Professional ballet dancer and teacher Mikey Knight sprints out the door of his studio after finishing his morning strength conditioning and five-hour training session. Awaiting him is a fleeting 15 minute window to eat his meal before he begins teaching for the day. 

According to Dance Spirit, a New York based publication focusing on the teenage dance world, people often associate ballet dancing with a vast range of stereotypes, from dancing not being a “real job” to being mundane. However, dealing with these stereotypes is only one aspect of a ballet dancer’s struggles. 

As a professional dancer for the New Ballet of San Jose, Knight has a vigorous schedule where he trains a minimum of three days a week. Nearing a big show like “The Nutcracker,” the intensity of Knight’s training schedule picks up to ready his body for the extreme physical tasks required to perform multiple shows. 

Additionally, professional dancers are often forced to work other jobs for their financial security. According to Knight, some dancers who finish a show around 10 p.m. then have to work another job until the early hours of the morning. Regardless of their other job, they are still expected to show up for their morning call time for the next show. According to Knight, balancing financial security while also maintaining a healthy lifestyle with enough rest for their bodies is one of the most difficult parts of being a dancer.

Junior and former ballet dancer Ellen Margaritis finds it extremely difficult to stabilize academics and other hobbies while training for the sport, even at the high school level. Spending nearly three hours in the studio at a minimum of three days a week is typical for high school ballet dancers, Margaritis says, and only increases nearing shows. 

Junior and dancer Kara Wong says she learned resilience and determination through ballet. To Wong, the skills she has picked up from her training are applicable in general learning environments like school.

“If you don’t follow patiently or pay attention to what’s going on, it’s easy to fall behind,” Wong said. “Your brain always has to be on. So you have to just focus and be composed so that the first time around, it’s easier.”

Margaritis shares that she had to push her mind and body during extra demanding periods in her ballet career even if it meant physical pain from soreness the next day. Though it took immense strength, she overcame the feeling of wanting to rest, specifically during her summer intensive, where she had to train for five hours daily.

“I learned to stay strong and composed,” Margaritis said. “I feel like ballet dancers just have to stay composed, even when they might be dying inside. They always have to remain tough on the outside.”

Furthermore, Margaritis says ballet presents dancers with immense physical battles. In fact, Pointe Magazine and other sources claim that dance is ranked the most physically demanding job in the U.S. Since ballet is so strength and technique focused, Wong finds that there is always room to perfect the details.

“The hardest part is when after you understand how to do a move, you know you can always improve,” Wong said. “Even facing the right angles, or pointing your foot a certain way, or having your hands a certain way. There’s a lot more technicality to it.”

Although he says being a ballet dancer is taxing, Knight says that passion for the art carries the dancers gracefully through their highest and lowest moments. Moreover, the relationships ballet forms are another reason dancers, including Knight, return to the studio. Knight also finds that ballet allows for a unique bond between individuals that comes from training, perfecting techniques and performing together. Specifically, Knight appreciates partner work, known as a pas de deux to ballet dancers, consisting of lifts and the trust shared between one another.

“Someone is trusting me to put them in a position that, if it goes wrong, could detrimentally affect their life,” Knight said. “That’s profound. That’s something I’d love to continue working to be even stronger at. It’s an aspect that keeps me coming back to ballet.”

According to Margaritis, who is still in touch with friends from her former studio,, ballet is a release from stress. For Wong, whether it is measuring a tendu, a foundational exercise that trains dancers legs to lightly brush their pointed toe against the ground, down to the degree or focusing on choreography after a long day of school, it is extremely rewarding to see the hard work she’s put in come together. Nevertheless, it is the journey of the lessons she’s learned that brings her to the final product of a routine or choreography. The many inviting aspects of dance are what make it so special according to Wong.

“My favorite part is that ballet can be very energetic,” Wong said. “But you can also be present and slow down to really just focus on what you’re doing. Ballet dancers are the strongest, and they can make it look so easy and effortless.”

04/01/2026 10:39 a.m Updated to the correct spelling of Margaritis’ last name.