Not hearsay: my DS when at RBS Upper School danced for BRB in a Nutcracker season not so long ago, doing 30 shows, including the Albert Hall. He did absolutely love the experience, and it certainly looked good on his CV at the time. He was not standing at the back holding a tray of drinks - he was one of the three Russian Trepak dancers, among other roles. As a parent, I was disappointed to say the least that not only did he not get paid a penny (even a token amount) but there was quibbling over his train fares from London, and there was no 'thankyou' of any kind for dancing in 30 shows for free. They didn't even think to give these unpaid dancers a BRB Christmas bauble or a bunch of flowers. DS went straight into a prestigious company in Europe the month after, so he was certainly of the required standard.