Now, for his career to move to the next level, Ulbricht needs a regular female partner. This is where his height poses the greatest challenge. Many ballerinas in the company, including several well-known principals, tower over him. That can be a drawback, says dance critic Mindy Aloff. The male lead has “to have someone who, when on pointe, is his height or smaller. That’s tough,” she says, because wearing pointe shoes adds about six inches to the ballerina’s height, and men don’t dance on pointe.

When people ask Ulbricht where he first studied ballet, he delights in saying “St. Petersburg” and then waiting a beat before adding “Florida.” He grew up there and, like many male dancers, was lured by a teacher into trying ballet while watching an older sister in class—in his case when he was 11. His talent drew attention early on. At age 12, he was drafted by the Miami City Ballet to appear as the prince in the company’s production of The Nutcracker. He went on to win prestigious scholarships and in 1999 was admitted to the School of American Ballet, City Ballet’s academy. Peter Boal, the artistic director of Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet, still remembers the first time he saw Ulbricht jump in a dance class: “We watched him go up, and we watched him go down. It took a long time. The class stopped.”

Between City Ballet seasons, Ulbricht golfs, plays tennis, and scours the Wall Street Journal for investing advice. He even quotes Warren Buffett and says he encourages fellow dancers, whose careers tend to be short, to save their money. He is concentrating now on buying an apartment, and he’s been accepting temporary jobs with other companies to save up the necessary cash. In the summer, he teaches at the New York State Summer School for the Arts, and during the year, he is a visiting teacher at various ballet schools in the Northeast, where his name and position with City Ballet draw new students. “When people are talking about vacations, I’m talking about gigs,” Ulbricht says. “When people are talking about ‘Let’s go here on the weekend,’ I’m teaching.”

Raising the BarreRevenue increases since 2002 for some top ballet companies.

San Francisco Ballet
+51 percent
Revenue: $41 million
A sponsorship program for the ballet’s 75th anniversary helped increase revenue, with Yahoo’s Jerry Yang among the sponsors.

Pacific Northwest Ballet
+41 percent
Revenue: $19 million
Peter Boal, P.N.B.’s new artistic director, has boosted both revenue and the repertoire, ­adding 43 new works in just two years. 

New York City Ballet
+36 percent
Revenue: $62 million
Between 2006 and 2007, New York City Ballet’s revenue from investments rose more than 400 percent, to $1.4 million.     

American Ballet Theater
+25 percent
Revenue: $41 million
Rachel Moore, named executive director in 2004, has expanded educational programs, opening a school for 12- to 18-year-olds.

Boston Ballet
+15 percent
revenue: $23 million
The company began restructuring last year, nego­­ti­ating a new lease as well as a new union contract with the dancers.