Everyone can look at a ballet and know that it is not easy to do. Their movements are graceful, and they stand on their toes. They are flexible and the choreography that goes into any dance must flow from one movement to another. A ballet tells a story like no other type of dance. However, what you may not think about is how much effort the dancers put into their performances. This is why we are going to take a detailed look at a day in the life of a dancer.
Morning Routines
If a ballet dancer is working to do a performance, this requires them to rehearse. A lot of times, on a rehearsal day, they will show up in the morning to do at least 45 minutes of Pilates to get their body warmed up for the day ahead. Then, immediately following their warm ups, they will go into rehearsals which may last as long as five hours, or the entire afternoon. At some point during all of this warmup and rehearsing, there will be costume fittings and other things to do. Most often, this happens during a lunch break where you are also trying to grab something to eat to keep your energy levels up.
Evenings
Most ballet dancers spend their day rehearsing and their evenings performing. Getting ready for a performance takes approximately two hours, during which time you must eat on the run and get warmed back up since your body cools down during your dinner time. When the show begins, you can expect around two hours of dancing and then at curtain close; you will have to shower, wash off the makeup, and go home.
Days Off?
For a dancer, there are very few days off. Sundays are rest days, as are major holidays, unless you have a performance that you are working on. On days off, most spend their time sleeping and allowing their body to recoup from all the stress of a ballet lifestyle, because soon enough it will be back to the grind.