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Day-To-Day Life As A Professional Ballerina

April 9, 2017 by 4dancers

black swan
Sharon Wehner as the black swan in Swan Lake. Photo by David Andrews.

by Sharon Wehner

As a professional ballet dancer, I often get questions from non-dancers about what a work day/week/month looks like. This is usually followed by a look of surprise when I say that I dance 6-9 hours a day, 5-6 days per week, an average of 45 weeks a year. b35 of those weeks are as a member of the Colorado Ballet. The others involve guesting and contract work. The 8 weeks of “off-time” are scattered throughout the year, and spent taking class and cross-training.

So what does a typical day look like? That all depends on the week. During my season with Colorado Ballet, there are two basic time periods: Rehearsal and Performance. Rehearsal weeks consist of a 4-6 week period of learning and rehearsing repertory. Performance weeks involve both rehearsals and performances, including stage, tech, and dress rehearsals in the theatre, as well as “maintenance” rehearsals at the studio.

Rehearsal Period

During a rehearsal week, we begin every day with an hour and 15 minute Company Class. As a dancer who also teaches, I’m always amazed at how much the ballet mistress/master can squeeze into 75 minutes with 50 dancers in the room! Barre is usually only about 30 minutes, but we still get in every necessary component: plies, several tendus and dégagé combinations, ronde de jambe, fondue, frappe, adagio, and grande battement. Center combinations vary depending on the teachers, but we alway do a center tendu, adagio, pirouettes, small jumps, assemble, petit allegro, sisones, grande allegro, and sometimes a coda combination. One teacher manages to squeeze in additional center fondues, grande battement, and an assemble jump combination.

As one can see, company class has to run like a super efficient well-oiled machine. There is little time for corrections or individual attention. But even some of that does happen. Professionals are expected to pick up combinations quickly, transition from one group to the next seamlessly, and apply corrections without interrupting the flow of class.   There is also an etiquette amongst professionals which enables the class to churn along. Every company has their own unique unspoken rules about barre space, mirror space, groupings, and “territory”. I always smile when I see the new “kids” trying to navigate these rules when they first enter the company. Luckily, most dancers are fairly intuitive, and masters at reading body language. Ideally, the less-than-aware dancers are taken aside and given a little guidance. But, I have also witnessed a senior principle chew out a young oblivious pup, and it can be quite the spectacle.

Class is followed by a fifteen minute break. Three hours of rehearsal follow this, then a one hour lunch break, and another three hours of rehearsals. Depending on the person and the productions being rehearsed, a dancer may only have one hour of rehearsal, but could just as easily have six hours. Generally, we rehearse more than one ballet at a time. We may be preparing the most immediate production (Swan Lake, for example), as well as learning repertory for later in the season, and working on the creation of new choreography for another season, all at the same time. As we get closer to production week, rehearsals are increasingly distilled down to focus only on the most immediate production.

Performance Period

Tech week involves a mix of technical, orchestra, and dress rehearsals twice a day in the theatre leading up to Opening Night. Our company usually performs a student matinee the morning before opening night. In the past few years, this performance has been live-cast locally and internationally to schools in ten different countries. Thus, even though it is technically considered a dress rehearsal, the student matinee is actually treated like a live show. Dancers and orchestra are expected to carry on in the face of mistakes and mis-cues.

The following weeks consist of a mix of rehearsals at the studio during the day and performances in the evening.   During a performance day, our rehearsal time is limited to three hours, with a minimum of two hour break before being called to the theatre. We always have formal class before rehearsal, and then are responsible for warming ourselves back up at the theatre before the show.

After a run of performances, we return to a rehearsal period schedule, and the cycle starts all over again. Sometimes there will be a week or two layoff in between. This is usually a welcome recovery time for both the body and the mind (not so much the bank account, but that’s another story).

Off Season

Once the season winds down, usually in April for my company, we enter into a four month lay-off period. This time is utilized differently amongst various dancers. Many, like myself, pick-up contract “gigs” either performing or teaching, which often requires being free to travel. For example, I have been to Japan about 10 times, working with choreographers and performing as a guest artist. I have also worked with various pick-up companies. This involves a pretty serious commitment of daily rehearsals and performances, much like the work I do during the season with Colorado Ballet. I have also utilized the time to take college courses. Other dancers prefer to pick up non-dancing work, such as waiting tables or nanny-ing. It’s always a tricky thing—balancing rest and work and play during a lay-off. By the end of the rigorous season, the body and spirit are usually craving time on the beach eating copious amounts of ice cream.   Sometimes this is possible, but not usually my style. The closest thing was last spring, when, after a very difficult year personally and professionally, I did a yoga teacher-training in Costa Rica. Even though the schedule was packed—a 200 hour training in 21 days—being immersed in nature and learning a new skill steeped in wisdom teachings, was extremely nourishing for me.

In terms of staying in shape and cross-training, this also looks differently for every dancer. Some dancers thrive on doing “normal-people” stuff—hiking, swimming, going to the gym. I admit, I love a great non-dance cardio workout with a set of headphones and a good pod cast.   At the same time, I strongly believe that there is nothing like doing ballet class if you really want to be in dancer-shape. Yet, age and experience has also taught me that most bodies need some form of constructive rest, in which more body-friendly exercise is necessary. Yoga, pilates, and Gyrotonics are my go-to sources of conditioning in this arena. And then, every once in a while, I let myself totally veg out on the beach with a good book and an iced latte.

So, that’s it in a nutshell—the various faces of being a professional ballerina in a mid-sized company with a 35-week season. At least, in my world…


What’s coming up for Colorado Ballet? Keep track of their performance schedule here.


Ballerina
Colorado Ballet’s Sharon Wehner. Photo by Allen Birnbach

Contributing writer Sharon Wehner is originally from San Jose, California. She trained with Jody White and David Roxander, San Jose Dance Theatre, San Francisco Ballet and San Jose/Cleveland Ballet. Ms. Wehner joined Colorado Ballet in 1995 and was promoted to Principal in 1999, and in the last 20 years, has performed many lead roles with the Company. These include Kitri in Don Quixote, Giselle in Giselle, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Medora in Le Corsaire, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppelia, Mina in Dracula, Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, the Cowgirl in Rodeo, the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Cinderella in Cinderella, Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Titania and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Second Violin in Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, the Principal couple in Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes, Rubies, and Theme and Variations, Antony Tudor’s Leaves are Fading, and Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room. She has been honored to have solos and pas de deuxs created on her by choreographers Val Caniparoli, Edwaard Liang, Mathew Neenan, Christopher Wheeldon, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Dwight Rhoden, Jessica Lang, Brian Reeder and Toru Shimazaki.

In addition to Colorado Ballet, Ms. Wehner has also performed with The Washington Ballet, Oakland Ballet and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. She has also been a guest artist at the Vail International Dance Festival, in Japan in the Aoyama Ballet Festival, and the National Ballet of Japan’s Golden Ballet Co-star.  Sharon enjoys teaching dance to all ages and abilities, particularly Dance for Parkinson’s Disease.

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Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: ballerina, ballet performance, Ballet Rehearsal, barre, colorado ballet, company class, Sharon Wehner

10 Questions With…Michael Cornell

August 27, 2012 by Ashley David

Today our 10 Questions With… features Michael Cornell, developer of the Align Ballet Method…

1. How did you become involved in dance and what is your background?

Mike-Align Ballet Method

I loved my middle school art class and the process of learning in a studio environment. I was fairly talented with the pencil, and my teacher kept handing me photos of Baryshnikov to draw. These photos expressed an athletic power, yet also communicated simplicity and purity. I was immediately drawn to these elements.

I eventually was awarded a scholarship to The National Academy of The Arts in Champaign, Illinois and then the Pennsylvania School of Ballet summer program. There I was offered an apprenticeship with the company, but I had already made a commitment to work with BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio. I spent 10 years with BalletMet, and looking back I am very grateful I had the opportunity to work with many of the world’s notable, innovative movement artists. My family was not very culturally minded, but they were open-minded enough to let me explore what probably seemed like a strange pursuit for a young man. Studying ballet was definitely my decision. 

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

I have been teaching in Los Angeles for ten years. A little over a year ago I started a class called BALLET 101, which has evolved into the ALIGN BALLET METHOD. This is a unique program I have developed to help adults learn the fundamentals of classical ballet.

We have a roster of about 120 full time students who are working at various stages of development. Our goal is to provide a gateway, where adults with no prior experience have the opportunity to experience authentic ballet training at the highest level. Our unique ALIGN method helps them gain skills rapidly.

3. Would you explain a bit about how the Align Ballet Method works? [Read more…]

Filed Under: 10 Questions With... Tagged With: adagio, adult ballet, align ballet method, Ballet, balletmet, barre, michael cornell, pirouettes

Review: Dancing Keys 2 by Gill Civil

December 2, 2011 by 4dancers

I recently reviewed Gill Civil’s “Dancing Keys” CD for this site, and I was fortunate enough to be able to listen to the next album she compiled–“Dancing Keys 2”.

Civil’s work is truly unique in that the tracks don’t sound familiar–they sound fresh. Some ballet class music can have a “typical” feel to it that just doesn’t add anything to the barre or centre exercises. This is not in that category.

The music here taps into emotion and feeling–something I think the good ballet music composers understand as necessary for it to be something dancers will want to move to. Teachers too find this type of music inspiring, and it can add a measure of creativity to the class environment overall to have such beautiful music.

The CD has a simple barre (10 tracks) and centre music (port de bras, adage, pirouettes, allegro, etc.) and a number of bonus tracks as well. You can listen to samples on her website.

As always, I appreciate the amount of effort that goes into creating original music for ballet class. Civil does it well, and this CD is a great one to own if you teach ballet.

If you’d like to own it, or listen to her other CD, visit her website.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ballet class music, barre, centre, dancing keys 2, gill civil, music for ballet class

Teaching Tip: When Students Are Late

October 13, 2010 by 4dancers

Teaching TipBeing late to dance class is actually kind of a big deal. Since warm-up exercises are designed to help the dancer’s muscles (and tendons/ligaments) prepare for the demands of class, late students should know what you expect of them when they arrive in the classroom so that they are not risking injury.

How you handle being tardy is up to you. Perhaps you just tell the student to do some plies and tendus before joining the class if it isn’t too far into the barre. If the student is more than a few minutes late, many teachers ask that they just sit and watch the class instead of trying to catch up.

If you have students who are late on a regular basis, it may be helpful to speak with the parents. As for deciding on make-up classes, it’s really a matter of what you are comfortable with. Do students just lose that class if they are too late to join? Or can they come to another class and substitute it for the one they miss? The important thing is to have a policy that you consistently enforce so that everyone gets the same treatement.

What are your rules? How do you handle a student coming late to class? I’d love to hear what various teachers are doing out there…

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Filed Under: 4teachers, Studios, Teaching Tips Tagged With: barre, dance class, late students, teaching tip

Review: Behind Barres, Volume 1 (Revised)

April 14, 2010 by 4dancers

The CD: Behind Barres, Volume 1 (Revised)

The Details: Over an hour of ballet class music, 25 tracks. This revised CD has doubled the length of nine of the musical selections for the centre work.

The Review: The excellent pairing of Judy Rice and Paul Lewisteam up again for another wonderful ballet class CD featuring selections by Tchaikovsky, Delibes, Minkus and various others. The tracks are infused with emotion and Lewis once again delivers a top-notch performance; although one would expect nothing less from this accomplished ballet accompanist.

The 25-track listing includes a full barre that is suitable for any level class. Centre music is varied and offers petit, medium and grand allegro as well as an adage and pirourette selections. Sample tracks can be heard on the website, including tendu and a medium allegro. It’s a good sampling of what the album has, so if you are interested, be sure and have a listen.

This CD is a good investment since it can be used for all levels and the track lengths are long enough to used in advanced classes. If you are looking for dramatic arrangements, this is also a great pick–many of the selections are very moving. (For something lighter, take a look at Under The Palms.)

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Filed Under: 4teachers, FOR SALE, Reviews, Studios Tagged With: ballet class, barre, behind barres, CD, judy rice, music, paul lewis, under the palms

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