Fabiana Zedeno Explains What It Takes to be a Ballet Dancer

Brooke Whistance
3 min readApr 17, 2020

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All professions require preparation to be able to exercise in the workplace, and although many times people fail to develop the required skillset and fail to impress. Same as in the field of dancing, you need to be a professional of it.

But what is necessary to be a professional dancer? Well, even though many dancers do not have a professional dance degree, it does not mean that they cannot make it their profession and way of life.

However, it is necessary to prepare by taking good dance classes, according to the specialty to which they want to dedicate themselves although nowadays, we know that the challenge is even greater, since being a dancer of a single specialty is no longer an option, because currently, the versatility and ability to interpret and perform totally different things is a requirement of the profession.

In this regard, we draw insights from Fabiana Zedeno, a South American professional Ballerina and model who has appeared in the suite of top-tier brands like Tropic Swimwear, Guess, CALVIN KLEIN, Better Bodies, and GUESS.

Zedeno holds a professional degree as a Ballet dancer, and she is one of the biggest names in the whole of South America. She is certified by the American Ballet Theatre and has made an appearance with Orlando Ballet. Zedeno was also the Dancer at the NFL Annual Show.

Zedeno believes that once you have had solid training, it is important to consider various aspects that on many occasions since the training has been noticed, but that intensifies when entering the world of work.

Zedeno points out: “Auditions and rehearsals are the daily bread. Having a good relationship with colleagues, directors, and people from the dance environment is key to having a job, making yourself known for being a responsible and dedicated dancer counts more than being only virtuous because this medium is very small, and everything is known.”

Having an attitude that no staging or role is small and that every stage deserves the greatest respect and effort is a professional attitude. It is important to be aware that the road is not easy, that just as there are successes and satisfactions, there will also be tears and frustrations that perhaps not everyone likes our work, style and/or way of dancing, but that should not be a brake, but a motor for being better every day, and not to please the director or colleagues.

Know that the days when a person with a fixed office schedule rests or that may even be holidays or official rest are often the days when there is more work for dancers and being willing to sacrifice weekends, time with the family, or days off, is an aspect that must be taken into consideration, as the profession often requires it.

It is necessary to have a character of determination to do things because in dance the achievements that are obtained are by oneself and it is in a few minutes that it is shown whether the work can be done, each function even if it is the same repertoire is never the same.

There is no going back or take advantage of that moment and have 100% concentration or it will be easy for errors to come out on stage, an aspect that cannot be corrected except in the following function if there is one.

Therefore, in each measure of music you must be concentrated and aware of what is being done, having a musical sense and interpretive capacity are fundamental things to have a good performance.

Being willing to face new challenges, learn new things, work under pressure, learn the sequences quickly, be practical, have an attitude of companionship, and above all, be humble, are key aspects of being a professional dancer.

Dancing is not easy. As they say, dance is very exhausting you dedicate a lot of time, money and effort, and the results obtained will be based on the dedication that has been put into it, you will not always have what you want, the desired role or even being in the desired company, but that does not mean that it does not matter to continue striving, dance means that perseverance and perseverance if it were easy anyone, would do it.

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