Is ballet still a good profession in Russia?

Very interesting thoughts. I think one has to look at a bigger picture here: what was the job situation in general? What kind of other options would the have had at the time? What was the competition?

These are my thoughts on this matter, and I can only draw from what it was like in other fields of the arts (classical music) Both classical music and ballet are of course hand-in-hand and there's a lot of debate on whether or not it's still worth pursuing.

I think at this point it's not even a question whether it's a desirable profession in Russia, but in general internationally.

You're right that it used to be an above average job - parents were thrilled if their child was accepted into one of the major ballet academies in the country; it meant that later they would probably earn a decent living. Because the soloists were then celebrated as stars and was more publicized, it meant that possibly more people auditioned and were accepted than is room for in the various companies.

I don't think it is a reasonable career choice for the future. (Speaking as someone who is an artist for living) It is a much higher-pressure high-strung career than it was 30 years ago. When I talk to colleagues who joined the orchestra roughly 30 years ago, they never worried about getting a job. Clearly it was seen as a secure career path (certainly, I'm not sure how this is in ballet companies, but in the better orchestras in europe you're tenured if you pass trial time, meaning you have the job until you retire, and the pay is more than sufficient) There must have been a time when more and more students considered this a reasonable career choice, but over time of course there's more people looking for jobs than getting them.

Combining the overgrowth of qualified dancers/musicians with pay cuts/personnel cuts and the lack of audience for this kind of art, I unfortunately think it's the beginning of the end for these arts.

I can name a handful of colleagues who have had to choose other career options after having spent the majority of their lifetime studying it because the cannot get a job. I'm quite sure the same can be said of many dancers graduating from some of the bigger schools. Look at the massive talent/technique that sprouts from the Prix de Lausanne and YAGP every year, but how many job openings are there for these hopefuls?

(I'm quite sure I've rambled on thoroughly, not sure if I've made my point clear) If I should have children I will not encourage them to follow a career in the arts......

In Europe in general it's very difficult to get a place to study. (Not just in Russia, though I don't doubt that it's even more competitive there)

During my ballet school years, I can only name a handful of girl (over the course of ca 6 years) that were able to get a job as a dancer, though none of them made it into any companies worth mentioning. A girl in my class who got a job in a very small company ended up injured after only 2-3 years and had to get knee surgery. She transferred to an even smaller company. (not even ballet, but more the 'background' dancing in Operettas) She is now 25, from what I understood she tried to get into a university course to start something else, but was not accepted. I don't have any contact anymore to any other of my classmates, however I'm quite sure that she's not the only one facing a similar problem.

I do not know what the college situation is like in North America, however, I think it's very important for young dancers to think about what they do later. (Apart from the fact that your career is over by the time you're 40, at best)

I think professional ballet schools should seriously approach this matter. Music universities are already offering quite a few options to branch out.....