CAR_resume_MAINIf dance is something that you aspire to make a career out of, you will inevitably need to have a nice looking and well written dance resume. Here are some tips and guidelines to help make your resume stand out from the crowd!

  1. Contact information. Your most up-to-date contact information should be at the very top of the page, and be prominent. You probably want to make it larger than the rest of the text, and maybe bold as well. If you have an unprofessional email address, get a new one. “[email protected]” doesn’t come across as very professional, and could be a turn-off for casting directors. Also, because it’s a dance resume, you may want to list your date of birth and height.
  2. Performance experience. In this section you should list the performances you are the most proud of, and that apply to the role you are auditioning for. Examples include ballet soloist roles, dancing on cruise ships, dancing at amusement parks, commercials, music videos, etc. Make sure to give credit to the choreographer and company, and remember that show titles should always be in italics.
  3. Awards. This is the time you get to brag a little bit about all of your accomplishments! Just list the big ones – don’t list every top honor you have received at every dance competition. This section is small so just include your best and most current accolades.
  4. Dance training. Start listing your dance training with the most current school and teachers, and work your way back in time. Also include what styles you trained in, and how long you were at each place. If you are auditioning for a certain company, and have taken their summer intensive, definitely include that information.
  5. Education. If your high school and/or college education are dance related, you can include them here. Also list any honors you may have graduated with. Do note, however, that if you have a nice amount of performance experience, whether or not you have a degree in dance won’t affect your chances very much.
  6. Special skills. List any additional talents you may have, that could be utilized in the job your applying for. Martial arts, aerial dance, or if you can play an instrument or sing could catch the eye of a company and help you stand out!
  7. The look. Very carefully spell and grammar check your resume. Have a couple other people look it over to catch mistakes as well. Keep it to one page! It might be hard, but anything longer than one page probably won’t be looked at anyways. Use a simple font, like Helvetica or Arial. Don’t number the sections like a list, and don’t write in paragraph form. Stick with easy-to-read spacing or bullet points. Finally, print it on a nice quality paper so it will physically stand out as being high quality before they even read it.