Ballet is not only a wonderful foundation for other styles of dance, it is also valuable in other careers in the performing arts.  Ballet training cultivates grace, diligence, flexibility, good posture, musicality, partnering, attention to detail, and a strong work ethic.  Here’s a list of singers, actors, and models who have utilized their ballet background in their celebrity careers:

Madonna received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan (though she dropped out to pursue a career in pop music).

Penelope Cruz clearly has the poise of a dancer.  She studied ballet for 9 years at Spain’s National Conservatory.

Model and runner-up on this season’s “Dancing with the Stars,” Alexis Ren, took ballet lessons for over 10 years. 

Jennifer Garner studied ballet for more than a decade growing up.  Her dancing skills are evident in one of our favorite chick flicks, “13 Going on 30.”

Before she was a supermodel, young Naomi Campbell studied ballet at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

Charlize Theron, originally from South Africa, landed a job as a dancer with the Joffrey Ballet before pursuing her acting and modeling career.

Pre-Carrie Bradshaw and “Sex and the City,” Sarah Jessica Parker attended the School of American Ballet in New York City.

Supermodel turned entrepreneur, Karlie Kloss, credits her ballet training with helping her learn to move naturally for the camera and to gracefully walk the runway.

Elizabeth Moss of “The Handmaid’s Tale” studied at the School of American Ballet and at the Kennedy Center.

It’s not hard to believe all these talented women had ballet training in their backgrounds. 

The next time you see them on television, in a magazine, or on the big screen, notice how the principles and aesthetics of ballet are present in their various careers today.