Dancers

A professional ballet dancer usually starts training as a child, often by eight or nine, because the body has to be shaped while it is still growing. Years of daily class build the turnout, flexibility, and strength the technique demands, and the training never really stops — even principal dancers begin every working day with the same barre exercises they learned as students.

The physical cost

Few athletic pursuits ask as much of the body. Female dancers work on pointe, balancing their full weight on the tips of the toes inside reinforced shoes, which takes years of preparation to do safely. Men build the strength to lift and partner without appearing to strain. Careers are short by the standards of most professions; many dancers leave the stage in their late thirties, when injuries and the sheer physical toll catch up.

Rising through the ranks

Large companies sort their dancers into a hierarchy. Newcomers join the corps de ballet, dancing in unison in the big ensemble scenes, where precision and matching the group matter more than standing out. From there a dancer may be promoted to soloist and eventually to principal, the rank that dances the leading roles. Advancement is slow and far from guaranteed. Many gifted dancers spend an entire career in the corps, and the gap between one rank and the next often comes down to a handful of chances taken at the right moment.