Ballet Resume Construction, Part 1: Paper Resume Content

When the time comes to begin auditioning for dance jobs and company apprentice and corps positions, a proper and complete ballet resume can be an asset.  It is also wise to have one put together for audition season for prestigious Summer Intensives and/ or to have one together prior to attending your Summer Intensive Program since these are typically your first steps to getting professional company exposure and visibility. 

In addition, today it’s much easier to make an accompanying digital resume and utilize social media networks to expedite your job offer and reach company artistic directors far and wide, even without them visiting your city for a formal audition process.  Here, learn the fundamentals to creating a winning paper resume to provide with submission forms:

The paper resume is still a necessity, even in today's hyper e-world.  At an audition, you would still provide a copy with an application, or have copies in any other circumstance where you will have exposure to professional companies.  For many people, resumes can be tough, because it's not socially acceptable to brag about oneself and your accomplishments.  However, this is the one and only objective of a resume.  It's to sell yourself, to market yourself, so if you feel awkward or uncomfortable with presenting everything possible in that sales pitch, be sure to ask for help or seek professional consultation.

The header of your resume should include your body stats and your physical attributes, i.e., your height, weight, hair color, eye color and skin color.  While this may seem outdated in today’s world or even a bit politically incorrect, it is a critical component to applying to a company that will be the right fit for you, as well as provide you with the most opportunities.  Many companies still like all of their corps dancers to be a similar height and build. This aids with the aesthetic value to choreography for synchronization. While on the flip side, many other companies today want to show a lot of diversity and promote that diversity to their patrons. While still a major third factor is that the company's up and coming male dancers can only accommodate a certain height for successful partnership roles.  No one should see this information inclusion as some archaic attempt at discrimination, but simply a part of a necessary selection process that will afford you the best fit and the most growth and opportunity in your career.  Take my word for it, you don't want to be put in a company where all the males are a foot shorter than you or where you are an inadvertent eye sore in the corps.  This is not the way to making your career.  It's very similar to the plain and simple fact that models must provide this information in their portfolios as well.

Next include any professional experience you have had, including seasonal performances with a professional company.  For example, The Nutcracker, should be a fairly popular staple that most pre-professionals have participated in at some point, or more likely, multiple times.  If it has been multiple times, include all of those performances and your varying roles from year to year (the idea being of course that as you matured as a dancer, you were placed in better roles.)  But even beginner roles earlier in your career/ training count if this is part of a "professional production."  Many of the larger companies also allow for open auditions and participation from other dancers in the community for Spring performances.  If you have not taken advantage of these opportunities, make sure you remedy that as soon as possible. Check the companies' websites and see when auditions for professional productions are available.  Even if your home school/ studio does multiple productions already, it's always good to participate in other companies' productions to show you have variety in your background and can dance under other people's direction and style.

When you have participated in these productions, be sure to include the Artistic Director and Choreographer(s) of any production you participated in and your role.  If you assisted with anything beyond a dancing role, such as with tech or backstage management, include this as well.  

Next, include Summer Intensive Programs, Master Classes Instructors and the long-term coaches you have studied under.  This is where name dropping becomes an asset.  The ballet world can be pretty small and it's part of your investment in attending Summer Intensive Programs, Master Classes and attending professional training schools/ studios to be able to refer to the "ballet family" that has raised and trained you.  Even if you only had one class with one of the greats, include it (hopefully the class made a drastic impression on you and your technique or thought process, but either way, that's why you paid the big bucks to take from them).

Then make a list of all classical repertoire and variations you have personally danced, have performed and/ or have used in competitions.  If you have been in competitions, include the name, the year, the variation you performed and your placement.  If you did not place high, include the number of people you were up against.  For example, if you placed third in a category of over a hundred dancers, it’s still impressive for an apprenticeship or in some cases, a corps position, given an esteemed national or world-wide competition.  Each year, as you select your working repertoire, be sure to include a variety of roles and characters to show your performing diversity.

Last include any choreography and teaching experience. You want to be careful about how you present this information though.  It can work for you or it can work against you.  For example, including that you taught a summer pre-ballet class for young kids to help off-set costs of your costumes or pointe shoes, is a good thing to include.  However, including choreography experience without a demo to include, may come across as a resume filler and superfluous without the visual example to go with it.  

This part of your paper content resume should be included as the front page of your resume while the photography should be on the back side of your resume.  Ballet remains an area where a 1-page resume is still the smartest approach.  The additional features will come through in your digital and social media demonstrations.  You want to be sure that your resume material all collaborates towards a contract for hire, no matter how early in your career you begin this project.