A ballet company contracts dancers at different levels. Many ballet companies are also ballet schools, and the most talented students are often invited to join the company. Other members may be invited to join the company after auditions. Most company dancers' contracts come up for renewal each year, so a dancer's position is not entirely secure. Following is an example of the hierarchy in a ballet company.
- Principals or Senior Principals Principals are the stars of a ballet company. Principal dancers often appear in leading roles. There are usually as many men as women contracted as principals. Some principal dancers may sometimes dance with other companies as guest artists.
- Soloists Soloists in a dance company dance solos and often learn principal roles as understudies, occasionally performing them. Some companies have a senior or first soloist rank.
- Coryphees (First Artists or Junior Soloists) Coryphees are members of the corps of ballet who have been promoted to this higher rank. Coryphees are often given solo parts, but usually continue to dance as corps members.
- Corps de Ballet (Artists) Dancers at this level are at the lowest rank in the company. Because of the frequent use of large female groups in ballets, the corps de ballet usually contains many more females than males. Many dancers remain at this level for their entire careers.
- Character Artists These dancers are respected senior members of a company. A character actor performs roles that require a lot of acting as well as dancing. An example of a character role is the Nurse in the classical ballet Romeo and Juliet.
Sourece:
Tatchell, Judy. The World of Ballet, pp 27. Usborne Publishing, 2002.
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