How to write a dance bio

Your Dance Bio Needs to Make All the Right Moves

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Writing an inspiring dance bio is all about communication. Much like individual movements and gestures within choreography often have great depth of meaning, each word of your biography should tell a story far beyond what is immediately obvious. There are all kinds of things you need to include as part of your dance biography and this guide gives you a foolproof way to succeed at getting your point across. You may observe military bio samples here, and make use of them.

Ballet

Modern

Hip-Hop

Swing

Latin

Folk

Country and Western

Contemporary

Traditional Jazz

Flamenco

Capoeira

Disco, etc.

Some of the most famous ballet dancers in history were able to achieve such success as a result of their personalities both on and off the stage. It’s not just about your dancing skills, although they are of course the most important feature of any dancer. The most well-known dancers were as famous for their personal lives as for their grace and poise on the stage. It’s vital that you get your personality across in your biography too.

The Wit and Wisdom of Seasoned Pros

If you want to get an idea of what you should include in your biography, take a look at any famous ballerina biography and you’ll read all about what they achieved both on and off the stage. Even if you don’t dance ballet, there’s a lot a good ballerina biography can teach you about how to become a dancer unlike any other. Some of their quotes are legendary and you’ll see why when you consider the inspiring examples below.

One of the most famous male dancers is Mikhail Baryshnikov, who defected from the Soviet Union to follow his creative dreams. He is well-known for his attitude to self-improving meant, saying “I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” This is a ballet biography that’ll teach you far more than just how to write about your own achievements.

One of the all-time greats who created the concept of touring in ballet was Anna Pavlova. She described herself as always wanting to dance since childhood, saying “I always wanted to dance from my youngest years…Thus I built castles in the air out my hopes and dreams.” If you read any ballet biography before composing your own, this is probably the one to go for.

Tips for Writing the Biography of a Dancer

When it comes to writing your text, no biography of a dancer, no matter how famous, will be able to help you put your own experiences into words. Whether you’re going to teach dance or perform on stage yourself, consider the tips below and your biography will shine.

Be concise and direct. Your bio needs to get straight to the point and there’s really no need for excessively long-winded descriptions. Don’t beat around the bush, instead, just show people exactly what role you’d be perfect.
Use the third person when writing. You aren’t supposed to be writing an autobiography. Rather, you should write your biography in the same way in which someone else would talk about you and your achievements.
Don’t turn your biography into a glorified list of achievements: that’s what your resume should have already done anyway. Your biography is an opportunity to describe your skills and experience in full sentences so don’t waste it by repeating your resume.
Add personal experiences where appropriate but don’t rely too heavily on these. Name dropping is fine within reason, but only if you genuinely played an important role in the said production.
Adopt the so-called “pyramid” approach, which involves including the most important information at the start of your biography. You need to demonstrate right away how you’re the perfect dancer for your preferred role. You can add less important but still necessary information further down the page.

The Typical Outline of a Biography for Dancers

You’ll already have understood that the best biographies are those which follow a prescribed style that casting directors, choreographers, and other dance professionals have come to expect. If you follow the pyramid style outline below, you won’t go far wrong.

The first paragraph should be one that stands out the most. The sooner you attract the attention of your reader, the more likely it is that you’ll get the position you’re after. Use this section to describe your most recent work and your strongest credits to date. If you can say that you danced a particularly well-known and reputable role, this will definitely work in your favor.
Elaborate on your training in the second paragraph. Although it’s often considered crass to blow your own trumpet, so to speak, this is the time to do it. If you trained at a prestigious school or you worked with famous and well-respected dancer, you’ll be tarred with the same brush in the best possible sense of the expression.
Use your third paragraph to outline any recent work that doesn’t quite fit into the first paragraph. These might be minor roles or lesser known ones, but they are still part of your experience as a dancer and deserve to be included at least in some way. This will help your reader to work out where to cast you in their production.
You’ll want to inject some personality into your biography and the fourth paragraph is the place to do it. You can write about whatever you’re really passionate about as well talking about extra skills that make you stand out from the crowd. As long as it’s memorable and paints you in a positive light, put it in. Don’t forget to include some concluding remarks that leave a lasting impression.

If you are interested in lawyer biography writing, discover how our writers can do this for you. You can now see how it’s quite simple to write an inspiring and useful dance bio when you know what is expected of you. Follow the tips above and take note of what the experts do, and you’ll reach your full potential as a dancer in no time at all.

Proficiency in Dancers Bio Writing

Some dancers make an idea to ignore hobbies, personal goals, achievements, etc., out of their dance biography. Remember you have to be true to whom you are. It seems quite easy to write a dance biography but it’s not that much simple. Many people make mistakes while writing a general bio and then have to suffer. Well, writers from our bio writing services are qualified enough to pull out your bio from the crowd.

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how to write a dance bio

My old college friend, Molly Wyldfyre, recently posted a plea for help with writing her own bio. I started giving her ideas and I realized this might make a good little blog article. I have written many many bad, long, boring, inappropriate biographies of myself. I am actually a little proud of how awful they were. Since I have made so many mistakes I would like to share some of my findings with you all:

1. Write to Your Audience: I can’t emphasize this enough which is why it’s first on the list. It is advisable that every time you send out your bio for this or that program, grant project, job etc., that you tweak it and create a new version to suit the audience reading it. Applying for a teaching job? Be sure to have your teaching experience in there. Need a bio to insert in a performance program? Keep it short. People don’t have much time to read as the lights are dimming. They are racing from bridge traffic or their stop at Starbucks. So, keep it to exactly what you want them to know to remember you from that particular performance. Applying for a grant? oooh really think long hard about what they need to know to give you the money! What are they looking for? Tweak! Revise! For everything. Every time. Make it fit.

2. Start with a bang: Your first sentence should get right to the point and tell them who you are exactly in your field. Consider where you fit in the scheme of your field? Are you an emerging artist or a seasoned one? What makes you unique? What is your role in your particular artistic community locally? Globally?

3. Include Highlights: Most likely, unless you are only 5 years old, you have MORE information about your experience than you can actually use, so pick the impressive or interesting highlights only and the ones that serve your audience. Don’t try to cram too much information in there because the end result is no one will read it or they won’t remember anything special about it. We don’t need to know that you starred in your high school play if it is ten years later. Unless you are scrapping for a theatre gig and you have nothing else that’s current. Then leave it in – but don’t put a date in there and don’t mention it’s high school.

4. Be Specific: I see this mistake all the time: “Mina Jona starred in numerous productions, has danced various styles in many professional companies all over, and at the most prestigious venues.” All right, there is a LOT wrong with that sentence, but let’s focus on specificity. Instead of that sentence, try something like this:

“Mina Jona starred in John Carly’s Emmy Award winning play, “Crampton Who.” She also was a principal dancer with the San Francisco based John Hersh Ballet Company, and toured internationally for three years with the Fier Flamenco Company including stops at New York’s City Hall and the Queen’s Castle in Uzbekiermany.”

5. Keep it Short: Once when I was in a college play this was my bio in the program: “After getting her BA in English in May, Holly plans to belly-dance her way around the world, then turn around and return in the other direction. ” This worked when I was twenty because I didn’t need to worry about my audience in this situation. They were either other twenty year olds or professors who already knew all about me and my cheeky antics. Everybody read it because it was short, and it gave a really good conversation point for people to come up and talk to me after the show. If you keep it short, yours will be the first one read and the last remembered.

6. Consider Humor: I see this with writer’s a lot lately. There is a trend of funny bios among them. Some of my favorites:

“Before Liz Lemon, before “Weekend Update,” before “Sarah Palin,” Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. (Read more)”

“I write. I’m a mom. I have a garden. I do aikido. I have friends. I read books.” – Heather Shaw’s Google Bio

These only work because people already know so much about them already. Or because it is easy to find that info elsewhere online. Of course one must only use humor when appropriate. This goes back to #1 Write to Your Audience. I don’t suggest using humor in a grant application for example. They won’t find it cute.

7. Research Other People In Your Field: Think of people you respect, who are a tier above you in your field and see how they did theirs. Read as many as you can. Notice things you like and don’t like. What’s off-putting or braggy? What do you want to avoid? What sounds really good? What draws you in? Get ideas from people doing the same thing as you.

8. Once You’ve Got Funding You’ve Got It Made: You don’t even need to be reading this do you? But seriously, if you have received some huge awards and/or grants then that is what you tell people. Let the creds speak for themselves. At this point you can stop talking about every single person you received training from. Unless it was Mark Morris. Then for sure, mention that.

9. Keep It Current: Did you just start a new project you’re excited about? Just finished performing somewhere impressive? Did you travel to the far ends of the world recently to study your craft? Include it! Tweak! Revise! Remember? Keeping it current makes you sound prolific and relevant.

10. Include A Resource for More Info: This is the easiest way to keep it short. Only have 50 words for a program bio? Include your website address where people who are jazzed about your performance can find out more about you or contact you for future gigs. Or, if the bio is on your website – have two pages. The opening bio page has a short description with a link to the second page to find out more. That way readers don’t feel overwhelmed by the sight of a long multi paragraph bio but more info is there for those who are really seeking it.

11. Steer Away from Subjective Adjectives: Instead of “Mina Jones is an extremely talented artist,” tell us the the factual data that will make a reader come to that conclusion on their own. The only time you should use these sorts of subjective adjectives are if you want to include a quote from someone else – like a critic, not your mother. You can call yourself “prolific,” or “unique” as long as it’s clear that you are and it’s backed up with an example. Just be careful with the self -aggrandizing. Your bio should sound impressive, but because you are including truthful highlights, not because it reads like an advertisement. Save that for flyers for classes or shows. In your bio, let the facts speak for themselves.

Read more helpful articles like this one! Visit my new website MovingTowardsYourDesires.com to get FREE information or to subscribe to my newsletter, The Thriving Artist.

How to write a dance resume (with template and example) • BUOM

By Indeed Editorial Team

December 30, 2021

Submitting a professional dance resume when auditioning for industry jobs can help both experienced and new dancers land a role . Dance resumes are different from traditional resumes, so it's important to know what to include in order to show your best qualities. In this article, we will explain what to include in a dance resume along with a template, example, and steps to help you create your own resume.

Why is a dance resume important?

Professional dancers must audition for employment, but employers in the industry also often require resume submissions to determine if candidates meet the criteria for dance programs and job openings. Having a well-written resume that showcases relevant experience, dance skills, and impressive accomplishments can help grab the attention of casting directors, choreographers, and other employers.

What to include in a dance resume

When applying for a dancing role or position, you must show that you have the appropriate qualifications. The basic information you need to provide includes:

Personal Information: Your resume requires your name and contact information. When auditioning for roles, you may also be required to add a photo and personal information such as your height, weight, and age.
Performance experience: If you have a lot of dance experience, list your career highlights or most important roles. Those with less experience can list their latest or current job.
Awards: Highlight the most impressive dance achievement or award you've received rather than list every competition you've entered.
Training and Education: Dance-related education and training are best suited for this section, but you can also include other traditional education and degrees you have completed. You must list the places where you received training or education, what you studied and how long you spent there. The names of your instructors may also matter.
Special Skills: These do not have to be dance related skills, but should be job related and a way to stand out from other candidates.

What Not to Include on a Dance Resume

Your resume is often your first chance to make a positive impression, so include only the most up-to-date information for the position. Here are some items you don't need to add:

Unrelated hobbies or work experience: Irrelevant information occupies a valuable place in your resume, and the employer may ignore this information.
Personal social media accounts: Only include a social media profile if it is strictly professional and showcases your performances or other work.
The color of your hair or eyes: Some auditions may require this information, but it's usually not necessary if you've already included a photo.
Salary requirements or references: While this is helpful during an application or interview, please omit this information unless specifically requested.

How to Write a Dance Resume

While a career in dance is a very specific path, and whether or not it will contain content that is unique from other resumes, the idea of strategizing and then simplifying the document isn't all that different. As they say, here are the steps. to follow for creating a dance resume:

1. Make a list of your dancing background

Before writing a resume, make a list of all your experience in the dance industry. Your list should include training, performances, dance-related work history, and any awards or honors you have received. Be comprehensive because you want to be able to select items from this list when tailoring your resume for specific opportunities.

2. Review the job or role description

After you have considered your dance experience, compare your list with the job posting. You will especially want to take note of the specific skills or qualifications included in the description you have. To make yourself more marketable, choose from your list of experience, training, and qualifications that are most relevant to the position.

For example, if you are applying for a hip hop dance role, showcase your hip hop training you have completed or your role in a hip hop music video.

3.

Format your resume

Your resume should be no longer than one page so that the hiring manager can easily review it. When auditioning for roles, there should also be a professional portrait at the top of your resume. Use a standard and easy to read font, such as Times New Roman, 11 point.

You can divide your resume into the following sections: professional experience, training and education, industry awards or honors and skills. List the items in each of these sections in chronological order.

4. Add personal information first

Your CV must contain up-to-date contact information, including your name, address, phone number and email address. Make your name stand out among other information by typing it in a slightly larger bold font.

The dance resume is unique because you may also need to add your height, weight and age to this section. Information about your appearance or age is only needed when auditioning for roles - for example, you should not provide it when applying for a teaching job.

5. Detail your dance experience

Your professional experience section should include any dance companies or groups you have participated in and worked with, such as performances, commercials and music videos. You can also include teaching or choreographic work that you have done, but more than two or three works need a separate section.

Your performance experience must include the name of the show, the company that made it, your role and dates. You can also include the name of the show's choreographer, especially if they are well known. If you have a lot of performing experience, focus on the lead roles. If you are at the beginning of your career, you can include all of your performance experience so far.

6. List your dance education and training

This section should list the schools or institutions you attended, the dates you attended, the styles of dance you learned, and the degrees or certificates you received. If you have studied with a well-known teacher or choreographer, also include their name.

Start with the most recent dance training or education and work your way back from there. If you have attended small seminars or short training sessions, only include them if they are related to the position or role. For example, the improvisation class you attended last summer might be useful for a job that requires acting but less so for a ballet production.

7. Highlight your industry awards or awards

This section should present awards you have received that will help distinguish you from other candidates. You can include awards, medals, and impressive dance exam results if you are just starting out in your career.

Be sure to keep this section short, listing only the most important or most notable awards. This rule should especially be followed by experienced dancers who have received many awards, while beginner dancers with a shorter list can include everything.

8. Demonstrate any relevant special skills

Tailor this section to the role or job you are applying for. You can include dance or other movement skills as well as non-dance skills such as language fluency or interpersonal skills. For example, if the production has action scenes, you can indicate that you do martial arts. When including specific moves or dance skills, be aware that the casting director or potential employer may expect you to showcase your ability.

Sample Dance Resume

As in any other field, your information should be presented clearly and concisely and organized in a way that is easy to review and understand. You can use this template to format your resume:

[First and last name]

[Address]

[Phone number] | [Email address]

[Height and weight if auditioning for a role]

Professional experience

[Dance company name, dates of employment] or [Job title, location, dates of employment]

[Names of shows, roles performed under the dance companies] or [Responsibilities and duties]

Education and training

[Name of educational institution, school or workshop] | [Dates attended]

Awards

[List relevant or notable awards]

Special skills

[List skills relevant to the position or role]

Sample dance resume

To give the above sample template some context to make it easier the process of creating your own, not the following example which uses this template:0003

Kelly Brown

123 Main St. , Chicago, IL

(123) 456-789 | [email protected]

Professional Experience

Midwest Ballet Company, Chicago, Illinois | 2017-2020
- Nutcracker, Clara
- Cinderella, Fairy Fleet
- Sleeping Beauty, Lilac Fairy Flea
BELIC DANTERS OF EXCELLELANE WATER BOTTELES | 2016
Ballet teacher at Lulu Dance Studio in Deerfield, Illinois | 2015-until
- Teach the basics and correct techniques of novice ballet students
- Assess students' abilities and, if necessary, create individual training plans
- Choreographic numbers for the annual school demonstration

Education and training

American Ballet School | 2009-2015
American Ballet Theater - New York Summer Intensive | 2009

Awards

National Dance Competition - Best Solo Performance | 2011

Special skills

Freely speaks in French
Pedagogical experience
Interpersonal skills
Choreographic experience

Tatyana Denisova's success: short biography of the choreographer

Talented dancer and choreographer. Founder of JB ballet, performing in Germany. Mentor of young dancers in the television projects "Everybody Dance!" on the Ukrainian channel STB and "Dances" on the TNT channel.

Full name: Denisova Tatyana Viktorovna.
Date of birth: 02/11/1980.
Occupation: dancer, choreographer.
Current position: choreographer and one of the mentors of the show "Dancing"
Achievements: creation and successful activity as the head of the JB ballet dance group in Germany, work as a choreographer and director of famous European shows, fame as a choreographer of Ukrainian and Russian TV shows.
Links to social networks: @tatyanadenysova/.

Contents

1 Key achievements
2 Brief biography
3 Dance career
4 Show "Everybody dance!"
5 Dancing
6 Personal life

Key achievements

Tatyana Denisova is a famous dancer and choreographer. For Russian viewers, Tatyana is primarily one of the leaders and inspirers of the television show "Dancing". Since 2017, when she joined this project, the program has been consistently successful and popular.

The biography of Tatyana Denisova is a worthy example to follow. Not every dancer succeeds in his own country, the more difficult it is to do it abroad. Tatyana Denisova managed to create her own team in Kyiv, and then, having moved to Germany, she continued to work there. Her troupe JB ballet is very famous and successfully performs in Europe.

Ukrainian viewers know and love the artist for her work in the TV show “Everybody Dance!”

A real professional, bright and beautiful woman, she has gained a lot of fans among the audience. We can safely say that the personal life of Tatyana Denisova arouses no less interest in the public than her professional achievements.

Brief biography

Tatyana was born in the Kaliningrad region on February 11, 1980. Two years later, the family moved to Sevastopol. From early childhood, the girl was distinguished by special flexibility and plasticity. At the age of 5, she began to practice rhythmic gymnastics, at the age of 10 she became seriously interested in dancing. From childhood, she was attracted not only by dance movements, but by the very beauty of the intended action - music, scenery, costumes. I had to sew the costumes myself, the musical accompaniment was provided by the parental reel-to-reel tape recorder.

She herself says this about herself: “From the age of 5 I have been in professional sports, since 10 I have been in professional dances, at 22 I have already taught choreography at a higher educational institution, since 23 I have been a leader and director ... My professional hardening does not allow any self-doubt” .

The girl entered the choreographic school. A. Ya. Vaganova in St. Petersburg. This proved to be difficult to do. School them. A. Ya. Vaganova (now - the Academy of Russian Ballet named after A. Ya. Vaganova) has always been considered a very serious and prestigious educational institution, this is one of the most famous world-class ballet schools. When entering, there was a big competition - dozens of children for one place.

Fig. 1: Academy of Ballet. A. Ya. Vaganova

According to Tatyana, at the age of 10 she learned to be independent and make decisions. As the choreographer recalls, she was a difficult child. When asked if her parents punished her, she replies that no, life usually punished her. With admission to St. Petersburg, it also turned out to be difficult. Parents very much doubted the correctness of such a decision, but Tanya insisted on her own and, to their surprise, acted.

Studying in St. Petersburg lasted 5 years. Then the girl made one of the most serious decisions. As Tatyana recalls, her data did not allow her to become a ballet soloist, and pride did not allow her to be on the sidelines, performing in the corps de ballet. The desire to work as a director, laid down in childhood, helped to decide on changes.

The next step was studying at the Kiev National University of Culture and Arts (KNUKiI), here the specialty of the director-choreographer was purposefully chosen. It was while studying there that the girl created her own dance group.

Dancing career

When Tatyana Denisova gathered her troupe, she was 21 years old. She herself performed with other guys, being at the same time a choreographer. In Kyiv, they quickly became known. In parallel, Tatiana began to teach at the Variety and Circus College. Every year, by the time of graduation, foreign agents visit the college in search of new talents. Denisova's team received an offer to start work in Germany. In her opinion, at that time in Ukraine they had reached the limit, they wanted further development, and in 2004 they moved abroad.

Now JB ballet is widely known in Europe. He works at the Fantissima theater in Cologne. Denisova is personally engaged in staging bright spectacular shows, she herself no longer goes on stage. She also ensures that new talented artists appear in the team. Some of them become participants in television shows, where Tatyana Viktorovna acts as a choreographer.

The group also periodically conducts auditions, selecting promising dancers.

Fig. 2: Performance by JB ballet

JB ballet is a serious dance group with bright unique artists. Ballet participants Oleg Tatarinov and Tatyana Maslova were named the opening of the season after their triumphant performance in the Got to Dance show in Germany.

Show "Everybody dance!"

The project "Everybody dance!" launched in Ukraine in September 2008. The talent search show instantly became popular. It was an adapted version of the popular British program So You Think You Can Dance? The project promised to show a new generation of dance genre artists. Famous choreographers taught and examined the dancers. Tatyana Denisova became a judge in 2009year.

All participants were given the opportunity not only to become famous, but also to receive a solid monetary reward. The show existed until September 2016, and then it was closed. After that, Denisova was invited to participate in a similar Russian project "Dancing".

"Dancing"

In Russia, the show started on TNT in August 2014, Tatiana Denisova joined the mentors and jury in the fourth season. In addition to her, dancers are constantly trained and evaluated by Yegor Druzhinin and Miguel.

Fig. 3: Mentors of the show "Dancing"

During the existence of the project, the rotating jury included the stars of Russian show business: Olga Buzova, Sergey Svetlakov, Elka, Garik Martirosyan.

The TV program is always popular and loved by the audience.

Personal life

Tatyana Denisova is known for her unwillingness to fit into generally accepted standards. So, she confidently takes pictures without makeup and declares that she does not like make-up. He says that he does not understand what the beauty of shopping is. Also, despite his fame, he does not like parties at all.

“I am a hermit, I like to be alone. I don't like going to parties, if you notice. Only once a year - for the most necessary.

Her accentuated femininity attracts attention. The artist has a beautiful figure, she says that she always keeps herself in shape.

Little is known about the personal life of the "star" choreographer. Tatyana's first husband was Ilya Strakhov, an acrobat who became famous after participating in the show "Ukraine Got Talent". In 2009, the couple had a son, Leo. Unfortunately, the marriage broke up. The child stayed with his mother.

In 2011, Tatiana got married again. Her chosen one was a young singer Alexander Krivoshapko. The young man was a member of the X Factor show. By the time he met Tatyana, he was 19 years old, while she was 31. Despite the age difference, a serious passion broke out between the young people. The couple showed photos of tender kisses on social networks. Alexander had an excellent relationship with his son Denisova. Young people registered a marriage and declared their readiness to get married, but their relationship went wrong.