Keywords: Ensembles, Presentational dance

This paper explores the meaning of being a professional ensemble dancer in Romania and whether this is the same as professionalism in Romanian dance performance. It investigates whether there is a clear cut distinction based on remuneration or are there other criteria that can be used to distinguish ‘professional’ dancers from ‘non-professional’ dancers. Drawing on the author’s personal fieldwork in Romania for over a period of almost ten years, it concludes that, in Romania, the factors that distinguish between a professional and amateur dancer are economic, in that professional dancers receive a salary for their work. However, qualities of professionalism in folk dance performance are far wider and relate to the whole concept of arranged performance.