The Top 10 Richest Ballet Dancers in The World – En Pointe Statistics

by
Kate Sukhanova
from Techreport on (#6PTP6)
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Ballet is a rigorous sport and an art form that has captured the hearts of millions of spectators. The earnings of the world's richest ballet dancers are a testament to their outstanding grace, poise, and distinguished skills in the highly competitive world of ballet.

These elite dancers often train from a very young age, enduring years of intense practice and overcoming physical and mental challenges. Their journey to the heights of their career features performances in prestigious ballet companies and working with top choreographers.

Their salaries and earnings reveal how marketable the art of ballet truly is. In this guide, we'll dive into the net worth of the 10 richest ballet dancers of all time, their career trajectory, and their most memorable performances.

In This Guide

Based on net worth estimates provided by The Richest, the world's richest ballet dancers amassed a wealth of $1 million dollars or more.

The #1 richest ballet dancer stands out from the crowd, though, as he's currently worth more than all the other dancers combined.

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Let's take a closer look at how these dancers earned their money and reputation through the years.

10. Polina Semionova (Net Worth: Circa $1 Million)

The opening act of our rating is the Russian ballerina and model Polina Semionova. The 39-year-old dancer was born in Moscow and studied at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

After graduating at 17, she joined the Berlin State Ballet, becoming the youngest principal at the age of 17.

She danced in ballets like Onegin and The Nutcracker and took many classic ballet roles in her career, including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and Kitri in Don Quixote.

Semionova moved to the American Ballet Theatre in 2012 and became a professor at the Berlin State Ballet School in 2013. She's still the youngest honorary professor in the school's history.

Her estimated net worth is around $1 million.

9. Alessandra Ferri (Net Worth: $1.5 Million)

Next on our list is the Italian prima ballerina assoluta, Alessandra Ferri. The 61-year-old had an illustrious career with the Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre Company (ABT), and La Scala Theatre.

She danced for La Scala Theatre for 15 years and starred in Armide, Quartetto, and Le Baiser de la Fee, to name a few.

Ferri retired temporarily in 2007 but returned to the stage in 2013. Since then, she's danced for different companies around the world.

She's currently running the Vienna State Ballet. Ferri's net worth is believed to be around $1.5 million.

8. Misty Copeland (Net Worth: $1.5 Million)

Misty Copeland has an inspiring success story for multiple reasons. For starters, in 2015, she became the first female African-American principal dancer at the ABT.

Secondly, she started her ballet training a bit later than most (at 13 years old) but still won a national ballet contest only a year later.

The 43-year-old hails from the home of the Kansas City Chiefs but was raised in California. She joined the ABT Studio Company in 2000 and was promoted to soloist in 2007.

During her time with the company, she quickly rose to prominence while dancing the roles of the lead in The Firebird, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.

She works with several charitable organizations and has endorsement deals with brands like Coach and Seiko. Copeland's reported net worth is around $1.5 million.

7. Sylvie Guillem (Net Worth: $1.5 Million)

Parisian superstar Sylvie Guillem initially trained to be a gymnast, but the director of the Paris Ballet School spotted her dancing talent when she was 11.

From then until 2015, Guillem dazzled the world with her unforgettable performances. The 59-year-old pushed the boundaries of ballet for most of her career and bridged contemporary dance and classic styles.

Guillem's work with Rudolf Nureyev in the 1980s landed her some of her most famous roles, including Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote and the title part in Giselle.

After parting ways with Nureyev, she went on to have a successful career as an independent dancer, earning her the nickname Mademoiselle Non." Guillem's final performance was Bolero in 2015.

Although she's now retired from dancing, she remains an icon of the arts. Her net worth is believed to be $1.5 million.

6. Nina Ananiashvili (Net Worth: $1-5 Million)

Georgia-born Nina Ananiashvili is among the most renowned ballerinas in the world. In 2016, The Daily Telegraph even described her as one of the twelve greatest ballerinas of all time.

The 61-year-old star began her ballet studies in the 1960s at the Georgian State Choreographic Institute but relocated to the Moscow Choreographic Institute in 1976.

She joined the Bolshoi Theatre in 1981 and later became the first Soviet dancer to perform at the New York City Ballet in 1988.

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Ananiashvili became a principal dancer for ABT in 1993.

In her long career, she shone on stages around the world, dancing classical roles like Odette/Odile in Swan Lakeand Queen of the Wilis in Giselle.

At the height of her career, she was rumored to bepaid $30,000 per role. Her estimated net worth today is $1-$5 million.

Ananiashvili is currently the artistic director of the National Ballet Ensemble of Georgia and a UN Goodwill Ambassador.

5. Carlos Acosta (Net Worth: $4 Million)

We start our top five richest ballet dancers with a male ballet dancer. Carlos Acosta grew up in Cuba and trained at the Cuban National Ballet School before moving to Houston to dance several romantic lead roles.

Acosta joined the London Royal Ballet in 1998. His grace and athleticism have earned him the comparison to Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov, two of the most renowned male ballet dancers.

In the 1990s, he appeared in Cinderella and The Nutcracker at the English National Ballet and subsequently in Giselle and Swan Lake as a member of the National Ballet of Cuba.

In the London Royal Ballet, he dazzled the stages as Basilio in Don Quixote and as Franz in Coppelia.

In 2020, 50-year-old Acosta was appointed director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. He's currently working on The Nutcracker, which is to be set in Havana.

Acosta's net worth is estimated to be $4 million.

4. Roberto Bolle (Net Worth: $5 Million)

This 49-year-old Italian ballet dancer began his career at the La Scala Theatre ballet school in Milan. He was promoted to principal dancer at La Scala in 1996 but left one year later to work as a freelance dancer.

Since then, Bolle has danced for several prominent national ballet companies around the world in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Impressing the Czar, to name a few.

In 2007, he joined the ABT and danced with Alessandra Ferri in her final performance of Romeo and Juliet. In 2009, Bolle became the first Italian male to join the company as a principal dancer.

Bolle left the ABT in 2019, but he's far from retired. He's currently the principal danseur etoile at La Scala and dances frequently as a guest artist. His estimated net worth is $5 million.

3. Rudolf Nureyev (Net Worth: $7.9 Million)

Although he passed away in 1993, Rudolf Nureyev's legacy still lives on today.

Born in the USSR, he joined the Kirov ballet in 1958 but defected from the USSR in 1961. Soon thereafter, he was signed by the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas.

Regarded as one of the best ballet dancers of all time, Nureyev shone at the Royal Ballet in London and at the Paris Opera Ballet in Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, and many other productions.

He was appointed director of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1983, where he continued his amazing contribution to ballet until his death in 1993.

Thanks to his noteworthy dance and choreography work, Nureyev amassed a significant estate in his lifetime. Its value is estimated to be around $7.9 million.

2. Benjamin Millepied (Net Worth: $10 Million)

Millepied trained in the Conservatoire National in Lyon (1990-1993), and at the School of American Ballet. He joined the New York City Ballet in 1995 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2002.

He danced and choreographed for the company until 2011. Since then, Millepied has been running the L.A. Dance Project. He also served as director of the Paris Opera Ballet in 2014-2016.

Fans of the Black Swan movie might also recognize Millepied thanks to his acting and dancing in the production; he was also a choreographer for the film.

The 44-year-old French dancer was married to actress Natalie Portman for 12 years until the pair separated in 2024.

In addition to Black Swan, Millepied danced the parts in Brandenburg, Swan Lake, and Octet, among others. He has reportedly amassed a net worth of $10 million to date.

1. Mikhail Baryshnikov (Net Worth: $45 Million)

This Latvian-American ballet dancer, choreographer, and actor might be 76 years old, but that doesn't stop him from running several art initiatives.

His many endeavors have earned him an extensive net worth surpassing that of all other dancers featured on this list

Like Nureyev, Baryshnikov started at the Kirov ballet but defected to Canada in 1974. He then danced for the ABT, where he later served as the artistic director from 1980 to 2002.

Later, he joined the New York City Ballet. His most notable roles were in La Sylphide, Apollo, Coppelia, and Opus 19/The Dreamer, though he had spectacular performances in many other projects.

Since 2005, Baryshnikov has run the Baryshnikov Arts Centre in New York. He has also starred in several films and TV shows, including Sex and the City, and is currently running the True Russia anti-war foundation.

Thanks to his spectacular work in performing arts, Baryshnikov received numerous accolades and recognition. His estimated net worth is $45 million.

Who's the Richest Dancer of All Time?

As we saw above, Mikhail Baryshnikov is the richest ballet dancer today. However, he's not the highest-earning dancer overall.

That title belongs to the Irish-American master of Irish step dancing, Michael Flatley.

His live Irish dance shows alone have grossed over $1 billion worldwide. This impressive level of popularity helped Flatley amass an incredible estimated net worth of $350 million.

What's the Average Wage of a Ballet Dancer?

The average wage of a ballet dancer depends on their position and experience. For example, many ballet dancers first start in the corps de ballet, which brings in a very low salary, rarely exceeding $30,000/year.

Once they graduate to soloists, they can take home a bit more - between $50,000-58,000 a year on average. Of course, the richest ballet dancers in the world didn't earn their riches right away, either.

Like every dancer, they had to dance their way to the top to receive recognition. Because of their hard work and determination, they earned as much as $30,000 per performance or $100,000 per year.

Pirouetting Away

The beauty of ballet is often juxtaposed against the rigorous training and effort required by the dancers, the choreographers, and the costume designers.

In this guide, we looked at some of the most well-known dancers in the ballet world. These amazing artists come from different countries, and each brings a unique flair and spin to every role that they play.

Whether they enchanted the stage as the White/Black Swan or made everyone shed a tear as the scorned Giselle, these ten artists have been very well-compensated for their efforts.

Although some of them are now retired, and one is no longer with us, their legacy is still prominent in ballet art today.

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