Are there dance companies for dancers who have NOT been dancing since birth?

Question:Now, I don't mean "dancing since birth" in a bad way or anything. Just saying.

I was watching a video about the girls in the corp de ballet, and a question popped into my mind. "If these girls are already 'nothing special' does that make all the late starters 'hopeless'?" I assumed that the answer is "yes", but then I wondered, "What if there was a ballet company that wasn't so tightly knit that any 'decent' dancer could perform in it?"

Are there companies for women who picked up Ballet in college, teen years, or late childhood (you know, too late for stardom)? I am asking this on account of myself and other girls out there who have just discovered a love for dance, but are heartbroken that they will never perform professionally.

I saw on TV a dog-show for mixed breeds, so could there be companies for not-amazing dancers?

If there isn't, would making a ballet company for these dancers be a bad idea? Why? I mean, they would have to be GOOD dancers to audition and all that.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Now, I don't mean "dancing since birth" in a bad way or anything. Just saying.

I was watching a video about the girls in the corp de ballet, and a question popped into my mind. "If these girls are already 'nothing special' does that make all the late starters 'hopeless'?" I assumed that the answer is "yes", but then I wondered, "What if there was a ballet company that wasn't so tightly knit that any 'decent' dancer could perform in it?"

Are there companies for women who picked up Ballet in college, teen years, or late childhood (you know, too late for stardom)? I am asking this on account of myself and other girls out there who have just discovered a love for dance, but are heartbroken that they will never perform professionally.

I saw on TV a dog-show for mixed breeds, so could there be companies for not-amazing dancers?

If there isn't, would making a ballet company for these dancers be a bad idea? Why? I mean, they would have to be GOOD dancers to audition and all that.

There are professional modern dance companies, amateur (civic) ballet companies, and professional commercial (jazz, hip hop, etc) dance jobs. But there are no professional ballet companies for late-starters in ballet.

What you're not understanding is that thousands of HIGHLY TRAINED ballet students who HAVE been dancing since they were little would kill for those "nothing special" corps positions. My daughter, a senior BFA dance major who has been studying ballet since she was 3, is now going out on auditions to ballet companies. And while she makes it past the first cuts, she can't make it to the end of the auditions because 99% of the companies prefer to hire dancers who already have professional experience. Needless to say, it's a Catch 22 situation.

There would have to be hundreds more professional ballet companies just to use up the vast pool of highly trained ballet students before the late-starters would have a prayer of having their own company. Think of football teams and how many guys make it to the pros. And there's an activity that people and sponsors actually spend money on! Let me ask you: how often do you go out to see professional ballet performances? Once a year? If the demand isn't there, the supply of ballet jobs won't be there either.

well it all depends on how hard you work. i've never heard of a company specifically for late starters, but all companies are not, obviously, abt. it would be easier for boys to start later and make a career out of it than girls, but girls could still start in their teens. this is my first year of hardcore training (haha) and i'm 15, and it has been told to me that i can "go as far as i want to go"...
wow that was kind of all over the place,sorry.

I would suggest just going out and auditioning(if you feel ready). If not don't worry about it. A lot of companies train less advanced dancers, you could try this. If you perservire anything is possible.