The internet makes it easier than ever for dancers to research companies, second companies, and trainee programs. All it takes is typing the name of a program into a search engine—or, more and more often, a social media platform like TikTok or Reddit. But how much focus should dancers place on what they read or hear online about a company’s culture, especially if it’s negative?
“One dancer’s dream company could be another dancer’s nightmare,” says Caitlin Sloan, founder of The Brainy Ballerina, a career-coaching service. She reminds her clients that one person’s experience should be the starting point for more research. “It can be hard to determine, Is this a widespread workplace culture issue? Are there multiple instances of this happening? Or is it potentially that that dancer just did not fit well in that company, and found somewhere else that was a better fit for them?”
Start With the Basics
The best place to start your research is also the most obvious: the organization’s website. You’ll learn what the company looks for in a submission, and also whether it has what you’re looking for in terms of style, repertory, and contract.
Stephanie Orza, the trainee-program director at Ballet Idaho, recommends dancers get at least one first-hand account of what a company is like. “Connecting with people that have been in that environment is a really good way to get through the muddiness that there might be in just one opinion.”
And don’t underestimate the power of a vibe check. If possible, try to visit first, whether by attending a summer intensive or an in-person audition, or just asking to take company class. While you can’t learn everything in a short time, observing an environment firsthand can help you to trust your gut when it comes time to make a choice. At Ballet Idaho, after an online submission process, candidates are encouraged to visit in person. “We prefer to get to meet the dancer and see who they are as a whole human and not just how their tendus and dégagés are,” Orza says.
Ask Your Network
Katrina Chen, a current member of Ballet Austin II, spent one year in Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s graduate program, and three total at Nashville Ballet, as a trainee and then second company member. Chen relied on her network when researching traineeships and second companies. “When I’d just come from a school, I had no professional experience. I was just trying to get my foot in the door.” She reached out to friends and acquaintances from past summer intensives to ask how they liked their current placements.
For Chen and Sloan, knowing an individual personally made it easier to trust their judgment when it came to taking advice.
“Connecting with friends got me really far,” says Chen. “I would even reach out to friends of friends.”
For claims that can be easily backed up by data, trusting an online poster’s account might be sufficient. For example, if you are very interested in performance opportunities and you hear through the grapevine that not all second company members get much time onstage, you might want to consider a different program. But for a more vague complaint, such as favoritism, see if anyone you know personally can speak to the claim.
Trust, but Verify
It is becoming more common for current or former dancers to post on social media about their past dance experiences, especially the negative ones.
“All the information that we have access to right now is incredible,” comments Sloan. “I think it will be a driving force for change in the dance world. We all know there are some bad practices out there, and having access to social media and the ability for people to speak out in a much more direct way has made organizations reexamine their practices.”
Chen says that social media played a role in her research, especially at the start. “I grew up watching ballet influencers,” she says. “When I was younger, I listened to whatever they had to say, but, in hindsight, I can see that different people are biased in different ways. I like to take everything with a grain of salt because I know, in the ballet world, things can be subjective.”
Sloan does consider some practices, like body shaming or verbal abuse, to be reasons to warn a dancer away from a program. But beyond that, she says every dancer has to follow their own path.
“Ultimately, it’s your choice in your life,” says Sloan. “Take all the information, but then you have to quiet the noise and listen to your intuition and say, ‘What do I feel about this? What’s my opinion? Do I think this would be a good fit for me or not?’ And then go from there, because it’s amazing to get advice, but they’re not living your life.”
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