7 Roster Size and Hiring

7.1 How common is it for dancers to join second company programs in the top 26 US ballet companies?

Danger

Interpret with caution: Statistics are underestimates as San Francisco Ballet and Ballet West incompletely list second company information as of 2020-2021.

Additionally, we report second company information for dancers in the top 26 companies. We do not currently look at the percentage of second company dancers hired by companies. Rather, we look at the percentage of dancers currently in the main company who danced in the second company.

Out of 1056 dancers in the 2022 - 2023 season for the largest 26 ballet companies, 568 (53.8%) previously joined at least one of these programs. Of the 568 dancers who attended a second company program, 111 dancers (19.5%) attended two or more of these programs. Dancers who danced in a second company program were more likely to be a newer dancer in their company. Going to at least one program is a trend seen with more recently recruited dancers (generally younger), while dancing in more than one second company program is an even newer trend. In previous posts about affiliate schools and hiring, we saw that entering into the top seven companies from either a non-affiliated school or an outside company is difficult.

7.1.1 Of those students who danced in a second company program and were hired by one of the top 26 main companies, what percentage attended the second company’s affiliated school?

Out of 568 total dancers, 210 (37%) attended the affiliate school before joining the second company program.

Note that because dancers can attend multiple second company programs, one dancer can be counted as attending the affiliated school of one second company and not the other if the two second companies are part of different organizations. For example, Jane Doe attends Boston Ballet School and was a Boston Ballet II member - she is added to the percentage. She was also a member of Kansas City Ballet II but did not go to Kansas City Ballet School. This second instance does not get added to the percentage.

7.1.2 What percentage of dancers who attended a second company program are still employed by the affiliated main company?

Out of 568 total dancers, 297 (52.3%) who went to a second company program remain at the affiliated company.

The above data suggests that a second company program can act as a reliable pathway to joining a company, even if a dancer did not train at the main company’s affiliated school.

7.1.3 Different Pathways for Different Programs

Danger

Interpret with caution: The statistics below for Pacific Northwest Ballet Professional Division are very likely to be under counts. During our data curation process, we had inconsistencies recording individuals in the Pacific Northwest Ballet Professional Division, documenting them as either individuals who attended the school or as a separate second program.

Hold the Command/CTRL key while clicking to select multiple programs in the select menu:

viewof compSCP = Inputs.select(
  ["San Francisco Ballet Trainee", "American Ballet Theatre Studio Company", "Houston Ballet II", "Boston Ballet Trainee", "Boston Ballet II", "Pacific Northwest Ballet Professional Division", "Joffrey Ballet Trainee", "Joffrey Ballet Studio Company",
"Philadelphia Ballet II", "Ballet West Academy Trainee", "Ballet West II", "Kansas City Ballet II", "Kansas City Ballet Trainee", "Atlanta Ballet II", "Atlanta Ballet Fellowship", "Pittsburgh Ballet School Graduate Program", "Washington Ballet Studio Company","Washington Ballet School Trainee", "Cincinnati Ballet II", "Cincinnati Ballet Trainee", "Ballet Arizona Studio Company","Texas Ballet Theater Trainee", "Colorado Ballet Studio Company", "Sarasota Ballet Studio Company", "Ballet Austin II", "Ballet Austin Trainee", "Ballet Austin Fellow","Charlotte Ballet II", "Tulsa Ballet II", "Richmond Ballet Trainee", "Richmond Ballet II", "Oregon Ballet Theatre Professional Division", "Oregon Ballet Theatre II", "Milwaukee Ballet II"], 
  { multiple: true, value: ["American Ballet Theatre Studio Company"], 
    label: "Second Companies:"
  }
)

tdataSCP = transpose(dataSCP)
tdataSCP1 = transpose(dataSCP1)
filteredSCP1 = tdataSCP1.filter(function(dancer) {
  return compSCP.includes(dancer.Program);
})

"Affil. School / Affil. Company"

Plot.plot({
  x: {
    axis: null
  },
  y: {
    grid: true,
    tickFormat: "s",
    label: "# of Dancers"
  },
  color: {
    legend: true,
    scheme: "category10"
  },
  facet: {
    data: filteredSCP1,
    x: "Program",
    marginBottom: 200
  },
  fx: {
    tickRotate: -45
  },
  marks: [
    Plot.barY(filteredSCP1, {x: "Affil. School / Affil. Company", y: "# of Dancers", fill: "Affil. School / Affil. Company", title: "Affil. School / Affil. Company"}),
    Plot.ruleY([0])
  ]
})

filteredSCP = transpose(dataSCP).filter(function(dancer) {
  return compSCP.includes(dancer.Program);
})

Inputs.table(filteredSCP)

In these tables, we can see that the outcomes for second companies can be radically different! Some programs recruit heavily from their school AND provide a reliable path into the main company (San Francisco Ballet Trainee). Others recruit from external schools but bring second company members into main companies (Philadelphia Ballet II, Colorado Ballet Studio Company, Pittsburgh Ballet School Graduate Program, and Ballet West II). Others balance external and internal program recruitment and are good overall at getting members into US ballet companies (American Ballet Theatre Studio Company and Houston Ballet II).

These results indicate that second company programs offer an opportunity to transition from an unaffiliated school into a program that feeds into a company. However, this also indicates that students at affiliate schools face great competition for spots in these programs from non-affiliated students.

7.1.4 Choosing the right program

Based on what we have shown, choosing the right program can greatly influence the trajectory of a dancer’s career. Here are a few things to keep in mind while choosing:

For some companies (mostly in the top seven), joining a second company program can be your best bet of ever joining a specific main company - especially if you did not train at their affiliate school. If you know what your dream company is, prioritize getting into their program as early as possible or take the risk of being locked out further on in your career.

Try to choose training institutions that have high hire rates out of their second company programs. Your ultimate goal as a prospective professional dancer should be to get a job, regardless of whether it is at the affiliated main company or not. Aim for programs that have good track records for dancers.

Anecdotally, the last summer intensive before graduation from ballet finishing school is important for second company placement. While some programs have open auditions and audition tours, many have a selection process based on summer intensive performance (which has its own costs). Choose the last summer intensive before graduation wisely to maximize your chances.

Second Company	2021	2022
ABT Studio Company	11
Atlanta Ballet II	13
Ballet Arizona Studio Company	18
Ballet Austin Fellow		10
Ballet Austin II		8
Ballet West II	16
Boston Ballet II	12
Charlotte Ballet II		7
Cincinnati Ballet II	12
Cincinnati Ballet Trainee	11
Colorado Ballet Studio Company	20
Joffrey Ballet Studio Company	7
Joffrey Ballet Trainee	25
Kansas City Ballet II	6
Kansas City Ballet Trainee	12
Milwaukee Ballet II	19
Oregon Ballet Theatre II	17
Pennsylvania Ballet II	11
Richmond Ballet II	9
Richmond Ballet Trainee	26
Sarasota Ballet Studio Company	11
Texas Ballet Theater Trainee	4	2
Tulsa Ballet II		13
Washington Ballet Studio Company	11	10

data = transpose(dataSCPR)

viewof year = Inputs.select(["2021","2022"], {value: "2021", label: "Year"})
Plot.plot({
  x: {
    tickRotate: -45
  },
  y: {
    grid: true
  },
  marks: [
    Plot.barY(data, {x: "Second Company", y: year, fill: "#bab0ab"})
  ],
  height: 400,
  marginLeft: 100, 
  marginBottom: 200
})

Note

We have only recently started tracking second company size. Rosters for second companies are updated less regularly than for main companies. As such, it can be difficult to determine which season the second company roster comes from.

7.2 Which second company programs are paid?

As a recent graduate who may or may not have to move, finances are an important consideration when choosing second company programs. These programs offer varying levels of financial support to help dancers continue their training and establish themselves as future professionals.

In 2024, Ballet Help Desk launched a tool to compare different post-graduate (second company) programs, providing detailed information about housing, tuition, or stipends paid to dancers. This data has been stated to be “vetted by the companies to ensure accuracy”.