However, the competition is also part of the adrenaline and fun, isn't it? Everyday you wake up and take one step closer to your dream performance by excelling at new challenges.
Sometimes you need to work a little on paper to get the audition you want or the role you dream of every night. We are here to help you with that! This article will discuss everything about writing a dancer resume.
We will help you out with how to write the dancer resume, what to write, which format to choose and all the questions you might have. So let's get on it!👇
Types of Dancers
Dance is a performing art which has many branches. Most cultures have their own classical version of dance styles. There are various styles that are part of popular culture which has become global in last few decades.
All dance styles have their own set of rules, dressing style, make up and music associated with it. Every dance form has various evolved versions that are adapted by the new learners with time.
Every region and/or country has their distinguished dance styles and the native dancers who excel on the stage during live performances.
The diversity and variety of dance forms is incredible and beautiful. There are various roles and levels of dancers as well, some dancers are teachers, some learners and students, others performers. Some are experts with years of experience and rich career, some are new dancers.
Some perform on stage while others create excellent new choreographies! What everyone needs is a professional dance resume. A professional dancer can only land the dream roles and get the auditions if they have a really good professional dance resume.
(Source: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes272031.htm)
So let's learn how to write the professional dance resume.👇
How to write a dancer resume?
Dance resumes should have all the information that is relevant and important to the roles you are applying for or the audition you are eyeing.
A dance instructor or dance teacher resume might have different details than a dance student resume however the format and sections would be similar.
Format
There are many formats you can choose from along with various themes. We will talk about the preferred ones that may be relevant for you. Professional resumes in present times are written in functional, reverse chronological and combination formats.
Functional resume outline focuses on skills and is suitable for freshers with not much of professional experience. Reverse chronological outline is used by professionals with significant experience as it focuses on experience. The combination resume outline is used by those changing careers as it has an outline that helps them emphasize on their transferable skills.
For you, reverse chronological format might be the most suitable one. You can choose from modern, traditional, minimalist, visual and more such themes depending on your profile and the role or audition you are applying for with your dance resume.
Once you have chosen the format and themes, you can start writing the details.
Contact Information
In the header of your dance resume, you need to mention the contact information. Your contact number and email address should be noted down in formal manner with accuracy.
Your contact number should be written with area code, parenthesis (), plus sign + and spaces as required. Your email address should be formal and appropriate for professional use. It should not have any informal words or unnecessary digits.
You can also mention your home address briefly however it is not always mandatory.
Profile Summary
Your profile summary or the dance resume summary is where you briefly mention your key accomplishments and relevant skills.
Write the summary section using bullet points. Do not exceed the limit of 3 to 5 bullet points. Your summary should be brief, crisp and concise. Avoid non-dance jargon and lengthy wordy sentences.
When writing the resume summary, mention your title first. Your first bullet point should cover your total years of experience and little bit of background (dance form and/or style, performance level and areas).
The next point should be highlighting points of your relevant roles, notable performances, key accomplishments and skills. You can mention the dance techniques that you excel at and anything relevant that is of utmost importance and noteworthy.
At last, you should mention how eager you are to get the opportunity and how you will perform well with all your skills and talent.
Profile summary should preferably cover everything of utmost importance however, do not include everything in this section.
Professional Experience
The professional experience section of your dance resume will include all your experience as a teacher or your stage performances or trainings in professional capacity.
Training
Your training may be your education however it is also your experience. All the dance lessons you have taken can be listed in this section.
You can talk about various dance forms and styles you learned. Also, mention the dance instructors you came across, trained from and learned from.
Mention the instructor is they can be a good reference for yourself, even if they did not have a notable professional career. Be specific with the dance forms and styles that you learned.
Mention them all even if they are different from what you are seeking because exposure to diverse dance forms and styles is a great plus.
Performances
After training you need to note your performance experience. You may have performed on stage and live on various occasions and it counts heavily.
While describing your performances, mention the name of the act, your role and the time period for which you performed. For example, swan lake or featured roles or queen mother role and so on.
Carefully choose which performance experiences to include, not all are relevant roles or even important when you are a professional dancer. For example, you role as a flower in school may be left out of your dance resume.
Teaching experiences
Here you can describe your teaching experience. Any dance form or style you have taught, any choreographies you have created, any group you have led should be mentioned.
If you don't have a teaching experience, you can also mention your experience of assisting the instructor or having provided expert tips to new dancers and so on.
You can also mention any volunteering dance experience where you taught dance forms and styles.
Make sure your experiences are described in reverse chronological order. Use any many action words as possible throughout the resume.
Education
Not every professional dancer resume will have the education section along with skills section because they might have rich experience section that occupies all the space on their resume.
If you do have education section, you can mention your highest level of education. Mention the name of the institute and the college degree or the high school diploma or anything else that is your highest education acquired.
Hiring managers may not be as concerned with your high school education or such however if you think it relevant and a good addition, you should mention it.
In case you have acquired degrees in performing arts and dance forms or style, you must mention them on your dance resume.
Mention the details such as the name of instructor, the dance form and style and the period of time. Potential employer will find it a good addition to your dance resume. You might have the education that other dancers don't.
Skills
In the skills section you can mention various tricks and steps you have mastered. Any particular aspects of dance forms and styles that you perform exceptionally can be mentioned in the skills section.
If you play instruments and sing as a vocalist, you can mention the specifics of those as well. The name of the instrument, your expertise level, which music genre you can sing, what is your range when it comes to vocals and so on.
Music and dance goes hand in hand, any dance may seem to be missing something if there is no music in the background.
Particular dance routines you have mastered should also be mentioned in your resume. Artistic directors will appreciate such details in your dance resume.
In addition to hard skills, you can also include soft skills in your dance resume.
Photos
Your dance resume should also have some shots from your dance performance experience. Most resumes do not have the photos however a dance resume should have images which showcase your form and capabilities to casting directors.
A casting director would want to get an idea of your appearance for the casting of roles in the act. One headshot should be included in the corner of your resume and a bigger photo can be enclosed with the resume.
Certifications & Awards
As a dancer you are likely to have acquired certifications and awards. You need to mention them on your resume in the certifications and awards section.
You can mention the details such as for which role and act you received the award. ( A role in swan lake) Whether it was for jazz or ballet, regardless of the dance form and style, mention all your relevant certifications and awards.
Extra
If there are any extra details of your profile as a dancer, you can include a separate section for those details as well. You might be a dancer who performs in one style or a dancer who has diverse exposure, you can mention everything.
Many dancers focus only on particular aspect of their profile, however presenting the diversity can be beneficial as it shows your skills and talent.
In addition, you should also mention any workshops you may have attended or conducted. Dancing is not a singular subject, there are various relevant branches and you should include those in your resume.
You should highlight the music that you have performed with. You should focus on dancing performing arts and also highlight the relevant music details.
Generic resumes may not have information that provides more ideas about you as a dancer but a good dance resume showcase not only who you are but also who you can be.
Tips to write a dancer resume
Dance companies are a place where competition gets fierce. Your dance career could be made or take a step back depending on your resume and auditions.
Many might think you are just a dancer but only you know how beautiful and competitive the world of dance really is. Your dance education and dance skills will be important for the dance instructor who understands the world of dance and struggles of dancers.
As a dance student, you should only concern yourself with the opinion and view of the dance teacher.
Keywords
if you have referred to dance resume examples, you might have noticed that a good dance resume has all the keywords. You can take a look at job title, job description, dance industry, the role or audition you are applying for and other dance resume examples and pick all the relevant keywords.
Including these keywords in your resume is important because if the hiring managers are using Applicant Tracking System they might scan the resume with software and software will filter the resume with keywords as its parameters.
Language and Tone
Another important tip is to set the tone with language. Use action words as much as possible. Avoid pronouns and write your resume in third person and past tense.
These simple rules will ensure your resume sounds professional and formal.
Customization
Make sure that you customize your dance resume for every role and audition you apply for. Generic resumes don't make a good impression on hiring managers.
Conclusion
Writing a dance resume may seem like a daunting task however you can check out our resume examples and resume template for some help. Make sure your resume is one page long or at most two page.
You should also proofread your resume and remove any spelling or grammatical errors.
Now you know all about writing a dance resume. Use this article as your guide and checklist and you will surely land that role! Best of luck!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Should I include the volunteer experience?
Yes, absolutely. Every relevant experience counts!
Should I include my initial performances?
If the performances were significant and notable, you should include them in your dance resume. However, if the performances were not significant (i.e. Role of tree in school's dance club performance), you can leave it out of your resume.
Is it okay if my resume is two page long?
Your resume should be one page long and at most two page. So two page long resume is okay but try not to extend it to three page.
