When my son was ten, he got the best advice about his potential dance career that he’s ever gotten. He was doing a short summer program with the Broadway Dance Center in New York, and they brought in someone from a talent agency. I don’t remember the agency nor do I remember much about the presentation. But, I remember this one sentence:

You are always auditioning.

You might be at a master class. You’re auditioning. At a summer intensive? Yep, auditioning. Sitting on an airplane? Auditioning there too. Shopping for running shoes? Even auditioning there.

The person who gave this presentation didn’t mean it literally. What they meant was that one is always being sized up. And, here is what matters: ballet is an extremely small community. And, by the time your dancer gets to a certain level, they either know someone or know someone who knows someone. When I look at second company rosters around the country, it’s incredible how many of these dancers have somehow crossed paths with my son. 

And, you know what? Everyone has an opinion about everyone else. They’ve either developed that opinion based on firsthand experience or based it on what someone else told them. 

You’re Reputation Develops Early

We talked in a few of our other posts about how important your reputation is. 

Your reputation begins to form the moment you first set foot in a dance studio. We aren’t going to rehash what we said in those posts, but the most important thing to remember is that kids all talk. They talk about the super nice kid and they talk about the mean ones. I know which one I would want my kid to be. 

If you’ve got a dancer headed off for a ballet summer intensive, now is the time for them to start working on solidifying their reputation. We talked about this before, but it’s a good reminder as students are dispersing for the summer.

It goes without saying, but be nice to everyone. This includes the other students, the teachers and even the security guard at the building’s front desk. And, talk to everyone. You never know who has an interesting story. You also never know which dancer might grow up to become the industry’s hottest choreographer.

A wise ballet teacher once told me, “Success in ballet is one-third skill, one-third luck, and one-third how much people like working with you.” Ballet is incredibly competitive and people want to work with people they like and who are easy to work with. Developing that reputation starts early and it’s never too soon to pay attention to it.

Why Networking Matters

Simply put, networking helps advance your career. But, there are myriad ways that networking can help dancers as they work their way down the serious ballet training path. First, if a dancer has a strong network, it makes it easier to solicit advice. Think about if your dancer is considering a particular ballet program. Sure, the parents can reach out to other parents. 

But, there is no substitute for hearing the real deal directly from students who are at that school. Plus, if those kids are anything like mine, the kids likely aren’t telling their parents every single thing that goes on at the school. This is especially true when dancers are living away from home.

Having a strong network is also important for emotional support. Dancers who are training in serious ballet are under tremendous pressure. Sometimes the only other people who will “get it” are other dancers. I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve called my son and found that he couldn’t talk because he was on FaceTime with friends from other ballet programs. Sometimes they’re just catching up. Other times, they’re commiserating over the latest crappy thing that happened in the studio that day. Sometimes, friends who are at other programs may offer a unique perspective on whatever the issue is.

Networking can also help a dancer in the form of support from influential people in the ballet world. A former teacher may ultimately be the person who ends up helping them get a job. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard about dancers getting a late admission to a school or even a spot in a trainee program due to a phone call from an influential person in the ballet world. Remember what we said about the ballet world being small? If you have a great reputation, the fact that this is such a small world can absolutely work in your favor.

Finally, having a strong network can lead to unexpected opportunities. We heard of one instance of this where a local choreographer was creating a short piece and wanted to work with a few advanced level students. They approached one student who was interested and then the choreographer asked him who else he would recommend. And, whom do you think he suggested? Not necessarily the person who was the best dancer (although at that level, they’re all good). No, he chose the one he liked, respected and knew he could work well with.

How To Begin Networking

So, you’re probably thinking, “How does my 13 year-old start networking?” Yes, it’s much earlier than when we all had to do it for our careers! The first and easiest way is to establish good relationships with teachers. One little “extra” that we always suggest is to give each teacher a hand-written thank-you note during the holidays or at the end of the ballet school year or the end of a summer program. It doesn’t take long and will be much appreciated by teachers. In addition, in a sea of dancers who attend traning programs, this will help your dancer stand out a bit. Plus, it’s just a nice thing to do.

It’s also important to start creating that dancer network. There is your dancer’s “dance family,” but then there is also that group of kids that may not live close by, but they were all at that amazing summer program together last year. Most kids by this age have social media. I’m not going to tell you how your dancer should handle social media, but if they are on Instagram or SnapChat, your dancer will likely follow all of the kids they meet at their summer program. This is where it starts. And, don’t just follow these kids. Interact with them! If they post something, leave a comment. Let them know you’re thinking about them.

Nothing makes a kid feel better than when another dancer acknowledges them. Do it regularly. It will pay off in spades. You may have a kid who thinks social media is silly. It can be. But, it can also be a great tool for staying in touch with kids from all over the place. And, remember, these 14 year-olds could end up being your dancer’s co-workers in five or six years! 

One interesting anecdote – when my son joined HBII, of the other 15 dancers who were there, he has known ten of them since he was 13 and attended a summer intensive at Houston. It made coming in as one of the “new kids” much, much easier.

In addition, your dancer should start thinking about connections. What I mean by this is that a valuable skill one can develop is to be able to spot connections quickly. For example, your dancer might have a friend who is looking at Ellison Ballet for a year-round program. Does your dancer already know someone there? If they do, have them offer to connect the two people. 

A great trait in people is knowing how to make those connections between people with no expectation of it ever being reciprocated. That old saying that what goes around comes around is real. Eventually, your dancer will benefit from being the person at the nexus of all these connections.

As your dancer gets older, networking should expand to teachers they’ve had. After your dancer has left a school, it’s a good idea to go back and visit when they’re in town. Or, if your dancer is old enough, go have coffee with a former teacher. If they can’t do that, an email letting them know how you’re doing is always a nice thing to do. Teachers always love to hear that their former students are doing well.

Networking in ballet really isn’t much different than it is in any industry. How you treat people matters. How you behave in groups matters. How much you communicate matters. And, how much you’re willing to help others matters. It all just happens at an earlier age because ballet careers often start when dancers are quite young.