Ballet is an excellent workout that comes at a high cost, in my opinion. Ballet strengthens the balance, reactive strength, and core strength, as well as the general physical strength, endurance, and flexibility. Ballet, if taken seriously, also puts the body through a great deal of strain. Ballet dancers experience many injuries as a result; however, because of the nature of their work these injuries usually heal very quickly. In addition to being one of the most demanding sports there is, ballet dancing is also quite a lucrative career option. Professional ballet dancers can make up to $100,000 a year or more depending on their level within the company. While this may not seem like much compared to other professional athletes, it should be noted that almost all ballet dancers start out as students therefore starting salaries are relatively low. In fact, according to research conducted by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), over 90% of ballet dancers come from some form of educational background including college/university, community center, or school for the arts. Only those who want to become truly successful at ballet will make enough effort to develop their skills further through training and competition. Those who don't continue working with a teacher once they have been hired by a company will never improve so they will always be working with a constant deficit of knowledge versus their colleagues. Companies only keep talented dancers because there's no way for them to find out unless they try out.