Average Salary

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) categorized ballet dancers alongside other dancers working in different styles for its May 2010 national employment survey. It listed the mean hourly pay rate across the dancing profession as $16.55. Those in the top 10 percent earned over $30.43 while individuals among the bottom 10 percent received less than $7.79 an hour. In April 2011 WYNC Radio reported that the average weekly pay for a dancer with the New York City Ballet was $600. Ballerinas must remember that dance companies usually only spend a certain number of weeks in season – the remainder being spent developing new choreography – and that they will only be paid for the time that they work. They will need to support themselves out of season.
  
  

Salary by Location

• The BLS also detailed how pay rates for dancers can vary between locations. It reported that mean rates were highest across all dance forms in Oregon and New York, with respective hourly wages of $26.65 and $24.50. Rates were comparable between Utah and New Jersey -- $17.47 and $17.20, respectively – while Missouri had one of the lowest pay levels, a mean of just $12.95.
  
  

Case Study

• Pointe magazine – one of the ballet industry’s trade publications – detailed wage rates at the San Francisco ballet as of July 2011. It reported that dancers within the company were paid a weekly rate for 42 weeks of the year, and the rate varied depending upon the individual’s status. Members of the corps received a minimum weekly salary of $1,064 while a soloist earned a minimum of $1,478. Principals were paid a weekly minimum wage of $1,913. Dancers were also given vacation time and other benefits.
  
  

Benefits

• Besides their salaries, ballet dancers are also likely to receive auxiliary benefits from their employers. Pointe magazine reports that most ballet companies give each dancer an allowance to cover the purchase of ballet shoes. They are also usually given some level of health and dental insurance coverage. While some companies will pay for any physical therapy an injured dancer may need, others do not; the dancer will have to cover this from her wages.
  
  

Outlook

• The BLS predicts that employment opportunities for dancers of all kinds will grow by around 6 percent over the decade from 2008 to 2018, which is a slower growth rate than that estimated for the country, which is projected to grow by between 7 and 13 percent over the same time. The BLS reports competition for vacancies will be keen and that restrictions in funding are likely to affect smaller dance companies more than larger ones, impacting on employment prospects. However, even the large companies are not immune from fiscal problems, particularly given the recent economic downturn. The WYCN article states that The New York City Ballet is facing a $6 million budget deficit in 2011 and is thus asking dancers to take a pay cut.