How to Write a Dance Resume

Co-authored by Kent Lee and Amy Bobinger

Last Updated: June 3, 2021 References

A dance resume provides information about your dance skills, experience and accomplishments. Dance studio owners, casting directors, choreographers and dance school committees often require resumes to gauge a dancer's suitability for dance programs and dance jobs. The format and structure of a dance resume is usually different from that of a standard professional resume. Get started with Step 1 below to find some tips for writing a dance resume.

Sample Resumes

Sample Ballet Resume

Sample Breakdance Resume

Method 1

Method 1 of 1:

Writing Your Own Dance Resume

1
Brainstorm a list of your dance accomplishments.
- Reflect on your dance training. Write down the names of the dance masters who trained you and the prestigious schools and dance studios in which you learned various styles of dance. Include any degrees in dance, theater arts or other performing arts.^{[1]
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- List your performance experience. During the brainstorming phase, you'll write an extensive list of all of your performances. These may include dance studio recitals, community performances, college dance shows, taped performances and all professional shows.
- Consider any honors and union memberships.^{[2]
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  Research source} If you were the dance captain of your high school cheerleading team or are a member of a dance union, write down these distinctions.
2
Tailor your dance resume to the dance position.^{[3]
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Research source} For example, if you are applying to a job as a hip hop dancer, concentrate on your hip hop experience and avoid focusing on your many years of ballet training. You can create different versions of your dance resume depending on the dance position.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Kent Lee
Career & Executive Coach
Expert Interview. 2 April 2020.}

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3
Format the resume. Dance resumes are typically a single page and are formatted differently from the standard professional resume.^{[5]
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- Include personal information at the top. In addition to your name and contact information, a dance resume typically includes your height, weight, eye color and hair color. Some dance employers are limited by the size of dance costumes or have artistic reasons for requiring specific physical features.
- Present performance experience in columns. For example, you would use the column header, "Show" under which you would indicate the name of the show. To the right of that you would indicate your "Role" which may be "Soloist" or "Chorus." You might also include an additional column to the right that lists the "Location" of the performance, which would be impressive if you have toured extensively.
- List your dance education and training. Include the year, school name, dance teacher's name, style of dance, and if you have obtained any degrees or certificates of completion.
- Write a "Special Skills" section. Tailor this section to the particular job. For example, you may be applying to a theater piece that is looking for dancers who have experience in stage fighting or martial arts. Or you may be a strong acrobat and the production can benefit from this. If you don't know much about the production, include all of your dance-related special skills.
- Include a photo on your dance resume.^{[6]
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  Research source} Placing a small photo at the top right of your resume is an effective method for helping dance employers to remember you when they sit down after an audition to make decisions. Make sure that the photo is relevant to the production. For example, you don't want a tap dance photo for a ballet job.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How can I make my resume pop so that employers notice it?

Kent Lee
Career & Executive Coach
Kent Lee is a Career and Executive Coach and the Founder of the Perfect Resume, a career development services company based in Phoenix, Arizona. Kent specializes in creating customized resumes, LinkedIn profiles, cover letters, and thank you letters. Kent has over 15 years of career coaching and consulting experience. Previously, he has worked as a Career Consultant for Yahoo and has worked with thousands of clients including Fortune 500 executives from around the world. His work and career advice have been featured in ABC, NBC, CBS, Yahoo, Career Builder, and Monster.com.

Kent Lee

Career & Executive Coach

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

So, as a resume writer and career expert, people will call me and say they want a resume that gets a hiring manager’s attention. They want a resume that looks exciting, and jumps off the page. The reality is that accomplishing this goal has almost nothing to do with how it looks. The appearance of a resume has very little to do with its success and it all comes down to the content. Content is always the key, especially with a resume. So putting a lot of energy into making your resume look interesting is kind of misguided. Do you want your resume to be easy to read? Yes. Do you want it to look nice and professional? Yes. What you don't need to do is obsess over is things like graphics, color, charts, font size, and style. It just isn't going to help you get hired.
Question

How can I create an all-style dance resume?

Community Answer

It might be best to divide your resume into sections by dance style, listing your experience for that style under each section heading. This will make it easier for whoever is reading it to figure out how much experience you have for each type, and what that experience entails.
Question

If I took five classes from different teachers at my dance center, should I include those on my resume?

Community Answer

Definitely! This shows you're a well-rounded dancer. List the name of your dance center followed by the name of the class and the teacher.