This Is How A New York City Ballet Corps Dancer's Schedule Looks Like

Being a ballet dancer is considered one of the toughest jobs in the sphere of choreography. The rules and discipline involved in this classical dance routine requires lots of stamina, hard work and dedication from the dancer. The ballet dancers, especially from the New York City Ballet Corps are known to exceed these expectations. 

According to The New York Times, the New York City Ballet dancers work the hardest in their troupe. the "Corps de ballet" as they are called, is the lowest rank in the ballet hierarchy and they are accustomed of dancing in as many as five consecutive performances if not more. In between, they only take quick breaks to change their costumes in order to dance for different roles simultaneously. For most of the days, they dedicate at least twelve hours for dancing, rehearsals and associated activities. The dancers also have to attend Company classes every morning, followed by back-to-back drill sessions and dress rehearsals of daily performances. Occasional breaks are taken in between for costume fixing or physical treatment.

The advantage of being in the New York City Ballet Corps is that the company promotes all its star performers right from the lowest ranks. This makes the group members strive for principal roles and to deliver their best possible performance. Most Corps de ballet are in a rush to make it to the top as a career in ballet is quite short lived. The dancers work on the basis of an annual contract and depending on their experience earn between $1100 to $2100 weekly working for 37 to 39 weeks a year.

According to Cosmopolitan, for many dancers of the New York City Ballet Corps, weekends are the most hectic as they are required to participate around seven ballets starting form Friday evening to Saturday afternoon. The rigorous schedule is physically very demanding and there is always the risk of a career-threatening injury despite an in-house physician being available round the clock.

Despite the cut-throat competition the dancers gradually become a family. The New York City Ballet Corps dancers have a funny way of wishing each other good luck before performing on stage. They use the French word "merde" meaning shit, to warn each other of avoiding any "shit" during the performance. Since there is not much longevity in a ballet career, many of the Corps members train in other vocations or study side by side to secure their future. Despite knowing the problems, being a New York City Ballet dancer remains the goal of many young aspirants.

TagsBallet, Dance, New York City, Ballet Corps Dancer, NYCB