I LOVE Ballet! What do I need to do to get a degree in Ballet Dancing?

I love to dance and coreograph espically ballet. I want to persue it as a career, but where I live no one will hire you without a degree. I'm 20 years old and have been dancing on and off for 14 years.

I'm ready to start college, I just don't know what to major in to get the degree I need to pursue ballet as a career.

I LOVE Ballet! What do I need to do to get a degree in Ballet Dancing?symphony

It sounds like you live in an area that is way off the beaten track in terms of dance. The only employers in the dance world who'd insist on you having a degree would be K-12 school systems that would require a bachelors degree, and colleges, that would require a masters degree. Otherwise, the most direct route to a performing (paid) ballet career is years of the best training at a pre-professional ballet school, followed by (if you're amazing and lucky) a trainee or apprentice position with a ballet company, FOLLOWED (if you're outstanding and incredibly lucky) by a contract offer for a paid position. Dancing "on and off" in a town that is off the beaten track puts you at a supreme disadvantage for a 20-year old. 99% of ballet dancers are already settled in their company positions at 20 years old.

Of course you can teach dance, but again, you don't need a college degree for that. Most studios look for certification in their favored dance syllabus, such as RAD or Cecchetti. You get that certification through their own programs (not at colleges).

Finally, you most certainly can go to college and major in dance, but if you really want that degree to get you somewhere (eg. as a teacher, modern dancer or modern choreographer), it helps to go to one of the better college dance programs in the country. There are a few college dance programs in the country that focus on ballet, but given your background, your chances of getting accepted would be dim. Most college dance programs focus on modern (although they'll always include ballet classes); a few include a jazz or musical theatre dance focus as well. (My daughter is at a college program with a triple ballet/modern/jazz focus.)

Given your love of ballet, I highly recommend that you check out and join the "Ballet Talk for Dancers" message board, the best source of expert advice (with professional dancers and teachers!) that you'll ever find. This way, you don't have to take my word on all this, though I doubt you're inclined to accept my rather harsh advice. Go here:

http://dancers.invisionzone.com/index.ph...

They have an entire section on Dance Education, including forums for "Higher Education," "Colleges and Universities with Ballet Programs," and "Career General Discussion." At least I hope you'll agree that the advice you can get there is far better than what you'll get here.

I LOVE Ballet! What do I need to do to get a degree in Ballet Dancing?performing arts center opera theater

Go to college and major in teaching dance...
Many universities have a dance major as an option. It's as simple as that. Just find a program that you and your style fit into. Some schools may lean towards more modern techniques.
Where do you live? I've danced all over the nation and i don't have a degree, no one has ever asked me for one...but they're are really good dance programs in NYC for that college degree, (Julliard, Barnard, NYU) just off the top of my head
You can major in choreopraphy with a major in Ballet, also you can check out some dance schools, and present your resume to them, most dance schools will looka t your dance history before determining if they want to hire you. Yopu can also check out a YMCA, and or some neighborhood clubs, and let them know your interested in teahing Ballet and if they are willing to hire you to start some dance classes for a resonable fee. Where there's a will there is always a way. Good luck to you or as they say in showbiz Break a leg. One more thing you may want to also consider studying other forms of dance i.e. Hip-Hop. Tap, Jazz and Modern. It help's, trust me.
you need an A.A degree in dance. you can get one at your local community college.
Do you want to pursue performing ballet or teaching ballet? If you want to teach, a degree comes in handy. There are many Universities that offer dance degrees, just do a search.

If you want to perform, then your first step may be to audition for a ballet company. You may have to travel, but it's worth it if that's what you want.

Here is a link to www.danceusa.org:

http://www.danceusa.org/our_members/audi...

They post auditions for many major city ballet companies. That may be a good place to start.
Lie to your parents by telling them you'll be studying accounting.
BFA. Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. Some schools also offer a B.A. in dance.
Major in dance. This will be in the Fine Arts School in a university.

Most universities will give you a rounded dance education, with classes in ballet and modern. Jazz is often an elective class, required only for musical theater majors.

If you want to be a teacher, I recommend going to a university where there is a strong education component or an option to get teacher certification.