What To Include in a Professional Dance Portfolio

Entering the world of professional dance is exciting but daunting. The best way to make this daunting introduction is with a professional dance portfolio. Knowing what to include in this portfolio can feel as overwhelming as the introduction itself, but it doesn’t have to. Consider the following three elements of a portfolio and how you can piece them together.

Resume and Supplemental Paperwork

Your professional dance portfolio is essentially a job application. Like any job application, you need a resume to help introduce who you are as a professional dancer and your specific skills and experience. A dance resume will provide just that. 

Include professional training, your career highlights, and contact information. Supplemental paperwork that proves your experience, such as awards and playbills, is also helpful. If you don’t have any professional experience yet, build your resume around training and experiences that prove you’re ready for the professional world.

Business Cards and Professional Photos

You can quickly provide your most basic information with a business card. Put this at the front of your physical portfolio, so readers can immediately learn your name. Get creative with these cards and design business cards no one will throw away or ignore. Catching the reader’s eye and staying memorable are essential parts of a dance portfolio.

You should also include professional photos of you dancing and posing. These photos should showcase specific skills that distinguish you from the competition. Have plenty of photos available, as you will need to cater to who you’re giving the portfolio to and what you’re applying for.

High-Quality Video Footage

Written words and still photos can only show so much of your talent. Therefore, one of the most important things to include in your professional dance portfolio is high-quality video footage of you dancing. You could print a QR code for these videos on your business card, provide the footage on a flash drive, or email a link to the resume recipient. These videos should show off your strengths in short, efficient clips, so choose wisely.

Breaking into the professional dancing world is not for the faint of heart. However, a good portfolio can get you started on the right foot and help you make productive introductions to fellow professionals.

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