Artists spend their entire lives developing their creativity and talent and exploring interesting and compelling ways to express their thoughts and feelings. Athletes spend their lives perfecting the technique of their particular sport and training their bodies to perform at the highest possible level. Rising to the level of a "professional" as either an artist or an athlete is something that is accomplished by a small number of people. A professional ballet dancer, however, manages to do both. The questions and answers below will give you some insights into the life of a professional ballet dancer and the training and dedication required of these very special artists/athletes.

How long does it take to become a professional ballet dancer?
It can take 10 or more years of intensive training to become a professional dancer. Most dancers begin their training at a very early age, usually around 7 or 8. Beginners go to class once or twice a week and older students can have as many as 10 or 15 lessons a week.

Why does it take so long?
Part of a ballet dancer's job is to make the difficult look easy. It takes a long time to not only master the many very difficult jumping, kicking, and spinning techniques of ballet, but also to learn to perform them with ease and grace.

Do ballet dancers make up the steps?
Actually, ballet dancers use steps that were developed a long time ago. Choreographers combine the steps in different ways to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. The dancer's job is to perform the steps the way the choreographer wants them performed.

What do dancers do when they are not on stage?
In order to stay in top physical condition and to constantly improve their skills, all professional ballet dancers take a 90-minute class every day. They also spend a lot of time rehearsing for upcoming performances, preparing their shoes and other equipment, learning new ballets, and getting fitted for costumes. Many dancers also work out at a gym to build their strength and some even take acting lessons to help them portray characters better.

Is ballet just for girls?
More and more boys are taking ballet lessons every year. Ballet is hard work and requires great coordination, strength, and athletic ability, especially for the lifting and leaping required in most male roles. The classic ballets all include important parts for male dancers. A number of famous athletes like football player, Hershel Walker, and champion boxer, Evander Holyfield, have studied ballet because it improves their flexibility and helps them move with greater precision and balance in their sport. Ballet dancers are both artists and athletes.

Why don't dancers get dizzy when they do a lot of turns?
Skaters can turn and not get dizzy because the spin so fast. Dancers can't turn that fast so they learn a trick called "spotting." They pick one thing to look at (e.g. a clock, a door, a light at the back of the theatre, etc.) and keep looking at it as they go round and round, snapping their head around first to find the spot. The focus on this spot eliminates disorientation and dizziness.

Do dancers ever hurt themselves?
Dancing is very demanding on the body and dancers are just as likely as athletes to get injured. They sometimes pull muscles, sprain ankles, twist joints, and break bones in their feet or legs. Like athletes, ballet dancers take many steps to prevent injuries. This includes taking daily class to keep their muscles strong, loose, and warm; doing warm-up exercises before they dance, and putting a special powder, called rosin, on their shoes to prevent them from slipping. A healthy diet is also important for a dancer.

When do dancers have to stop dancing?
The life of a professional ballet dancer's requires very long hours of very physically demanding work. Most dancers stop dancing full-time when they are about 35 to 40 years old (about the same time many professional athletes retire). Many dancers choose to continue their careers in ballet as teachers, choreographers, ballet masters/mistresses, artistic directors, or administrators in a ballet company.

Ballet, like other kinds of performance dance (that is, dance that takes place on stage, in movies, or on television for others to watch) is a combination of dancing, music, costumes, scenery, and lighting. A new ballet requires the creativity and teamwork of many talented people. The choreographer, of course, has the idea for the new ballet and creates all the steps, but he counts on a number of other artists to help him bring his vision to life. If the ballet is to have original music, the choreographer works closely with a composer, who writes the music or decides what sounds to use. The costume designer, set designer, and lighting designer also play an important part in helping the choreographer to make his ballet look just the way he wants it. This section describes the different roles of the many people who work as a team to help create a new work of art.

Choreographer

The choreographer is the actual creator of a new ballet. Whether he is trying to tell a story, interpret a particular piece of music, or express a certain mood or idea, it is the choreographer who puts together all the ballet's steps and movements. Just as a painter uses color, a writer uses words, and a composer uses musical notes, the choreographer uses the steps and movements of ballet to create his masterpiece.

If the new ballet is to tell a story, like The Nutcracker or Sleeping Beauty, the choreographer must first write an outline of the action, divided into scenes and acts, just like a play. Since there are no words in ballet, and everything must be communicated through movement and gesture, the story should be told as clearly and simply as possible. If a story ballet is created for music that already exists, the choreographer must also fit the story to the music.

If the choreographer is not working from a story, he might be creating a ballet to express a certain emotion or feeling. In this case, the movement itself is all-important. With no story outline to follow, the choreographer uses the dancers to create patterns and movement that communicate his idea to the audience.

Choreographing a new ballet is a very slow process. It can take hours of rehearsal to create one or two minutes of dance. Creating a whole ballet can take months. Choreographers work in different ways when it comes to creating the actual steps and movements of a new ballet.

Some choreographers work out all the steps ahead of time and just teach them to the dancers once the studio rehearsals start. Others, like George Balanchine, go into the studio with a good idea of what they want to do, but only create the specific steps and movements while working with the dancers. For Balanchine, the dancers were an important part of the creative process of choreography. Trying different movements and seeing how they looked on the dancers' bodies helped him decide what steps to use. However he does it, once the choreographer has decided on all the steps and movements, the dancers must then rehearse them over and over until it is perfect.

At the very beginning of the process the choreographer has to start working with the set, costume, and lighting designers. Their job is to collaborate with the choreographer to help him realize the full effect of his creation. The choreographer is the one who coordinates and oversees all phases of the creation of the ballet from beginning to end, from the review of initial design sketches to the approval of final staging and lighting effects.

The choreographer finally gets to see his work on the stage for the first time during the "stage rehearsal." This is his last chance to make final changes before the "dress rehearsal," when the ballet will be performed for the first time with costumes, sets, lighting, and an orchestra. The dress rehearsal is also a time for "fine tuning," before the new ballet has its world premiere before a live audience. That's when the choreographer has the thrill of seeing his creation come to life.

Composer

A composer is a person who writes music. Some ballets are created using music that already exists. In that case, the choreographer must become thoroughly familiar with the music and use it to help shape the steps and movements he creates to tell a story or communicate an emotion. A ballet choreographer can use many different kinds of music, from classical to contemporary and even rock 'n roll. Sometimes the choreographer or a ballet artistic director will commission new music from a composer. The choreographer and the composer must work very closely together throughout the creation of a new ballet so that the movement and music go together exactly the right way.

Set Designer

The set designer creates scenery and backdrops that help the audience enter the world the choreographer is trying to take them to. After talking with the choreographer about his ideas, the set designer draws detailed pictures of his vision for each scene of the new ballet and sometimes constructs scale models of the stage settings. When the choreographer has approved the drawings, the backdrops are painted and skilled carpenters construct the sets. The set designer must also be part architect and engineer, making sure all the parts of a set fit together and can be easily moved by the stage crew.

Costume Designer

The costume designer is responsible for clothes, hats, shoes, wigs, jewelry, and sometimes makeup for the dancers. After talking to the choreographer about his ideas and watching some of the early rehearsals, the costume designer draws and colors sketches for each costume needed for the new ballet. Using color, different fabrics, and just the right accents, the new costumes must be appropriate for the characters in a story or help convey the choreographer's ideas. Once the costume designs are approved, the fabrics are ordered and the costumes are cut and sewn by skilled dressmakers and fitted for each dancer. The costumes must fit perfectly so that the dancers can move freely on the stage. Many costumes, like tutus, are made by hand and take many, many hours to build. It can cost up to $5000 to make just one professional tutu.

Lighting Designer

Working closely with the choreographer, the music, the sets, and the costumes, the lighting designer uses colored lights, spotlights, and special effects to help create the mood for the new ballet and add just the right atmosphere. His lighting designs, which are finalized during the "dress rehearsal" just days before opening night, are entered as a computer program operated at each performance by a technician in a control room at the back of the theater.

In addition to the choreographer, composer, costume designer, set designer, lighting designer, and dancers, there are many other people involved in the production of a new ballet. These people work backstage and at the ballet offices to get the ballet into the theater, on the stage, and in front of an audience. Here's a look at just a few of the people who work "behind the scenes" at Pennsylvania Ballet.

Artistic Director
Hires choreographers, selects dancers for the Company, and determines what ballets the Company will perform each season.

Ballet Master
Advises Artistic Director on casting, teaches Company class, conducts rehearsals.

Conductor
Selects musicians and conducts orchestra for performances.

Rehearsal Pianist
Plays music for Company class and studio rehearsals.

Production Manager
Coordinates the backstage crew and technical staff.

Wardrobe Mistress
Makes new costumes, alters costumes to fit dancers, helps dancers change costumes during performances.

Stage Manager
"Calls" the show, gives everyone (dancers, stage crew, conductor, etc.) their cues to make show run smoothly.

Stage Hands
Move scenery on and off the stage, raise and lower backdrops.

Carpenters
Build the sets according to set designer's specifications.

Electricians
Light and darken the stage according to the designer's instructions.

Props Department
Provides anything from swords and snowflakes to dogs and ponies.

Managing Director
With the Artistic Director is responsible for the overall growth and development of the Company, works closely with Board of Trustees.

Marketing Department
Responsible for all ticket sales, creates and places all advertising for ballet performances through brochures, posters, radio spots and television commercials.

Public Relations Department
Writes and distributes press releases, creates and pitches ballet stories to newspapers and television.

Subscriptions Office
Handles seating and ticketing for all ballet season ticket holders, sells tickets to groups and individuals.

Education Department
Develops and implements arts education programs about ballet in the schools and community.

Development Department
Writes grants, runs special events, solicits contributions from corporations, foundations, and individuals to help support the ballet.

Finance Department
Develops and manages the budget, monitors income and expenses, pays bills and salaries.

There are no words in ballet to tell the story. The best way to make sure you understand what is going on is to read the story ahead of time. Even if you don't know the story, the ballet production itself includes many different ways to show what is happening. Clues to what is going on in the story can be found in the costumes, the scenery, the lighting and especially in the movements and miming of the dancers.

Costumes
The different characters' costumes, make-up, and hairstyles can tell you a lot about them. You can tell whether they are rich or poor, young or old, and what they do for a living. Some costumes can tell you what kind of a person a character is. A dark costume might mean that the character is sad or mean; a light-colored costume could mean that the person is happy or good.

Scenery
The scenery provides information about where the story takes place and what kind of action to expect. A village scene is usually homey and cheerful. It tells you the action is probably going to be light-hearted and fun. A grand and imposing palace scene, on the other hand, tells you the story is probably going to be very serious.

Lighting
The lighting gives you even more clues to look for. A serious story taking place in a palace, for example, can be happy, sad, or scary. You can usually tell which by the lighting that is used. Very bright lighting will be used for the happy occasions like weddings and other celebrations. When something sad or evil is about to happen, the lighting will get very dark. Through the use of spotlights, the lighting can also tell you which dancers to focus on.

Mime
If you've ever played charades, you've used a kind of mime to talk to another person. Ballet dancers use mime and body language to help tell the story of the ballet. This is how the characters talk to each other and how we know what they are saying.

Special Effects
Smoke, mist, explosions, and even flying add to the overall effect of a scene in a ballet. The special effect created by the dancers flying through the air suspended on wires dates back to the 1800s!!

Composer
Peter Ilyich Tschaikovsky was born in Kamsko-Votinsk, Russia on May 7, 1840. He was a very bright child who could read Russian, French, and German by the time he was six years old. He also hated physical exercise, did not like to wash and didn't care about how he looked or what he wore.

He showed an interest in music that was so strong for a child so young that his governess worried about him. If he could not find a piano to try out the music he made up, he would use his fingers to tap out his tunes on the windowpanes of his house. One time while he was doing this he tapped so hard that he broke the glass of the window, cutting himself badly.

Peter began taking piano lessons when he was six years old. After attending boarding school he studied law and mathematics and got a job as a clerk in the Ministry of Justice. After just four years he quit his job to go to music school full time to study composing. He was soon invited to teach classes.

Tschaikovsky was a nervous, unhappy man all his life, yet his beautiful music made him the most popular of all the Russian composers. He wrote the music for three of the most famous ballets of all time, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty. He traveled to the United States and even conducted a concert right here in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music!

In his lifetime he also wrote nine operas, six symphonies, four concertos, three string quartets and numerous songs, suites and overtures. One of his most famous pieces, The 1812 Overture, uses cannons and church bells and is often played on the 4th of July.

Tschaikovsky was only fifty three when he died in St. Petersburg in 1893. He had just completed his sixth symphony which he felt was the best piece of music he ever created.

The story of ballet began five hundred years ago in Italy during the Renaissance. In those days the Italian nobles entertained important visitors with elaborate pageants of poetry, music, mime, and dance. When an Italian woman named Catherine de Medici married King Henri II and became Queen of France, she introduced this kind of entertainment to the French court.

Almost a hundred years later, in 1643, Louis XIV became King of France at the age of 5. Louis loved to dance and performed in many of the court ballets. He created the Royal Academy of Music and Dance in 1661. It was then that the five basic positions of the feet were worked out and ballet began to develop a set technique. This is why French is used to describe ballet steps.

At that time women were not allowed to perform in ballets. Men wearing masks and women's clothing took their roles. The first ballet with parts played by women was in 1681. One of the first female dancers was Maria Camargo. Maria thought the women's costumes of the time were too heavy and bulky, so she shortened her skirts to be able to move better and wore flat shoes so she could do simple jumps.

In the late 1700's the world of dance experienced many changes, thanks mainly to Jean-Georges Noverre. Jean-Georges was a great dancer and choreographer who believed that dancing should be more than just pretty movements and that it should tell a story. He taught the dancers how to use mime and facial expression to tell the story. Noverre's creation of the ballet d'action, or ballets that tell a story, changed ballet forever.

The Romantic Era of ballet began in 1832 with the production of La Sylphide. Women became the important figures in the stories and began dancing on their toes in what are now called "pointe shoes." The number of steps increased and the movements became more expressive and lyrical. Even the subject matter of the ballets changed. Instead of stories about heroes and myths, fairy tales and folk legends were used. The costume became the long, flowing skirt called the "romantic tutu" and the women took on a more graceful appearance.

Ballet was very popular in Russia in the mid-1800's and the Imperial Ballet in Moscow and St. Petersburg became known all over the world. Many French choreographers and dancers, including Marius Petipa, went there to work with them. Petipa stayed and created over 60 full-length ballets, many of which are still performed today. He is considered the father of classical ballet.

The modern era of ballet started in the early 1900's when a young Russian named Serge Diaghilev moved to Paris to try out some new and exciting ideas he had about art, music, and dance. There he introduced a young choreographer named Michel Fokine, who changed ballet from pretty entertainment into a work of art. In 1911, Diaghlilev formed his own company, the Russian Ballet, usually known by its French name, Les Ballets Russes.

Classical ballet emerged in America in the 1900's. The two most important American companies, American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet, were both established in the early 1940's and New York City became the dance capital of theworld. George Balanchine, of New York City Ballet, became this century's most influential choreographer. Other regional companies, including Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia, soon followed. Today, with professional ballet companies all over the country, millions of Americans enjoy the beauty and power of this unique art form every year.

Most people who come to the ballet for the first time have a lot of questions. Here are the answers to some questions students usually ask:

What do I wear to the ballet?
You can wear whatever you want to the ballet. Some people like to dress up and make their visit to the theater a special occasion.

How will I know where to sit?
Your school will be sent a seating chart ahead of time. When you get to the theater, an usher will look at your ticket and direct you to your seats. At a real performance, everyone has a ticket with a specific seat on it.

May I talk in the theater?
You may talk quietly before the ballet begins. During the ballet you must be quiet so everyone can hear the music. You'll want to pay close attention so you don't miss anything. Talking during the ballet may also distract those sitting around you.

What about food, cell phones, and the bathroom?
No food of any kind is allowed in the theatre. All cell phones, pagers, Gameboys and other electronic devices should be turned off. You should use the bathroom before the performance or during the intermission only.

How do I know when the ballet is going to start?
When you first come to the theater the lights will be on so that you can see everything. When the ballet is about to start, the lights will dim, just like at a movie. This is an exciting moment...time to get ready to concentrate on the performance.

When should I clap?
You should clap whenever you see something you like. A ballet audience usually claps when the conductor comes out and when a dancer or group of dancers finishes a dance. You can also clap when a dancer does steps that are difficult, like a lot of turns in a row. At the end of the ballet all of the dancers will come out and take a bow. Then you can really let them know how much you appreciate their dancing!

Story ballets, like La Sylphide, use mime to help the dancers convey certain ideas, emotions and actions without speaking. In ballet, there is a standard "mime" language that is used by ballet dancers all over the world. Listed below are some of the more common "mime" words you might see in a story ballet like A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, or Giselle.

Anger: Shake your fists in the air.

Ask or beg: Clasp hands together in front of you.

Beautiful: Make a circle around your face with your hand/fingers.

Crying: Trace tears down your face with your index fingers.

Dance: Circle your arms high over your head.

Enter: Make a sweeping gesture across your body with both arms.

Fear: Hold your hands in front with palms out; lean upper body back or turned away.

Hear: Hold your hand behind your ear as if trying to hear someone.

I/me: Point to yourself.

King: Make two pointy gestures near each side of your head.

Kiss: Touch your lips with your finger.
Love: Cross hands over your heart.

No: Turn your head back and forth or gesture with your arms.

Order or command: Point to the floor with a strong motion.

Princess: Hold your hands over the top of your head like a crown.

Protect: With your body facing the danger, throw back both arms and hold your head high.

See: Place one hand by your eye, pointing to it.

Stop: Hold up your hand with the palm facing out.

Think/remember: Touch your temple with your index finger

True/faithful: Hold two fingers high.

Yes: Nod your head up and down.

You/He/She: Gesture toward the other person with your palm up.