CV for a Dancer: 6 UK Dance CV Examples, Student to Pro

By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published 2026-10-07 · Updated 2026-10-07

7 min read

A CV for a dancer is one page that leads with your name, a headshot, your height and your main styles, then lists your training, your performance credits with the choreographer or company, and your other skills, so a casting director can decide in one look whether to call you to audition. The constraint is that the audition decides, not the paper: the National Careers Service notes that "Academic qualifications may not be essential if you show enough talent at audition", so the CV's only job is to get you into the room. Below are six complete dance CV examples for UK work, checked in October 2026, from a school leaver to a dance teacher. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.

You trained for years, you can hold a balance longer than most people can hold a conversation, and now you have to fit all of it on one sheet of A4 next to a photo you are not sure about. The sheet will not dance for you. It just has to be clear enough that someone books the audition slot.

The first example is the CV most dancers need first: a graduate leaving a vocational dance school, applying for agents, companies and contracts.

Tailor my CV to this job

What goes on a dancer CV, in order

A dance CV is a casting document first and a CV second. The person reading it is matching you to a role or a company, so put what they match on in the top third of the page.

• Name, the word dancer (or your main style), contact details, agent if you have one, and your Spotlight or online profile link.
• Headshot, height, hair and eye colour, and Equity membership. Performers are the one group in the UK where a photo is expected on the CV.
• Training: your vocational school or college, the course, the dates and the styles.
• Performance credits, newest first: year, production or event, your role, and the choreographer, director or company.
• Examinations and qualifications, such as RAD or ISTD grades.
• Skills: styles at a professional level, singing range, acrobatics, instruments, languages, driving licence.

The Prospects dancer profile describes how dancers approach agents: "Submit tailored emails including a CV, headshot, showreel and performance invitations." Keep the CV consistent with the showreel. If the reel is mostly commercial, lead the CV with commercial credits.

Five more CVs for dancers, by style and level

Each CV below is complete. Names, venues and choreographers are invented; replace them with your own.

Tailor my CV to this job

The photo, the page and the details to skip

A dancer CV is one page, with a professional headshot printed on it or attached as a separate file if the audition notice asks. For most other UK jobs a photo is a bad idea, which the guide to what not to include on a UK CV explains; performing is the exception, and the resume with a photo guide covers how to choose one.

The National Careers Service guidance on CV sections reminds you that "Employers get lots of CVs to look at and have to decide quickly who they're going to interview." For a casting team that means the styles and credits they are casting for should be visible without reading a paragraph. Skip:

• A personal statement over two lines. Your training and credits say more.
• Every class you ever took. List the school and the styles.
• Your date of birth, unless the notice asks for a playing age range or you are under 18, where your age and a parent contact are expected.
• Jobs outside dance, unless they add a skill such as teaching, stage management or fitness instruction.

Dancers who act as well should keep a separate acting version; the acting resume guide shows the differences. For other UK fields, see the full set of CV examples, and for a teaching CV in more depth, the dance teacher resume.

Frequently asked questions

What should a dancer put on a CV?

Name, contact details and agent, a headshot, height and Equity membership, then training with your school and styles, performance credits with year, production, role and choreographer, any dance examinations, and a short skills line. Keep it to one page and put the styles a casting team is looking for near the top.

How do I write a dance CV with no professional experience?

Lead with your training: your dance school or college, the course and your styles. Then list showcases, college productions, competitions, youth dance companies and any paid local work as credits. Add exam grades and skills such as pointe, acrobatics or singing. Every dancer starts with training credits, and casting teams expect that.

Should a dancer CV have a photo?

Yes, in the UK performing industry a headshot is expected, either on the CV or as a separate file sent with it. Use a recent professional photo that looks like you on the audition day, with a plain background. For non performing jobs, leave the photo off as you would on any UK CV.

How long should a dancer CV be?

One page. Casting directors and agents look through many CVs for one audition, so the most relevant credits and styles must be visible at a glance. When you run out of space, drop student work first and keep the credits that match the job you are applying for.

What is the difference between a dance CV and a dance resume?

In the UK, CV is the usual word and the document includes a headshot, height and Equity status. In the US, dancers call it a resume, and the layout is similar, with credits listed by production. The content is the same idea: training, credits and skills on one page.

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