Odds of Getting In
If you work really, really hard and practice every day and always count your blessings—uh, no. You can be a perfect ballet dancer with a jauntier, sprightlier gargouillade than the world has ever seen and still end up working the late shift at a local diner, auditioning for pro bono work at a children's theater.
Don't believe us? Take a look at the numbers. Say there are 10,000 schools in the U.S. that offer dance as part of their curriculum. Not a lot of those kids will be serious about dance, but there's definitely some competition there. But not so fast. There are also about three and a half million children who receive specialized dance training, outside of school. (True fact.)
Well, so what? You're the best pupil at a fancy-shmancy dance school, so there's obviously a spot for you. And actually, there are more than 30,000 dance studios in the U.S. You might be the best at your studio, but there are 29,999 other "best" students at the 29,999 other dance studios. Talented won't cut it. If you're aiming higher than a discount community ballet company, it'll be very difficult to get in.