How many hours do dancers work?

Answer 1

It depends on the company; I know San Antonio Ballet dancers work from 6-9pm, although I don't remember if that's five or six days a week. Atlanta Ballet, I believe, works from 9 or 10am-7pm, roughly. Other companies I imagine are similar, but it varies depending on the size of the company-some of the smaller, lesser-paying companies rehearse fewer hours so that dancers have time to get a second job (aforementioned SA Ballet, also like San Diego Ballet). Some companies only rehearse for several weeks before a show, and then are off again for a while. Union companies have very stringent requirements on when and how long dancers can rehearse/perform/etc; five days a week during rehearsal weeks and six during performance weeks. During performances, there are extra hours in the evening, which depend on the individual call times, so perhaps for an 8 o'clock show, maybe 5 or 6 till about 10 or 10:30, depending on the length of the show as well.