These are some of the jobs on the Artistic side of ballet:

• Dancers

Dancers are the people that perform the ballet. Both artists and athletes, dancers spend years training their minds and bodies to be ready to perform onstage. Dancers spend their workdays taking class and rehearsing under the direction of their Ballet Masters and Mistresses.

• Ballet Master/Mistress

The Ballet Master or Mistress, sometimes called a Rehearsal Director, is in charge of helping the dancers learn and perfect the choreography. They will teach the dancers’ warm-up classes in the morning, run rehearsals for different dances during the day, and work with both the Artistic Director and the Choreographer to make sure the dancers understand how to perform the choreography both physically and artistically.

• Artistic Director

The Artistic Director is at the helm of the Artistic side of the company. He or she makes the final decisions on what ballets a company will perform in a season, which dancers might be cast for certain parts, and what costumes, hair, and makeup will look like. Additionally, an Artistic Director might also coach dancers in class or rehearsal and can sometimes even choreograph their own dancers for the company to perform.

• Choreographer

The Choreographer is the person who creates a dance work. Ballet is a time-honored tradition and we still celebrate and perform works that were choreographed hundreds of years ago like Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.. However, ballet continues to grow with each new generation of people that learn its craft and there are many choreographers that are alive and working today. These people will work closely with their favorite dancers to try new ideas and create brand new ballets from scratch.

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These are some of the jobs on the Production side of ballet:

• Costume Director

The Costume Director is in charge of making sure that all the costuming needs for a ballet is taken care of. From purchasing materials, to sewing, painting, detailing and altering, a costume director must be very good at managing resources, time, and people. Sometimes, the Costume Director may design costumes, work with the Artistic Director to design costumes, or work with a hired Costume Designer to produce costumes. Just one ballet can require over 100 different costumes to be constructed!

• Production Director

The Production Director is the person who helps the company transition from studio rehearsal to stage production. This person must wear many different hats, work with many different people, and try to reconcile very different and equally valid needs. The Production Director does everything from technical stage work like working with stage scenery, backdrops, and lights to administrative work like scheduling, budgeting, copyright negotiations, and contract management.

• Technical Director

The Technical Director is the person on the Production team that is responsible for making sure everything works. From lighting to scenery to special effects and technology, the technical director is responsible for coordinating and producing these stage elements. This role is very hands on and often requires some knowledge in building or construction and stage hand experience. The Technical Director works with the Stage Manager to make sure everything happens correctly and on time during a show.

• Stage Manager

The Stage Manager is the person who is responsible for ensuring a smooth performance from curtain up to curtain down. They need to be very detail-oriented since they are in charge of directing every person backstage once the show begins. The Stage Manager’s main job is to “call the show.” They have a thorough list of all the actions that take place during a show - like lights changing, set pieces moving, wings and backdrops shifting, music starting and stopping. The Stage Manager uses a microphone backstage to broadcast directions to the production team and stagehands to ensure a smooth performance.

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These are some of the jobs on the Administrative side of ballet:

• Executive Director

The Executive Director is the head of the Administrative side of the company. He or she, along with the Board of Directors, make the final decisions on administrative matters like budget setting, resource deployment, and expense management. Just like the Artistic Director works with a team of dancers to create art, the Executive Director works with a team of administrators to support and produce the art. Executive Directors often need extensive knowledge and experience in business or nonprofit management to help them keep the company in business.

• Administrative Team

The Administrative Team works closely with the Executive Director to support the Artistic Team and dancers in the creation and performance of dance. There are many roles on the administrative team from box office, ticket sales and marketing to fundraising, financial management, and community engagement. These people are in charge of finding and gathering resources for the company, generating excitement and sales for productions through events or advertisement, and increasing public awareness and value of the art form and the company.

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1. Did you know that this job existed?

2. Does this job seem interesting to you?

3. What kinds of skills do you think someone would need to do this job well?

4. What questions do you have about this job?