The subject of money is inevitably going to crop up as you research how to become a professional dancer. Money isn’t everything when you get to perform for a living, but that doesn’t mean starving for your art. The good news is: With experience, dancers in the UK can live comfortably, whether they dance in pointe shoes or trainers. But you may not make all your money from performing.
Let’s break down what you can expect to bring home when you start searching for dancing jobs in the UK.
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Industry averages are the first thing you’ll stumble across after Googling “How much do dancers make in the UK?”
Here’s what Indeed.com has to say:
- £24.42 average per hour
- £250 average per day
- £46,018 average per year
What anyone hoping to become a professional dancer needs to keep in mind, however, is that pay is notoriously variable.
Glassdoor, for example, estimates an annual salary between £19,000 and £42,000. Much of that variability revolves around experience. Whatuni projects an annual average of £20,000 for recent graduates and £44,200 with experience, but pay is also significantly impacted by the type of dancer you become. Commercial work, for instance, will pay more than a local festival.
How much you’re paid is only one factor when comparing roles. When and how often you’ll be paid can be equally important.
As a general rule, you’ll work either:
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Per gig: As a freelance dancer, you’ll receive payment for each performance or sometimes for each day.
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Contracted: You’ll receive a set salary paid weekly or monthly over a relatively long period, usually for long-running shows.
“In terms of stability, a full contract is the Holy Grail. Having a set salary and designated holidays enables planning in both schedules and finances,” Mihaela Vieru writes for Dance for You magazine. “Conversely, freelancers can choose what work they wish to accept and determine their own availability … [and] the financial reward for freelance work is often proportionally much higher.”
How much do ballet dancers make?
Ballet can pay a bundle, but only when you reach higher levels in national companies.
Glassdoor estimates about a £36,400 annual average for a Corps De Ballet dancer, but Ballet Fusion says top-tier dancers at national companies “typically earn between £70,000 and £150,000 annually, [including] base salaries and per-performance fees” possibly supplemented by “teaching, guest performances, and media.”
But prestige doesn’t always come with a handsome pay packet. Ex-Royal Ballet dancer Claudia Dean told her TikTok followers she made around £2,000 a month at the company’s lower rank.
“That was the base wage, so, obviously, if you’re with the company for longer, if you’re at a higher rank or a higher level, then you’ll get paid more,” Dean says. “I did hear that apparently the top rank, they get paid a base rate of £5,000 a month.… I definitely think some of the really top names at the Royal Ballet would be able to negotiate their rate.”
How much do stage dancers make?
Performing in dedicated dance shows or as part of a musical or play, stage dancers can look to the Independent Theatre Council to get an idea of minimum pay rates. For 2026 and 2027, they stipulate:
- £631 minimum weekly salary
- £139 minimum daily rate (applicable when working three days of the week or less)
Salaries and contracts are both highly variable. West End performers can earn over £700 per week, according to Prospects, and contracts generally last a year.
“Here in the West End, you are contracted for usually a year’s contract,” says veteran West End performer Georgie Ashford. “At the end of the year, you will either decide if you want to stay or if you want to go, or the company will decide whether they would like you to stay on or if they would like to ask you to leave.”
Rates outside the West End are naturally lower. Prospects notes that performers are “often relying on weekly, freelance, or contract rates rather than a fixed annual salary.”
How much do onscreen dancers make?
Broadly referred to as “commercial dancers,” these performers specialise in onscreen movement in feature films, TV series, adverts, and music videos.
“Commercial dancers are freelancers and work on a project-by-project basis,” Victoria Dombroski writes for Backstage. “The upside of this is that it means a lot of freedom and flexibility. The downside, as with all freelance work, is that it can be sporadic and there’s always a hustle involved in finding the next gig.”
Rates for feature films vary according to the overall budget. Prospects gives a rough estimate of between about £1,000 and £2,500 per week.
TV and other commercial work tends to be slightly less lucrative, at about £300 to £2,000 per job (depending on budget), according to Urban Motion Dance.
How much do backup dancers make?
Backup dancers on Taylor Swift’s legendary Eras tour bagged between $1,200 (about £900) and $2,500 (£1,900) per show, equalling a total salary between about $179,000 (£135,000) and $373,000 (£281,000) for the entire worldwide run.
Sadly, not all stars are as generous (or as flush with cash) as Swift. Bigger tours with bigger names can bring bigger paycheques, but you may be contracted for only a few performances with lesser-known talent.
How much do events dancers make?
Performing at events covers everything from weddings to corporate gatherings. You’ll almost certainly be approaching these gigs as a freelancer, making event work a nice side hustle to boost your annual earnings, even if you don’t want it to represent your main bread and butter.
According to Konverse Dance Crews, a “starting rate for a professional dance performance can range from £100 to £500 per hour,” while Ultimate Event Dancers offers a rough guide of £225 plus VAT per dancer, but acknowledges that the cost of hiring dancers varies widely depending on many factors.
Those factors include:
- Type of dancer (Gatsby dancers, Vegas showgirls, and breakdancers are popular throughout the year)
- Preparation, with prechoreographed shows costing less than something more bespoke
- Duration and number of performances
- Location and timing