What ballet companies look for as they audition new members

Much of what a company is looking for is not at all dependent on trends but on each company's needs at the time of hiring, given the dancers and, often, the costumes the company already has. These needs can change within the same company over the years.

This boils down to selection by, among other criteria:

1) technique, artistry, and maturity of the candidate - not maturity by age but by work ethic, i.e. one's ability to learn choreography, take care of oneself, and behave professionally

2) body type - many companies insist on very lean figures, others prefer more muscular dancers, etc.

3) height - is there a potential partner for the candidate in the company or among the new hires? How will the candidate look in the corps (in a company that does a lot of classical ballet, for example)? Will the candidate fit the costumes on hand or would she require a new one to be made to fit her? (A major consideration in a company with a low budget or a budget deficit, which many have!)

4) charisma - does the candidate project that "je ne said quoi" that makes one want to watch her? Is there stage presence? Passion? Simple, honest devotion to ballet?

5) age - some companies want younger dancers for a variety of reasons so are looking for 18-22 year olds, perhaps; others actually prefer older dancers, even those who have gone to college (if many others in the company have done so), those with experience and life skills

6) training - if it's a Balanchine-based company and your training is purely Vaganova, you likely will not suit them; conversely, if it's a Vaganova-based company and you've never trained in the method, you're not likely to learn it (it's an 8 yr. all-day program in the best circumstances) while in the company and you won't blend in with the other dancers because you don't move like them, no matter how top-notch your ballet education

7) musicality - a must-have -- enough said

8) self-respect - you are auditioning from the moment you enter the building - not the studio, the building. If you are a shorter dancer and feel disadvantaged, walk tall and carry yourself well! There are people who see you from the second you walk in the door and you don't know what function they have. The registrar you speak to at the front table might well be the AD of the company! The guy refilling the toilet paper rolls and sweeping the studio floor whom you take for the janitor could be the resident choreographer (who will also be sitting in on the audition). By the time you enter the audition studio, you have interacted with many people, from the dressing room to the bathroom to the hallway outside the studio. If you don't come across as a competent, amiable, confident individual before you even do that first plié, that may well be the reason you are not chosen - not your height.

Research the companies you want to audition for. Height is one factor, yes, but never the only factor. If it were, shorter dancers like Tamara Rojo, Alina Cojocaru, Sarah Lane, Jennifer Gelfand, Molly Smolen, Tina LeBlanc, Suki Shorer, Irina Kolpakova, Maya Plisetskaja, Alla Sizova (although the last 3 danced in a time when their short stature was more the norm) - all 5'2" or under - would not have had careers in ballet!

As with taller dancers and medium-height dancers, shorter dancers will find their niche if they're willing to cast a wide enough net.