Anyone who’s seen a performance of The Nutcracker or Sleeping Beauty can’t help but be dazzled and mesmerized by the sheer talent dancing across the stage.
As a dancer, you make it look so easy, but we all know that your ability to hold your audiences captive through movement hasn’t come easy. With countless hours spent strengthening and conditioning your body, the last thing you want to do is expend more energy in writing a resume.
But don’t worry. If you’re looking for your next opportunity to shine in 2023, use our five dance resume samples and writing guide to help you craft the resume that gives you a competitive edge and elevates you to the next level as a dancer.
Why this resume works
- Being a dancer doesn’t always require a degree. However, if you do have formal education or certifications in dance that help you stand out, be sure to list your accomplishments on your dancer resume.
- If you have other kinds of experience, like internships, certifications from a program, or time spent touring, include those on your resume as well.
- When you’ve had a few years of experience, you should structure your resume in reverse-chronological format.
- In other words, your most recent experience should go at the top of your resume, and your oldest experience at the bottom.
- Just as dance requires action and demonstration, your resume must follow suit. Show your strengths in detail so that your work contribution is clear and impactful.
- Action words such as supervised, managed, led, and implemented are a few ways to impact a hiring manager.
Why this resume works
- When writing your competitive dancer resume, be sure to list your most relevant skills included in the company’s job description.
- Do this by using as many relevant keywords from the job description as possible.
- Don’t be afraid to inject your personality when writing your resume. Artistic directors could be looking at scads of resumes for their open competitive dancer needs, so you don’t want to be just another paper in a pile.
- Your resume is often the first impression a potential artistic employer has of you. Even if you’ve won a score of awards, it won’t matter if your resume looks underwhelming.
- Avoid underwhelming your resume reader by using our free resume checkup tool where you’ll receive expert tips to help your resume stand out.
Why this resume works
- Writing a dance student resume requires you to shine. Did you know the average time spent reviewing a resume by an artistic director or head of a school is only six seconds? To stand out in such little time, make sure your resume objective packs a punch.
- Do this by sprinkling in matching keywords from the job description while describing what you’re looking for, the experience you have, and a little about your skills in a nutshell.
- In essence, your objective is a place to briefly sum up the best of your experience.
- Be sure to mention the business by name to show you’re not just cranking out generic resumes to the masses.
- Don’t hesitate to include soft skills you boast, like “collaborative” and “creative,” for an entry position. Laser focus on hard skills that’ll be necessary for the job, like “physical fitness,” and “modern dance.”
- Your resume skills section should be reflected throughout your work experience, demonstrating how you worked with a team, participated in special events, and supported fundraising.
Why this resume works
- Fill your dance teacher resume with quantifiable metrics. When it comes to your resume, numbers speak louder than words.
- As a dance instructor, numbers, such as the age group of students you taught, how many you taught, and how many routines were performed, are appropriate metrics to include.
- Dance instructors are often required to have an undergraduate or graduate degree.
- Be sure that any additional certifications, in addition to your degree, are listed. Also, be sure to keep any additional certifications current.
- Keep your resume to one page, remembering that rushed artistic directors and swamped heads of schools spend little time looking at any single resume.
- Make good use of space to avoid diverting attention away from your resume.
- Including a resume summary is one way to attract the attention of hiring personnel. This succinct paragraph showing your many years in the industry (10+ for a summary) will give employers a quick indicator of whether they should continue reading.
Why this resume works
- Clearly state your scope of responsibilities in previous roles on your ballet dancer resume.
- There are many opportunities in dance to learn, work, and contribute to a production. All responsibilities will make a difference to an artistic director.
- If you’ve performed, choreographed, taught, sewed costumes, or organized anything, discuss it in your work experience bullet points.
- Your understanding of various theatrical aspects can show ambition, talent, and progress.
- While content is supreme, organizing your masterpiece well is a close second. For best results, use one of our free Word resume templates, or try a Google docs resume template if you prefer, and don’t be afraid to shine with a splash of tasteful color!
