4C

1) There are pros and cons for both sides of this argument. For me, having worked in both large and small companies, I personally prefer smaller ones. I like having the chance to dance main roles as well as corps de ballet ones, and I found that in a big company the competition is worse and atmosphere is more tense. Obviously, working in a large company usually gives a higher status and better working conditions in terms of pay and healthcare, but in a small company you feel much more valued. Also, in a small company, you can have much greater input - with fewer dancers, it is possible to have an opinion and be heard, rather than just being one of ten girls standing in a line.

2) Aesthetics are so important in selecting dancers because Directors have to look at what fits in with the ‘look’ of the company. Ballet is a visual art, and it is important to create a beautiful picture - directors believe that the desired look is to have long legs and nice feet, and they then have to stay within that ‘type’ as they look for dancers. A dancer with different proportions (no matter how talented) would look out of place amongst the other dancers who have the same body type. Sometimes it can even come down to fitting a costume, or matching the height of the girl opposite you. The trend towards tall, very thin dancers with long legs and arched feet has developed over time, meaning that dancers with different body types must work harder to find their niche.

3) I think that dancers can sometimes be satisfied with their success, but never wholly. Usually it is measured in relation to what we still want to achieve - after a performance we may be pleased with some aspects, but looking to improve in other areas. I don’t think that this is necessarily unhealthy, as it drives us to keep pushing on to be better. I like to set myself goals, but I am realistic enough to know that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. As long as you understand that improving is a working progress, there is nothing wrong with challenging yourself. Some dancers are very very critical of themselves, but with maturity you can accept your strengths and weaknesses and work on making the best of what you have, rather than comparing yourself to others and always being disappointed.

4) I have been very fortunate never to have had any serious injuries that required time off. But I have seen other dancers suffering injury problems. Understandably, directors want their dancers to be fit and healthy all the time, but apart from that, injuries can create casting problems and make other people’s workload heavier. As a result, being injured always feels like you are being a pain and letting others down, even though there is often nothing you can do about it. Directors usually sympathise outwardly, but they really want you back on stage as soon as possible, which can put unrealistic pressure on the dancer. Regardless of what they say, as a dancer, you know that if you are not dancing, you are no use to the director, which is why many dancers suffer injuries in silence, to not cause an issue.

5) I don’t think that teachers should impress your limits on you from a very young age - as I was growing up, my teachers were very encouraging - I was told that, being small, I would have to work harder to make up for it. If they had talked endlessly about how hard it would be for me to get a job or how in many companies I would not even be allowed to audition, perhaps I would have given up hope, without even trying. I do not fit the classical ballet mode, because of my height and body shape, but I have been dancing professionally for 6 years, in several different companies, which proves that it is possible for dancers with physical limitations to find their place. I think teachers do need to be honest and realistic, but their job is to nurture talent, not to crush it.

6)               A negative audition is always hard for dancers, but as you get older, you learn to cope better. When I was auditioning during my third year of school, I found that when I was cut from an audition, I would think ‘What is wrong with me? or I’m not good enough.’ Once you have worked in companies, and have some experience, it is easier to have a different outlook. Having seen the audition process, it becomes clear that it is sometimes so strange, and that the best dancers do not always get the job. Directors have different views, often they are trying to fill a particular role, and sometimes they are simply drawn to a person. Therefore, after an unsuccessful audition, the best outlook to take is ‘I wasn’t what they were looking for.’ There is no point in agonising over it, and if you are confident in your own ability and experience, and realistic about your strengths and weaknesses, you can walk away from a negative audition experience without beating yourself up: it simply wasn’t the one for you, that time.

    What makes you carry on, is the belief that next time (or the time after!) it will be the one for you.      After so many years of training, dancers are unlikely to give up after a bad experience. Ballet training serves to make dancers very tough and resilient, and it will take more than a run of bad auditions to put you off, if you are truly determined to achieve your dream. Also, everyone knows that auditioning is hard, and that often you have to go through many auditions before you find a job, so other dancers understand the position you are in.

The audition process is not built with the auditionees in mind - auditions are set up in order that the company gets what they want, regardless of how it will affect the candidates. Some directors are more decent than others, but overall the process is fairly harsh. The very nature of putting yourself up to be judged against others is hard psychologically, especially with so much competition for so few jobs. I think that the most inconsiderate part of the audition process is when you have paid money to travel to a foreign country, and you are not allowed the chance to really show what you can do. The most rewarding auditions are those in which you can do at least a full ballet class, and then solos or rep - that way, at least you feel that you have not wasted your time and money, as the director can see what you are like as a dancer.

1.        Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond or vice versa? For example, is it better to be a principal in a small company or an artist in a big company? Why?

            I personally think that it is better to be an artist in a big company because you are always aspiring to be better and to climb the company ladder to become a principal. You are surrounded by lots more dancers each with their own different strengths and some will be soloist or principals therefore you can learn from them and therefore inspire to improve and become equal in technique and performance to them. If you are a principal in a small company then you may become slack due to the small number of dancers around you and therefore no one to inspire you.

2.        Why do aesthetics have to have such an effect on the process of selecting dancers for employment currently and not just artistic and technical prowess alone?

            These days’ directors are generally looking for corps de ballet who can then grow and develop into soloist and principals by proving themselves first. Unless you have a group of dancers for your corps who are all of a similar heights or build it can make the dancing look messy and unorganised and if there is for example one dancers a few inches taller than the rest they will stand out if they are all doing the same moves.

3.        As dancers are we ever satisfied with our success? And is this a Healthy mind set? Does this lead to setting unrealistic goals?

            We are always looking to improve our technique and performance skills and this can put unrealistic pressure on our bodies. We always think we can strive to get our legs higher and footwork neater, if we are never satisfied then we can never be happy and therefore this can cause a negative outlook on ourselves and could affect our dancing.

4.        During injury how valued do we feel by our directors? And how much do we think that they want to spend time on our recovery and rehabilitation?

            It all depends on what your injury is and how severe. Many directors just want you to get better and back on your feet asap therefore they may put pressure on you and you might go back to dance before your injury is fully better. This could lengthen your time off dance because if an injury is not fully repaired then it may come back a month or so later and affect your career.

5.        How important is it to be made aware of your limits from a young age e.g. During training? Or does this kill our dreams off before they begin?

            If you are made aware of your limits from a young age then this can ruin any chance of a career because you would give up all hope on improving if someone tells you that you’ve reached your potential. Dancers should always inspire and want to improve to become better but if they are told this would never happen then the dreams would definitely be reduced or even killed. You can never be sure of someone’s limits at a young age and therefore you should leave them with hope as they might surprise you.

6.        What impact does a negative audition have on aspiring dancers? What makes you carry on and not give up? Is the audition process (negative or positive) thought out with the way it might affect auditionees? Should it be?

            Each dancer has a different mindset and some would take a negative audition very seriously whereas others would strive to do better next time around. You have to put a bad audition out of your mind because you could have just had a bad day and you know that you can do better so you will next time. Auditions are daunting and often harsh places and the director of person taking the audition will know what he wants therefore you have to just tell yourself that this time you just weren’t what they were looking for and move on. The process works and shouldn’t be changed, it’s tough but the whole dance world is a tough place to be.

These were the answers I got from 2 fellow dancers on my 4a questions! I was really fascinated by this process and was excited to see what my co-workers in the company felt inside about these issues. It’s rare that you get the chance to discover how your colleagues feel as normally we have a shield up to stop people getting the better of us, or being crushed by the criticism we might be receiving. Also the fact that the questionnaires are anonymous I think the dancers didn’t feel any need to sugar the truth and just said how they truthfully felt without censoring. Another fantastic “straight from the horse’s mouth” account of some troubling issues that young pros and students stumble across to add to my makeshift survival guide of a blog, hopefully conveying (what I can see as) some positive advice!

Looking at their answers further I could see my questions developing into more in depth ones. For example; in question 1 (Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond or vice versa? For example, is it better to be a principal in a small company or an artist in a big company? Why?) one person said that they preferred to work in a smaller company to dance larger roles despite being aware of lack of pay and healthcare among other perks. This drove my question into an even deeper level:

“What is it that would encourage us to settle for less in the way of financial gain for the chance to dance a more prestigious role, is it our love for our art and hunger of recognition that blinds us towards money, or are our eyes opened and ourselves freed from the financial vice in order to be satisfied and happy with our job?”

I then turned this question, long winded and open as it may be, to another close friend and ex-colleague to see what he had to say.

Well I think I’ll start this answer with a question of my own: What is happiness in ones’ job? Depending on where you are in your life, the answer may vary. Let me explain; If you are 17 and you land your first job with a tiny ballet company but you’re walking in at principal rank getting paid 270 pounds a week. Dude that’s bringing a lot of happiness your way! First job, principal at 17, MONEY!, what more do you want? Okay now imagine if you are 33, engaged to be married, you’ve been in this business for 15 years and in the same situation…you see where I’m going with this? The point I’m trying to make here is that there comes a time for settling for less and making yourself small in order to achieve what you love (recognition, principal roles etc.) but there also comes a time where if you have yet to achieve that, you might want to steer away and go for a bigger company but where you might only settle for corps de ballets work; at the end of the day you have to live and besides you can still do your hobby as your job! Now to fully answer your question… it is AGE AND EXPERIENCE that steers us away or towards financial gain, a young and inexperienced person may be blinded by a job just because it’s a job and it’s ok to be working in a small place. However an older more experienced person may feel freed from the boundaries of finance for a while until the sad truth catches up that you’re still working in the back end of nowhere after 15 years and you look at your bills and realise how poor you are! Sad but true unfortunately.