How long does it take to reach professional level?

We all know it takes a lot of training over a period of several years to get to a professional level, but exactly how long is that?  Can anything be done to shorten the process?  And do "late starters" have a chance at all?  In this post, I'll do my best to answer these questions.  

This info is based on my experiences, observations, and the words of my teachers.  Remember that every case is different, and your time frame is dependent on your level of commitment.  Talk to your dance teacher for a better idea of the time frame you're looking at.

Most dancers who start taking class between ages 3 and 5 and remain committed with no major breaks can expect to reach pro or at least pre-pro level in their mid teens (15-16 ish).  You may have heard the phrase "it takes 12 years to train a professional dancer."  This is absolutely true in this case.  The exact number of years can be a couple more or less based on the number of classes taken per week and raw talent.

When dancers start taking classes around age 8 and remain committed with no major breaks, they can reach pro or pre-pro level by the late teens.  (17-18 ish).  These dancers are not at a big disadvantage when compared to the dancers who started at age 3.  This is because "early childhood" dance classes are often very different from "youth" classes.  While 3-year-olds learn plie and tendu, they spend a majority of their classes just running around and moving their bodies.  More technically based classes are not usually introduced until age 8 or so.  

If dancers don't start taking classes until their early teens (age 13 or so), there is question as to whether or not professional level can be reached while the dancer is young enough to audition for most major companies.  If these dancers are extraordinarily committed and show a large amount of raw talent, this is possible.  Misty Copeland had only about 4 years of training before she started working with ABT.  It is rare that a dancer can go so far on so little training, but it is possible.  For dancers who are not prodigies, with commitment and several classes a week, pro level can be reached by the early twenties.  While the window may have passed for major companies who like to hire high-schoolers, these dancers still absolutely have a chance to dance professionally at smaller and local companies.

If dancers don't start serious training until the late teens (18-19), many think they don't stand a chance of reaching professional level.  However, I've seen it happen.  If a dancer starts training in college (usually through a college dance program), it is not unheard of for him or her to go in as a beginner and come out in 4 years straddling the line of advanced and pre-pro.  With a few more years of intense training with a dedicated teacher, these dancers can reach pro level by the mid 20's.   In order for this to work, though, it requires extreme commitment and hard work. The window for large companies has almost certainly passed by this point, but small and local companies are still attainable.  

As for dancers who take breaks from training, expect to take about half the time of the break to recover the level of training you had before the break.  For example, you must take six months off to heal an injury, after coming back to dance, expect to take about three months of training to get back to the level you were at before you were injured.  In total, add nine moths to the total amount of training you will need before reaching pro level.  This is just a general estimate--for some individuals and situations the time frame is shorter and for some it is longer.

How long have you been dancing?  Are you striving to be a professional dancer?  Leave a comment below!