Ballet Dancer Resume Example
Starting a career as a ballet dancer gives you the chance to gain experience in practicing dance routines and attending rehearsals regularly. A strong resume for ballet dancer applications showcases your skills, experience and achievements and helps you stand out from other candidates. In this article, we'll highlight tips and examples for creating a ballerina resume that makes a winning impression on recruiters and hiring managers.
This complete guide to a ballet resume will equip you with the tools you need to compete in your applications. Like mastering a perfect pirouette, creating a standout resume requires precision, grace, and careful execution.
The article will take you through the key steps of creating a resume that presents your key skills, qualities and career achievements in a format that employers favor. It will also help you tailor your resume according to your unique skills and experience level. Continue reading to find expert tips and advice from Jobseeker that will help you take center stage with a resume that’s en pointe.
Key sections for a ballet resume
Although the content of a ballet resume may differ according to your experience and seniority, the main sections will remain the same.
How you choose to present your resume is up to you. There are plenty of options for a professional resume layout and format, but every application should include the following:
Resume Header and Personal Information
The resume header is the place to add your name and contact details, along with your LinkedIn URL if you have a profile, so employers can find more information about your career journey and skills. You don't typically need to add a photo, or any other personal information to this section. Keep your header clear and concise, with only the most necessary information included. Opt for a stylish, professional design that creates a strong first impression.
Make sure the email address you list in your header is professional-looking and doesn't contain any inappropriate content such as nicknames or unsuitable language. Opt for an email address based on your name or profession, or a combination of both. Finally, check your contact details before sending your resume, to ensure everything's up-to-date.
Brooklyn Hill
brooklyn.hill@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, IL
linkedin․com/in/brooklyn–hill123
Resume Summary
Your resume personal profile is a short, concise paragraph to highlight two or three key skills and achievements in ballet dancer roles. You may also see this section named as 'resume summary' or 'resume objective'. Resume summaries tend to focus on your career experience, while resume objectives cover your ambitions and plans for the future. Always make sure your summary reflects the job description and highlights some of the key skills required for ballet dancer roles.
Alternatively, use this section to emphasize your career objectives and explain how and why this role is a suitable step for you at this stage of your career.
A good resume summary is short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description, with evidence to back it up. It will also help the reader to form their first impressions of you by providing an insight into your personality and unique qualities. Take a look at some strong examples of how to approach a ballet resume summary in the graphic below.
Passionate and disciplined Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance graduate with extensive experience as a professional ballet dancer. Proven expertise in classical ballet techniques, performance artistry, and stage presence, with a strong commitment to continuous growth and artistic expression. Adept at working in fast-paced, collaborative environments, consistently delivering high-quality performances while maintaining exceptional technical precision.
Involved in dance with a background in arts education. Worked in roles where I performed and practiced dance. Have experience with different dance styles and tried to be creative. Focused on improving dance skills and staying committed to the arts.
On the other hand, a resume summary can be ineffective if it lacks specific information about how your skills align with the job description, or fails to paint a picture of your unique qualities and talents. In the graphic above you can find some negative examples of how to write a resume summary.
Employment History
In the next section, list your employment history focusing on the most relevant previous roles and achievements that showcase your ballet dancer skills. Include any relevant jobs you've held in reverse-chronological order. Start with your current or most recent roles and work back through previous roles. For each job, list your title, the name of the company, its location and the dates you worked there.
For each job listed in this section, add some bullet points so the employer can understand the skills you developed, and your achievements. Focus on showcasing the impact you made on the organization, and show evidence of how you made a difference.
The best resume work experience sections focus only on the most relevant previous jobs, and link each bullet point back to a skill or experience listed in the job description. It's also critical to provide evidence that shows the value you added to each role in a quantifiable way, such as project outcomes, key performance indicators or feedback from customers, colleagues or managers. Review some strong examples of resume work experience sections in the graphic below.
Professional Ballet Dancer, January 2022 - Present
Graceful Pirouettes Studio, Minneapolis
- Lead role in "Swan Lake" at the Royal Opera House, London, 2022
- Winner of the Prix de Lausanne, 2021
- Principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, New York, 2020-present
Professional Ballet Dancer, January 2022 - Present
Graceful Pirouettes Studio, Minneapolis
- Demonstrated leadership in various prestigious performances and competitions across international stages
- Consistently recognized for outstanding contributions to the success of high-profile dance productions
- Played a pivotal role in enhancing the artistic quality of numerous ballet performances
The example above can give you some idea of what not to include in your resume work experience section. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.
Portfolio and Work Samples
Any examples of your work as a ballet dancer will help the hiring manager to assess your suitability for ballet dancer jobs. If you have a portfolio or personal website, include a link to it here.
Online portfolios tend to be most relevant for creative roles, but you could provide details of any previous successful projects or work published online. Add a link to your portfolio or include separate links to your previous projects in this section. Conversely, if you're not working in a creative role but still have examples of your best work available online, adding them here can make a real impact.
Education and Qualifications
The education section provides space to list your highest and most recent academic achievements that are relevant to working as a ballet dancer.
Candidates aren't usually required to have a degree for ballet dancer positions, but it's still worth listing your highest or most relevant qualifications. If you have a recognized certification or qualification, such as Vaganova Level Certification, be sure to include this. You might also want to include any educational achievements that showcase classical repertoire performance or barre technique mastery.
Enter the name and level of the qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study or graduation. You can enhance this section by adding bullet points that show any outstanding grades, awards or achievements and any specialist subjects you studied. These details can make you stand out from other candidates.
If you were a member of any clubs or societies, or volunteered for any causes while studying, you could also mention these in your education section.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, 2017 - 2020
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Skills
Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for ballet dancer jobs. These could be pas de deux, adaptability and flexibility or various other relevant skills. Again, include any skills that match those listed in the job description. Focus particularly on technical skills required for ballet dancer jobs and transferable skills that show your qualities as a ballet dancer.
How to list hard skills on your ballet resume
Hard skills are the key technical skills required for ballet dancer positions. They include specific industry knowledge and abilities that you could learn on the job, or through a specialist qualification. Furthermore, these skills are essential for a ballet resume as they showcase your expertise in the field. Add up to five key hard skills that show you're an ideal candidate for the role. It can also be beneficial to add context to each skill, showing how you've used it to positive effect in your career to date.
Your resume hard skills list should reflect your unique and specific industry expertise and experience, while also fulfilling the requirements listed in the job description. See the examples below for an idea of what an effective ballet resume hard skills list looks like.
- Pointe shoe proficiency
- Barre technique mastery
- Classical repertoire performance
Soft skills on your ballet resume
In your soft skills list, include any personal characteristics that make you a good fit for a ballet dancer job. Soft skills tend to be more universal than hard skills, but they're no less important. In fact, you can develop soft skills throughout your career, and they tend to be suitable for various roles and professions. In this section, add four of five transferable skills that match the job description.
The strongest resume soft skills sections include a mix of skills that match your best personal strengths, and that reflect the skills listed in the job description. See below for some examples of effective soft skills for a ballerina resume.
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Time management
- Attention to detail
Expert Tip:
On your creative resume, focus on the results of your work, such as "drove a 30% increase in client engagement through custom branding visuals" or "sold 50+ pieces in an online gallery launch." (1) Back this up with a curated portfolio that showcases these impactful pieces. (2)
Certifications and Training
Your certifications section is the place to mention any relevant professional ballet dancer certifications, licenses or qualifications. These might be licenses that show you're qualified to operate certain equipment, or certifications that give you the edge over candidates with otherwise similar career history. Therefore, add any necessary licenses and certifications in this section, along with valid dates so employers can see you're still qualified for the job.
Below you can find several examples of certifications for a ballerina resume:
- RAD Advanced Foundation, 2022
- Cecchetti Diploma Examination, 2022
- Vaganova Level Certification, 2022
Additional Information
To provide further information on your suitability for the role, you could add some optional sections to a ballerina resume. Choose optional sections from the list below, if they help to showcase your relevant skills and experience.
Personal Hobbies and Interests
Adding your hobbies and interests is a legitimate way of showing off your skills and personal qualities. They also help to show a different side of your personality, and can help your resume create a more memorable impression on hiring managers. If you're short on real world work experience, hobbies and interests can be a useful way of providing more information about your qualities. Only include hobbies and interests that showcase your personality and personal qualities, and add something different to your application.
Volunteer Work
Listing volunteer work is another useful way to prove your relevant experience for ballet dancer roles. Add your volunteer job title or role, the name of the organization, its location and the dates you were involved.
References
Although it's rare to include references on a ballet resume, some employers may ask for it. Don't add references unless they're specifically mentioned by the employer in the job advert. Be sure to prepare your referees in advance, so they've agreed to provide a reference and are ready to be contacted.
References can be provided upon request.
Best action words for your ballet resume
Start each bullet point in your work experience section with a strong verb to show actions you took. The suggested action verbs below will help the reader to understand your key qualities and the impact you made on the organization.
- Perform
- Interpret
- Execute
- Choreograph
- Rehearse
- Collaborate
- Improvise
- Demonstrate
- Refine
- Instruct
Jobseeker's clean, attractive resume formats can help your applications make a strong impression on employers. Check them out for help designing a winning resume, and see our cover letter templates to help win over recruiters and hiring managers.
Sample resume for ballet dancer positions
Now that you know everything that needs to go into your ballet resume, let's review an example resume that you can use as a guide when creating your own:
742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, IL
•
brooklyn.hill@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/brooklyn–hill123
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with extensive experience as a Professional Ballet Dancer, demonstrating exceptional technical skills, artistic versatility, and a strong commitment to excellence in performance and collaboration.
Professional Ballet Dancer
2020
-2022
GraceMotion Ballet Company (Spokane)
- Principal Dancer at the National Ballet, leading over 50 major productions, including 'Swan Lake' and 'The Nutcracker.
- Winner of the prestigious Prix de Lausanne, recognized for exceptional artistry and technical proficiency
- Featured performer at the Bolshoi Ballet Gala, showcasing solos and duets to a global audience of ballet enthusiasts
Pointe shoe proficiency
Barre technique mastery
Classical repertoire performance
Teamwork and collaboration
Time management
Attention to detail
RAD Advanced Foundation
Cecchetti Diploma Examination
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Quick tips for a ballerina resume
- Use action verbs to showcase how you've put your ballet dancer skills to use in your career (e.g. 'perform', 'interpret', 'execute').
- Use a professional resume format with clear headings, a defined structure and consistent marginsfor optimum readability.
- Keep your ballet resume as brief as possible. A single page is ideal for junior applicants, while two sides is acceptable for senior jobs.
- Add each relevant job in reverse-chronological order, beginning with your current or most recent position and working back from there.
- Quantify the impact you've made in different roles by offering evidence of your key abilities and your contribution.
- Don't write any unnecessary personal details on your resume. Details such as age, gender or nationality can lead to unintentional recruitment bias.
- Don't add any hobbies or interests unless they directly showcase a skill or experience that's relevant to the job.
- Don't use overly complex formatting and layouts that can make your ballet resume harder to read, and less scannable for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
- Don't forget to review your contact information before sending your resume, to ensure it's all up-to-date.
- Don't list irrelevant work experience as it will likely do nothing for your chances of success.
Making an ATS-friendly resume
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters and employers to streamline their hiring process. They can store and process data, including applications and applicant data, quickly and efficiently. One of the jobs ATS applications are increasingly responsible for is initial candidate screening. The systems can quickly scan and rank resumes based on how closely they match the job description. When you're writing your ballet resume, there are several things you can do to make sure your resume stands the best chance of passing the ATS stage.
Here are a few quick tips for creating an ATS-friendly resume:
- Use a traditional resume layout, such as a reverse-chronological or functional format. This will mean your resume includes all the necessary sections, in the expected order.
- Add keywords that match the job description throughout your resume, as ATS applications scan for these and well-placed, considered use can help your resume rank more highly.
- Using clear, simple headings makes it easier for an ATS application to scan your resume, as it can easily identify what's in each section of your document.
- Utilize a clean, clear resume design that helps make your content more readable. Use simple fonts and subtle color accents and design elements that don't detract from the written content.
- Adopt simple, professional language to keep your resume as concise as possible. This tends to make your document more readable, and easier for ATS software to scan.
If you're looking for inspiration for your resume, discover our comprehensive resume examples and in-depth, expert career blog.
Frequently Asked Questions about a ballerina resume
Most of the time it's not recommended to add a personal photo to your resume. While a photo can add to the visual appeal and design of the document, it can also risk introducing bias into the selection process.
There are some occasions when a personal photo can enhance your application, when applying for a creative role. These tend to be for roles where you're making public appearances, either to meet clients, appear on camera, acting, modelling or for public speaking engagements.
Now that you know how to write a professional ballet resume, you might also want to learn how to write an accompanying cover letter that makes a similar impact.
Before you write your cover letter, think about whether you need a formal, professional letter or if a brief, less formal email might be more suitable.
If you choose to write a full cover letter, follow traditional letter-writing conventions surrounding greetings, sign-offs and use of professional language. The body of the cover letter tends to be three paragraphs. The first introduces yourself and the role you're applying for, giving reasons for your application. The second briefly covers your key skills and achievements that are most relevant to ballet dancer roles. Finally, the third paragraph re-emphasizes your interest in the role and leaves a call to action, encouraging the employer to reach out to you.
If you want to impress employers with a professional cover letter, use Jobseeker's simple and beautiful cover letter templates.
If you have no experience, it's still possible to write a professional ballet resume that makes a positive impression on hiring managers. Select a resume format that emphasizes your skills and education over your work experience, such as a functional format. Use the additional information sections at the end of your resume as a showcase for relevant skills and achievements. These can be a particularly useful way of proving you have the skills necessary for the job.
Choosing a resume font that's suitable for the role and industry you're applying to is a key decision. The key choice is whether to select a serif or sans serif font, and to decide which is the most suitable font size. Typically a font size between 10 and 12 is most readable. For creative roles, sans serif typefaces tend to be more popular, owing to their simple, modern, dynamic characteristics. As such, when writing your ballet resume, it's worth considering a font from this group.
The best resume format for you depends on two things. Firstly, it depends on your experience level. Secondly, it depends on the type and level of position you're applying for. For roles where you're lacking experience, such as graduate jobs or career changes, you could use a functional or skills-based resume format. This places your skills and education above your work experience. If, however, you have experience in your chosen profession, a traditional, reverse chronological resume format might be the way to go. This showcases your relevant skills and achievements in your work experience section.
Takeaways for your ballet resume
Writing a strong, impactful resume is about using your experience to demonstrate your relevant skills and achievements. You can do this through your work history or other resume sections. Use a suitable resume format and tailor your resume for every application you submit.
Use Jobseeker's resume templates, other tools and resources to create an application that impresses employers. Sign up today to access a wealth of valuable resume and cover letter resources. To make the best possible impression with your applications, write a cover letter with the help of Jobseeker. You can also find plenty of expert-designed cover letter examples for inspiration.
Sources:
(1) Careers for creative people, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/creative-careers.htm
(2) Occupational Outlook Handbook, Craft and Fine Arts, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/craft-and-fine-artists.htm
