written by Basheva  on 25.04. at 21:39:40

>Hi invisible and Basheva!>Basheva makes a real good point (Hey Basheva, maybe we should be dating!): you have to get out there and be seen.>I have a dance teacher here in Chicago that has his own (little) dance company, which includes some older performers.  A couple months ago at one of their performances I looked over and who was sitting there!  Gerald Arpino, who runs the Joffrey Ballet!  Now I was "pissed" because he didn't recognize me (I used to do lots of fundraising work for Bob Joffrey), but the point is that here he was, watching a smaller dance company!>This is the kind of opportunity that Basheva is talking about.  Someone will see you if you get out into the dance community.  Hey, I've been asked to "super" (fill in the crowd) in several ballets already, even though my ex calls me "past it.">Invisible, where are you located?  Are there "smaller" dance companies that you could link up with for on-stage experience?  You're younger than many of us, and should have the energy for this hard work with little or no pay; but it attracts attention.>Keep dancing!  balletboy>>This is always a problem for dancer who starts a bit later.  I stared in my mid twenties and danced professionally for 30 yrs.  The first problem was finding good teachers who would take me seriously.  Then as I reached performance level - I made my own opportunities to dance.  I would dance anywhere - nursing homes, senior centers, fairs, festivals, etc.  Eventually people in the dance community saw me - and began to ask me to dance with them.  when I became good enough they began giving me contracts.  You could have a talk with your teacher and get an assessment of your capabilities and then if that is positive, talk to management about an audition.  Hope this helps - lots of luck - Basheva>>>I started late to ballet and while I have a good foundation, I would like to continue my training with a company. My problem is that I am 23 and most of the schools which are primary selection grounds for professional companies are really looking for someone a bit younger. Any suggestions on how to be seen by a professional company?