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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]One of my kids has a friend who majored in ballet at a well known program and is now dancing with a professional ballet company. My child (who also danced when younger) brought back a program from a performance he attended and there were a number of other dancers who had also completed college.

I think the ballet world is changing and they are realizing that dancers with an education and some more maturity are an asset to the company.

You and your daughter might want to spend some time looking up the bios of dancers who are in the jobs your daughter would like someday. See where those dancers went to college or what kind of training they had: that might help you to figure out a good path for your daughter. [/quote]

Agree with all of this, except that the dance world is changing. It might be changing, but not for the better. I work with ABT fairly regularly, and I would say the culture is largely the same. The only difference now, is that the dance world isn't likely to see another Suzanne Farrell. Those days are done. [/quote]

I'm not sure what you mean about Suzanne Farrell- I didn't think she had a degree.

My kid's friend knows a number of other dancers who graduated from a highly regarded ballet major program at a large Midwestern university who dance with professional ballet companies. No, they are not dancing for ABT, City Ballet, or PNB, but for smaller regional ballet companies. They are dancing full time and earning money for doing so.

During their contract year and on summer breaks they are making $40-50/hour teaching at studios and summer programs. Parents really like it when the teachers have a degree from a well known program. Most of them graduated with double majors, so they do have something else besides ballet in their tool box for when they move on from dancing. 
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It's telling to me when people don't know  certain specifics of the dance world.

Suzanne Farrell has the rights to many of Balancine's pieces. She owns them. No she doesn't have a degree. Ludicrous to think she would need one. 
That would not happen now. Those pieces would be the property of  ABT or city ballet or whoever. Yes, the dance world has changed.

There are many second tier companies that will look at dancers after the college years. A few older girls will make it to the big ones. There is no set path. 
Op, are you confortable with your daughter deferring college until later in life?
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I know who Suzanne Farrell is and that she owns the rights to a number of Balanchine ballets because of her special relationship with him. I don't see what that has to do with the post of mine that you responded to. That post was discussing the fact that ballet companies are hiring dancers with college degrees today and not only kids who are straight out of high school. I'm not sure what SF has to do with that specific subject since she was a young dancer back in the 60s and she did not graduate from college before dancing.

Regional companies have a place in the ballet world.  Many are very successful and bring the enjoyment of ballet to audiences in the many areas of the country that are not New York City. I wouldn't look down on a regional company because it is not ABT.

I've talked to the parents of my child's friend who majored in ballet. They are very happy she has completed her degree. They said that her dancer freinds without degrees are limited in their options and while some go on to finish a degree, many don't simply because life gets in the way. Also, some of them take a course here and there while they are dancing, but then find that when they want to go to college full time, they can't afford it because they are no longer considered new freshmen, so are not eligible for many scholarships. It does make a big difference to get that degree done while one is still young, it becomes much more complicated when one gets to one's late twenties. 
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