The signature buns you see on ballerinas are done by the ballerinas themselves. They do their own makeup as well. The accumulative time required to do the hair and makeup for all the ballerinas in a single production is estimated at 400 hours!
Olivia Boisson, a ballerina on the NYC Ballet said that she and other dancers who joined the company got one hair and makeup lesson, after which they had to do it all on their own.
Ballerinas Used to Dance Wearing Masks
Italy is the ballet's homeland, but it's also the homeland of the commedia dell’arte, which is a theater genre in which the actors wear specific masks.
When ballet dance was being formed, it was inspired by the genre, and that's why the dancers used to wear masks. Since the masks limited movement and vision, the moves performed then weren't as elaborate as they are now.
Ballet and Opera Used to Go Hand in Hand
In the past, when ballet was a form of entertainment in royal courts, it was accompanied by opera singers.
Now, the two are seen as individual art forms, with opera singers who do their own acting and ballet productions that use instrumental music.
How Much Do They Make?
The hard work ballerinas have doesn't necessarily mean they make boatloads of money from the get-go.
In 2009, the second-year corps dancers at the Royal Ballet’s made roughly $30,600 a year. Other jobs that pay a similar starting salary are nursing and holiday planning.
The Biggest Ballet School in the World
There are lots of ballet schools and even ballet royal academies. But the biggest of them all is the National Ballet School in Havana, Cuba.
The school sees an average of 3,000 students a year, but at its peak, it has seen a staggering 4,350! While aspiring ballet dancers do need to audition for it, tuition there is totally free.