Every novice dancer dreams about what it would be like to make it in the industry—whether it’s a vision of dancing center stage as a prima ballerina or joining a crew of backup dancers for their favorite pop star’s world tour. The first step to living out those dreams (aside from working tirelessly on your craft) is to put yourself out there and get noticed. And to do that, you’ll need a great set of dance headshots.
As a performance artist, your headshot is a big part of your resume. You face so much competition for those coveted spots, whether it’s on a dance team, a Broadway show, or just the annual musical at your local community theater. At each audition, the directors keep track of dancers by assigning numbers, so your headshot is the best way for them to quickly match your face to that number (and, hopefully, your name too).
There are many ways to ensure your headshots represent your best qualities and leave a lasting impression, from booking a professional photoshoot to using a headshot generator like Portrait Pal. This guide will give you all the info you need to get headshots that will help you stand out from the competition.
Who needs dance headshots?
Every serious dancer needs a good set of headshots, even if you don’t consider yourself a professional in the industry. You’ll need to submit one or more photos for every audition or open call you attend, for every potential talent manager and agency you approach, and for tryouts for high-level dance classes or performing arts schools.
Professional dancers
It goes without saying that if you want to make a living as a dancer, you need to audition as much as possible for paying gigs. If you have a manager or agent to help you showcase your talents, get their advice about how many different shots you need, any particular standards you should keep in mind for the type of dance you specialize in, and other details that can help you land the best roles.
Dance instructors
If you teach dance for a school, run a dance company, or give private lessons, you’ll need a fresh headshot to use for marketing, advertising, or to post on various websites. You should probably have a few shots to use for different purposes, especially if you teach various dance styles. These might include full-body shots or some more creative photos you can add to your portfolio, website banners, or social media profiles.
Aspiring dancers of all ages
It’s never too early or too late to start thinking about getting headshots. If you have talented kids who love being onstage, there are plenty of auditions available for dancers as young as five. However, even kids won’t be taken seriously as performers until you get them a good set of headshots to share with talent managers and directors. And remember, the headshots should always represent their current look. Kids grow fast, so you’ll want to update their headshots at least once a year.
5 tips for getting your best dance headshots
As with any kind of professional headshot, the key to getting the perfect dance headshot is to keep it simple. Unlike portrait photography, which can have a more artistic flair, the main focus of a headshot should be you—and you want the image in the photo to capture your unique personality as well as your physical features.
1. Use a simple background
The background of your headshots shouldn’t be too busy or colorful, as you don’t want anything to distract the viewer from your face. Choose a neutral color like a simple white or gray background, but make sure it complements your skin tone. If your skin is pale, a white background could give you a washed-out look. On the other hand, if you have dark hair and skin, avoid using a black background.
Outdoor environments can provide the ideal natural lighting to highlight your best features. If you choose an outdoor location as a background, make sure there aren’t people walking by, and that the surrounding area isn’t too visually cluttered.
Think about the location as another way to demonstrate your dance skills. If you’re a street dancer, for example, it would make sense to take some shots in an urban environment. If you’re a dance instructor, you may want to use your dance studio for the background.
2. Practice your poses
Even the most graceful, talented dancers can freeze up and feel awkward when it comes to posing for a photo. The best way to find your most flattering angle is to practice in front of a mirror or set up the timer or have a friend take some shots of you with your camera set to burst mode. If you want to pose in static positions, review strategies for posing for headshots so you’re aware of what the general standards are for this type of photo.
If you can’t seem to get your poses right, using an AI headshot generator can provide an easy solution. You can submit any of your own photos as a guide, and the AI will automatically create images of you in a variety of poses. Then you’ll just choose your favorites from the batch—no awkward posing needed!
3. Top tips for hair and makeup styling
In the dance world, bigger is better when it comes to hair and makeup. Makeup for the stage is often intentionally heavy and dramatic to allow everyone in the audience—even those in the cheap seats—to see every feature of your face throughout the performance. You may also do your hair in various styles for showtime. For Latin dance, your hair might be long and loose, while ballet dancers usually stick with the slicked-back bun.
Stick to a natural makeup look
- When you’re planning how to apply makeup for headshots, follow the “keep it simple” strategy and go with a more natural look.
- Use neutral shades and avoid heavy eye makeup. Save the sparkling shadows and red lipstick for the stage. If you’re using an AI generator for your headshots, you can submit photos without makeup. The AI technology can create a flawless, natural look that highlights your best features with a few minor enhancements much more subtly than what most people can do with makeup.
- Again, you want to keep the focus of the photos on you so the director has a good idea of how you really look without any enhancements. As a performer, your face should be a blank canvas, versatile enough to be cast in various roles.
Hairstyle strategies
- Hairstyles should be simple. If you have long hair, it’s a good idea to wear it pulled back from the face and neck. Try a high ponytail, a French braid, or a French twist. As a dancer, your posture and neckline are important when demonstrating your dancing skills in a still shot.
- No matter which style you choose, remember that showing your neck and face clearly in the photo without the “frame” of hair around them conveys confidence and strength, and shows how you carry yourself in person. The viewer should be able to imagine how gracefully you move across the stage as soon as they see your photo.
- Wearing your hair up also creates a lengthening and slimming effect on your face, and allows the light to hit your skin more evenly. Loose hair dangling down by your face can result in unflattering shadows that distort your features.
4. What to wear for dance headshots: dos and don’ts
DON’T wear busy patterns or costumes
- You can probably already guess our suggestions for how to dress for your dance headshots (or which outfits to choose for your AI-generated headshots). The mantra you should keep in mind if you’re unsure is: less is more.
- Avoid wearing any kind of dance costume, or even dance clothing with too many loud colors or clashing patterns. Anything that is too shiny or colorful, or that involves sequins or lace, will distract from the focus of the photo—you!
- In general, headshots will only focus on your face and maybe your upper torso, so the bottom half of your outfit won’t even be in the final shots. Some dancers choose to take additional full-body shots, and in that case, you should wear simple leggings or other close-fitting pants that clearly show the shape of your body.
DO wear fitted or well-tailored clothes
- Whether we like it or not, the size and shape of our bodies factor into all hiring and casting decisions for dancers. Choose shirts that fit well and flatter the natural shape of your body.
- It’s okay to show a bit of skin in your dance headshots—but do it strategically. Sleeveless or short-sleeved, form-fitting (but not overly tight) tops with scoop-neck or V-neck lines are a good way to give hints of your body type without a full-body shot.
- Clothing that shows off the muscles in your arms and upper chest can also add the illusion of more height, lengthening the lines of your shoulders and neck. Save the turtlenecks for your family Christmas portraits.
DON’T wear business suits or baggy clothes
- Unlike traditional corporate headshots, where the standard is to wear more conservative or corporate-style clothing, it’s okay to dress more casually for your dance headshots.
- Avoid wearing hoodies, baggy T-shirts, loose sweaters, or any clothes that add too much bulk or make you seem heavy. You should also stay away from anything that has a logo, image, or pattern.
DO choose flattering colors
- If you’ve followed our advice so far, you’ve chosen neutral shades for your background and your makeup. The shirt or outfit you decide to wear is the best place to add some color to your headshot. But be mindful of which color or colors you choose.
- The color of your clothing can have a bigger impact on your photos than the background because of the way the light reflects off your clothing and onto your skin, hair, and eyes. Some colors can make you appear washed out or even sickly, while others can make your skin seem more vibrant and bright.
- If you’re not sure which colors work best for you, you can find out by meeting with a professional color analyst or doing a virtual analysis yourself online. But the easiest way is just to hold up various articles of clothing against your face in natural lighting and take some photos or ask a friend their opinion in real time.
- It’s usually pretty easy to figure out which colors are most flattering for you, even if you’re not sure exactly why. But if you’re still unsure or are overwhelmed with options, basic black, white, or any of your favorite neutral colors is a safe bet.
- Using an AI headshot generator can take the guesswork out of choosing the right outfit—the AI will produce photos featuring clothing options that look like they were made especially for you (because they were!).
DON’T use props or wear big accessories
- For the same reason that you should avoid distracting patterns and busy backgrounds, you should also avoid holding any props or objects in your headshots. A large flower or hat may add something special to your choreography, but those props will be distracting and out of context in a photo.
- Large accessories like a chunky necklace and big hoop earrings can draw too much attention away from you while adding shadows or making your facial features seem smaller in comparison.
5. Find the right photographer or AI headshot generator
You have many options these days for creating your headshots. Some people have enough experience with a camera that they feel confident taking their own photos. But if you’re like most dancers, you’re probably much more comfortable in front of a camera than behind it. It’s usually a good idea to trust the professionals with this process.
Traditionally, you’d have to hire a photographer in your area and reserve some time for a private photoshoot. This can cost anywhere from $200 to $2,000, depending on how much time you have with the photographer and how many backgrounds and outfit changes you’d like.
If you’re short on time and have a smaller budget, you can use an AI headshot generator like Portrait Pal to create your high-quality dance headshots for a fraction of the cost of hiring a photographer. The process is simple and the prep time is minimal in comparison. Best of all, you’ll have your new set of headshots ready within a few short hours.
The next step
Now that you have all the tools you need to create the best two-dimensional version of yourself, it’s time to share it with the world. Most of the hard work dancers do is behind the scenes—years of training, hundreds of auditions, muscle aches, and painful injuries—so it’s important to make the most of all of that effort.
From the audience’s perspective, you’re always graceful and ethereal, with the ability to move your body in seemingly effortless ways. The applause, the awards, and the accolades are only possible because dancers are driven by the primal need to dance.
Putting your image out there with a professional headshot is just one of many steps in a dancer’s career, but it’s one that requires preparation, planning, and a bit of practice to get just right. A bad headshot can result in heartbreak and rejection, but a great one can help your career take off. The perfect headshot could be the stepping stone that leads to your big break.