Want to know who are the world’s richest dancers? Jazz, ballet, tap, ballroom, folk, hip-hop, Irish, modern, Latin… dancing comes in many forms, styles, techniques, and music, but this performing art is only one soulful form of expression at its core. Nevertheless, not every dancer is rewarded in the same way, and it doesn’t always depend on talent and uniqueness. So, we invite you to see the list we’ve compiled of the richest dancers in the world and find out how they made their fortunes.
If you are further interested in dancing make sure you check out our list on The Best B-Boy Movies in history.
Are you curious about the world’s richest dancers? Let’s dance our way into the countdown and find out!
10. Mark Ballas
This American professional ballroom dancer is only 28 years old and already one of the world’s richest dancers. Also a choreographer, songwriter, musician and actor, Ballas made most of his fortune on Dancing with the Stars, the renowned ABC program in which he has been participating since 2007. At the moment Mark Ballas has an estimated net worth of $450,000.
9. Cheryl Burke
Cheryl Burke is another Dancing with the Stars professional dancer who earned most of her $500,000 thanks to the ABC show. The 30-year-old Californian has been on eighteen of the nineteen seasons of the program, and is famous for winning twice consecutively on the second and third seasons, making her the first female pro dancer to win the show.
8. Sylvie Guillem
Last November, Sylvie Guillem announced that her retirement from the stage would take place sometime this year; not bad considering that this French ballerina is about to turn fifty. Famous for her performances of Giselle, Swan Lake and Don Quixote among others, she allegedly makes about $850,000 a year.
7. Benjamin Millepied
You probably know this French dancer and choreographer as Natalie Portman’s husband. The couple met when they were working in the renowned movie Black Swan and they have been together ever since. The actress’s baby daddy has a net worth of around $900,000.
6. Karina Smirnoff
Karina Smirnoff is a Ukranian-born professional ballroom dancer best known for her participation in Dancing with the Stars. This 37-year-old pro has won many dancing championships including the U.S. Open, the Asian Open, the UK Open and the Dutch Open. With a net worth of $3 million, we can say that all her hard work over the years has paid off.
5. Derek Hough
Dancing with the Stars is a T.V. show that has boosted the careers of many professional dancers into stardom, as well as making them quite wealthy. With a net worth of $3 million, Derek Hough is another talented American dancer and choreographer who has benefited greatly from the program.
4. JabbaWockeeZ
It may be odd to include a dance crew on this list, but with a combined net worth of $5 million, the JabbaWockeez needed to be mentioned. Best known as the winners of the first season of America’s Best Dance Crew, the hip-hop crew has done great since they first stepped into the spotlight in 2008. So far they have toured, filmed music videos and appeared in T.V. commercials, among other activities.
3. Rudolf Nureyev
Probably one of the best and most acclaimed ballet dancers of the last century, during his lifetime Rudolf Nureyev also managed to become one of the richest in the business. Although the Soviet dancer has been dead since 1993, we thought it was necessary to include him and his $7.9 million fortune on this list, especially because he was a very influential figure in the dancing world.
2. Mikhail Baryshnikov
Whether he’s acting, choreographing or dancing, Mikhail Baryshnikov always manages to dazzle the audience with his amazing talent. If you are not into dancing, then you probably know Misha from his acting career, including his appearances on the famous T.V. show Sex and the City. At the age of 67 and with a net worth of $45 million the Russian star is still very active today.
1. Michael Flatley
The world’s richest dancer is also a choreographer and a musician famous for his Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger. With a net worth of around $304 million, Michael Flatley proves that you can make a great living out of traditional dances.
