer's employment. To determine for yourself the optimal salary will help a comparative analysis of the proposals of employers.
Choreographer's work experience
Choreographer's teacher's resume contains the “work experience” block, which is one of the most important.
It allows you to more fully assess the professional experience, as well as determine the terms of reference of the candidate for the position.
The last three years of work are primarily of interest to personnel officers. Therefore, they must be indicated. Working as a dance teacher also involves administrative duties, do not forget to mention this in the application form.
HR officers get a negative impression due to long breaks in work practice, as well as frequent job changes.
Such moments may indicate the applicant's conflict, loss of qualification.
The reasons for long gaps in work experience, periodic layoffs can be written in the section "About Me" or in a cover letter.
If the choreographer has no experience
The resume form for applying for a job as a ballet teacher gives you the opportunity to use advantages that experience does not guarantee. Category "Courses" the applicant can write about trainings, additional classes that allowed him to gain valuable experience.
Those who had an internship at the institute can mention the acquired skills in the section of the same name.
If you studied with a famous teacher, then this information will be a good illustration of your professionalism. Be sure to include his name on your resume.
Dance teachers often conduct individual lessons that are not reflected in the work book. If you have such a practice, then this can also be considered an experience.
If you find it difficult to get a job… We know what to do! Read our article: Why am I not being hired? The harsh reality that you need to know.
Education of the choreographer in the resume
This block is filled in with information about educational institutions and qualifications awarded after graduation. A specialized education in the field of arts is of great importance, therefore, such information will positively affect the rating of the applicant and speaks of his professionalism.
In the column about courses, they write about additional education that may be useful in the implementation of labor activities.
An important section in the questionnaire is the heading “Languages”.
It provides an opportunity to convey information about the candidate's erudition. Knowledge of foreign languages allows you to apply for a place in the studio, ensemble, where interaction with foreign theaters and colleagues is expected. If you have the necessary skills, it is better to fill out this section.
How to complete skills section
The specific skills acquired during training are often the best way to briefly talk about the potential and professional qualities of the applicant at work. For the head of a dance studio, it is important to master different dance styles. The presence of such skills significantly increases the personal rating.
| Classical dances | Staging |
In the resume of the choreographer, it is necessary to remove unsuccessful expressions, typos, unnecessary phrases. On the MyResume website, you can save the form in PDF format, download, print, publish on Facebook, Telegram, VKontakte. 
