Dance Resume Examples

Updated March 30, 2021

Downloadable Examples

You may have the skills of a world-class dancer, but you still need a well-organized resume to land the performance roles available to you. After all, you’re entering one of the most competitive fields out there.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs for professional dancers and choreographers are expected to grow 6% over the next decade. Even with the growth, that only translates to another 1,000 positions added to the industry’s current 16,900 jobs. That makes crafting an impressive resume all the more important.

Here, you’ll find resources to help you build a professional dancer resume. From resume examples to writing tips, you’ll learn how to stand out in a sea of dance resumes.

Downloadable Resume Examples

No Experience
Dance_Example-1.pdf

Example #1 No Experience

2-3 Years
Dance_Example-2.pdf

Example #2 2-3 Years

5-10 Years
Dance_Example-3.pdf

Example #3 5-10 Years

10+ Years
Dance_Example-4.pdf

Example #4 10+ Years

Dance Resume Examples

Years of Experience
  • No experience 0
  • 1-2 Years 1-2
  • 5-10 Years 5-10
  • 10+ Years 10+

KHALIL BANKS
PROFESSIONAL DANCER

HEIGHT: 5’11” WEIGHT: 180 lbs PHONE: 123-456-7890
HAIR: Brown EYES: Hazel EMAIL: [email protected]

Recent graduate of the nation’s no. 1 Bachelor of Fine Arts program in Dance. Held roles in the school’s American Spirit Dance Company (ASDC) and Opera and Music Theatre Company and performed with the ASDC’s elite international group on its Southeast tour. Worked successfully with Joseph Khan as a background dancer on The Jonas Brothers – “What a Man Gotta Do?” music video. Uniquely talented in hip-hop dance, specifically breaking.

LIVE/STAGE PERFORMANCES

American Spirit Dance Company

  • Music Man
  • Home for the Holidays
 Jo Rowan

American Spirit Lite (Elite)

  • Southeast Asia Tour
 Jo Rowan

Oklahoma Opera and Music Theatre Company

  • Monty Python’s Spamalot -Ensemble Dancer
  • Hairspray- Ensemble Dancer
  • Rent- Ensemble Dancer
 David Herendeen

MUSIC VIDEOS

Jonas Brothers – “What a Man Gotta Do” Background Dancer Joseph Khan

TRAINING

Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance Performance
OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY Oklahoma City May 2019

Spring Break NYC Workshop – 2018

Certificate of Professional Development in Dance (2017)
Institute of the Arts Barcelona at Liverpool John Moores University, Barcelona, Spain

SPECIAL SKILLS

  • Hip-Hop Breaking (30K YouTube Subscribers)

ELOISE DAUGHERTY
COMMERCIAL DANCER

HEIGHT: 5’6” WEIGHT: 110 lbs PHONE: 123-456-7890
HAIR: Blonde EYES: Green EMAIL: [email protected]

Energetic commercial dancer with a well-known repertoire, including TV’s Glee and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Spent one year working for Disney Cruiseline as a dancer and tumbling specialist, and was asked to help train other dancers after only two months. Excellent clogger and a strong tap dancer.

TELEVISION

Glee Dancer/Vocalist Zach Woodleee
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Dancer Jo Moore
Netflix’s High School Musical: The Series Dancer/Vocalist Marvin Brown

STAGE/LIVE PERFORMANCE

Disney Cruise Line Dancer/Gymnast

MUSIC VIDEOS

Taylor Swift – “Me!” -2019 Backup Dancer Dave Myers

INDUSTRIALS

Under Armour – “Move It”

TRAINING

  • StarMarkers Dance and Tumbling Company, 2005-2017
  • Broadway Dance Center’s Pro Dance Team Prep Series 2016, 2017

SPECIAL SKILLS

  • Clogging
  • Tap

JAYDA O’BRIEN
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET SOLOIST

HEIGHT: 5’5” WEIGHT: 115 lbs PHONE: 123-456-7890
HAIR: Black EYES: Brown EMAIL: [email protected]

San Francisco Ballet Company soloist and a winner at the 2014 Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards. Trained with Patrick Armand in the San Francisco Ballet Trainee program and under Ballet Master Vladimir Djouloukhadze at the Kirov Academy of Ballet for over 10 years. Performed in every San Francisco Ballet Company production since 2014.

STAGE/LIVE PERFORMANCE

San Francisco Ballet School

  • Named an apprentice in 2014
  • Joined company as a corps de ballet member in 2015
  • Promoted to soloist in 2019
  • Soloist and featured roles in:
    • Apollo – Polyhymnia
    • Bach Partita – Featured Role
    • La Bayadère – Gamzatti; First Shade
    • The Brahms-Haydn Variations – Leading Role
    • Cinderella (Ashton) – Fairy Spring
    • The Nutcracker (Ratmansky)
    • On the Dnieper – Olga’s Mother
    • Swan Lake (McKenzie) – Queen Mother

TRAINING

San Francisco Ballet School, Trainee Program, May 2014 Patrick Armand
Kirov Academy of Ballet, 2001-2012 Vladimir Djouloukhadze

AWARDS/SCHOLARSHIPS

  • Scholarship winner at Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards, 2014

SCARLETT SANCHEZ
BROADWAY DANCER/SAG/AFTRA

HEIGHT: 5’7” WEIGHT: 110 lbs PHONE: 123-456-7890
HAIR: Brown EYES: Brown EMAIL: [email protected]

Extraordinary Broadway dancer with over 10 years of experience and an undeniable knack for vocal performance, according to vocal coach Liz Caplan. Appeared in four long-running Broadway musicals. Served as Drew McOnie’s Dance Captain in Broadway’s recent rendition of King Kong and performed the understudy role of Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a total of 22 times.

FILM

The Greatest Showman Ensemble Dancer Ashley Wallen

MUSIC THEATRE

Broadway

King Kong Ensemble/Dance Captain Drew McOnie
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Ensemble/u/s Veruca Salt
Matilda the Musical Ensemble Dancer Peter Darling
SpiderMan Turn Off the Dark Ensemble Dancer Jerry Mitchell

Music Theater Works-Chicago

Oklahoma! Laurey Kyle Dougan
The Sound of Music Maria Kyle Dougan

TRAINING

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance
SHENANDOAH CONSERVATORY Winchester, VA, 2003-2007

  • Westchester Dance Academy Competitive Troupe, 1996-2003
  • Private Vocal Coach: Liz Caplan
  • Master Classes with Alice Ripley; Sierra Boggess

Common Key Skills and Action Verbs for Dance Resumes

Casting directors want dancers who have technical expertise and a professional work ethic. They also prefer artists who exhibit natural or honed soft skills to complement those technical skills. Below you’ll find a list of key skills, competencies, and action verbs that casting directors often look for when auditioning dancers. Finding natural ways to work these phrases into your resume can help bolster your credibility and make casting directors take a second look.

Key Skills/Competencies
Acting Adaptability
Auditioning Ballet
Communication Cool under pressure
Creativity Facial expressions
Feedback High emotional intelligence
Hip-hop Jazz
Leadership Modeling
Modern Movement memory
Networking Posture
Resilience Teamwork
Action Verbs
Attend Balance
Choreograph Collaborate
Communicate Coordinate
Demonstrate Emphasize
Express Learn
Listen Perform
Prepare Produce
Rehearse Train

Tips for Writing a Better Dance Resume

Don’t undersell your soft skills

While technical ability and knowledge in a wide range of dance genres, methods, and concepts are critical for a professional dancer, possessing certain soft skills can be equally important. So, don’t downplay your soft skills. Make sure your resume emphasizes at least one dance-related soft skill that you excel in, such as your communication skills, flexibility, and teamwork. Make sure to emphasize at least one soft skill that you excel or is featured in the job description.

Example #1

Good

Gifted at communicating constructive dance feedback to a wide-range of personalities both as a lateral team member and in a position of authority, such as a dance captain.

Bad

Good at feedback.

Example #2

Good

Motivated a college dance company to continue working despite disappointing news by pointing out the good, employing visualization techniques, reminding them of our goals, and suggesting we move the rest of the day’s rehearsal outdoors.

Bad

Experienced dancer who is flexible, a strong motivator, and talented at interpersonal communication.

Quantify your dance experience on your resume

Quantifying your dance experience on your resume offers directors and choreographers a more complete picture of your unique professional history. When writing your dancer profile section, try to include answers to the following questions, “how much?” or “how many?” For example:

  • How many times have you performed live on a professional stage as a dancer?
  • How much faster did you memorize the routine for the music video than the other dancers?
  • How many hours have you spent filming as a dancer on a professional set?
  • How many professional awards have you won as a dancer?
  • How many times did you play your understudy role?

Example #1

Good

Performed the understudy role of Mrs. Dorothy Brown 14 times during Thoroughly Modern Millie’s Off-Broadway production.

Bad

Played understudy role.

Example #2

Good

Performed in four MTV Video Music Award nominated music videos.

Bad

Performed in music videos.

How to Align Your Resume with the Job Description

Carnival Cruise Line Casting Call - Playlist Dancers

Carnival Cruise Line seeks energetic and adaptable dancers with expert-level skills in contemporary dance, vocal work, and value teamwork. Performers receive free room and board while on ship, but may need to remain on board at as many as 30% of ports. High-quality Salsa skills are a plus.

Qualifications:

Must be at least 18 years old and have experience in live entertainment. You will be required to learn technical exercises and contrasting combinations on audition day. Per the information in the casting call, dancers wanting to audition for Carnival’s Playlist Dancer ensemble should have the following skills and qualifications:

  • Energetic
  • Adaptable
  • Expert Skills: Contemporary Dance, Vocals
  • Experience in live entertainment
  • 18+
  • Salsa skills
  • Teamwork

Now, go back and examine your resume and look for areas where you can incorporate those relevant keywords. Then incorporate them naturally into your resume. Here’s what a dancer’s profile on their resume might look like after reading the that casting call:

Dance Work Experience Example

First-class contemporary dancer and vocalist with extensive experience in live entertainment. Energetic individual who is a dedicated team player, happy to adapt based on a production’s needs. Earned two awards in Salsa performance.

Other Resume Examples