An entry · Work · Life
Ballet Dancer
Years of pain hidden inside sixty seconds that look completely weightless.
From curious to committed
Your first steps.
A first visit can be enough. It can also be the beginning.
Meet the craft
A full company on a real stage is nothing like a video.
Explore experiences →Give it another afternoon
Notice what you want to come back to. Ask the teacher what regular practice would look like, and what support you would need.
Keep a note for next time →See the working day
Serious ballet starts early; the studio is years of daily class.
Explore ways into the work →These are starting points. A workshop is not a professional qualification. Entry requirements and recognised training depend on the work and the country.
Before you walk in
A few things worth asking the host before you book.
- Is this session suitable for someone who has never tried it?
- What should I bring, wear or prepare?
- What is included, and are there any extra costs?
- Can you accommodate my access needs?
- What could I try next if I enjoy it?
Teach this craft? Share what beginners ask you →
Work it
Do the work.
Jobs, apprenticeships, and training that put a person in the room.
Places to begin
- Certification
American Ballet Theatre
ABT National Training Curriculum
United States
The respected teacher certification path from one of America's great ballet companies.
- Route in
School of American Ballet
Winter Term auditions and admission
Lincoln Center, New York, NY · Auditions through the year
The official school of New York City Ballet, and the audition is the front door.
- Route in
Joffrey Ballet School
Trainee and BFA auditions
New York, NY · Digital year round, in person in NYC in summer
A year round pre professional programme for dancers aiming at a company contract.
Ways in
- Route in
Train young and daily
Serious ballet starts early; the studio is years of daily class.
- Course
Vocational ballet school
Full-time training toward a company contract.
- Route in
Company or corps
Auditions into a corps de ballet are the working way in.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasLive it
Live the hour.
Experiences, classes, and places where the presence is the whole point.
Places to begin
- Class
Steps on Broadway
Daily adult ballet classes
New York, NY
A legendary New York studio with open ballet classes for every age and level.
- Class
Joffrey Ballet School
Adult Open Ballet Classes
New York, NY
Drop-in ballet classes from basic beginner through professional level at the school's New York City studios.
Ways in
- Visit
See a live company
A full company on a real stage is nothing like a video.
- Class
Adult beginners' ballet
Studios run classes for grown-ups who never got the chance.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasWhy the human is the point
A dancer spends a decade in pain so that for a few minutes gravity appears to release them. Ballet is the most human of illusions: a body pushed past what bodies do, live, with aching feet inside satin shoes and a face that hides all of it. You are watching a person spend themselves in real time, once, for you. A screen can loop perfection. It cannot give you the held breath of a full house as a living person balances on the edge of the possible and holds it.
Kept nearby
