What is more important to getting into ballet companies and specific ballets; technique or passion?
Technique and artistry (passion made visible to the audience) are not separate entities; artistry is part of classical ballet technique. A great technician who does not use his or her entire body and perform everything is not doing the technique completely, and therefore not properly. Everybody is trying to get into a professional company these days, and everybody auditioning is amazing. Your technique has to be at such a high level today, but you also must demonstrate an ability to learn choreograph quickly, an attitude that says you are easy to work with, and strong work ethic. If you are not ready to audition for a company by the time you graduate from high school, go to a college that has a strong dance program. Some colleges do not have very good dance departments, but there are a few where you can get very good instruction, and several college graduates go on to get jobs with professional companies upon graduation – usually at smaller companies, since the big ones often hire danc
I’m a soloist with the Miami City Ballet. To get into a ballet company you need to have a good technique. There are thousands of dancers that are going after the same jobs in those few companies. Everyone has passion. To break it down, look at it this way. If you have ONLY technique, you will at least make it into a company, maybe even a large one and just stand in the corner (providing that you have a good body). If you have ONLY passion, well then you might as well be an actor because you won’t be able to execute any of the choreography.
It’s not possible to dance passionately without technique. The reason technique exists is to allow a dancer’s passion to reach his or her audience. People who dance “passionately” without technique end up looking silly and the end effect is the audience doesn’t feel any passion at all. So to answer your question, ballet companies want technique.
