Quora Question: What is a male ballet dancer called? Is he a ballerino?

Not in the U.S. he isn’t.

Male ballet dancers have many names.  Choreographers often refer to the male ballet dancer as a no-talent impostor or oxygen thief.  This verbal abuse, however true and accurate it may be, is often inversely proportional to the creative genius of the choreographer.

Critics, always a reliable, impartial source of information, often call the male ballet dancer a bad actor with aspirations to mediocrity.  This unrivaled talent is combined with a sense of rhythm and timing that has yet to manifest itself in a meaningful fashion.  Other comments frequently refer to the dancer in question as abusing a perfectly good ballet, or while executing a jeté, having the grace of a brontosaurus extracting itself from a La Brea tar pit.

Creditors call male ballet dancers broke, or bums.  Their parents call them destitute and lazy.

Male ballet dancers refer to themselves as a danseur until they have performed in front of a paying audience once.  After that, they call themselves Principal or Soloist.

Sure hope this helps!