Dancer and choreographer
Dancer and choreographer
Career Overview
Dancers use movement to perform, express ideas, and tell stories. Choreographers create and arrange dance routines for performances, film, television, music videos, live events, and digital media. Many choreographers begin their careers as professionals
Education
Professional dancers generally need many years of specialized dance training. Choreographers usually build experience as dancers before creating choreography. A college or university dance program can provide advanced training, but a specific degree is not required for every position.
Work Environment
Dancers and choreographers work with dance companies, theatres, studios, schools, film and television productions, live events, and digital media. Work can involve intensive rehearsals, performances, touring, evenings, weekends, and periods between contracts. Many professionals are self-employed.
Future Outlook
Dance is evolving with social media, digital performance, motion-capture technology, and AI-assisted creative tools. These technologies can help create, record, and promote choreography, while human dancers and choreographers remain essential for physical performance, artistic direction, collaboration, and live interaction. Current employment projections show faster-than-average growth, particularly for choreographers, although funding and the availability of performance work can affect opportunities
Recommended High School Courses
- Dance
- Performing Arts
- Business
- Communication
- Physical Education
- English
- Drama & Theatre
- Media Arts
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
- Dynamic Flexibility - The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Dynamic Strength - The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Extent Flexibility - The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Gross Body Coordination - The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Gross Body Equilibrium - The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Speed of Limb Movement - The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Stamina - The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Static Strength - The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Trunk Strength - The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
- Repair textiles or apparel.
- Sew clothing or other articles.
- Practice athletic or artistic skills.
- Perform dances.
- Entertain public with comedic or dramatic performances.
- Audition for roles.
- Monitor current trends.
- Train others on performance techniques.
- Choreograph dances.
Schools
Adelphi University
Agnes Scott College
Alfred University
Allegheny College
American River College
American University
Amherst College
Appalachian State Univers...
Arizona State University
Austin Community College...
Ball State University
Barnard College
Bates College
Belmont University
Beloit College
Bennington College
Berea College
Bethel University (indian...
Boston Conservatory At Be...
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brenau University
Brigham Young University-...
Bryn Mawr College
Butler University
California Institute Of T...
California State Universi...
Central Washington Univer...
Christopher Newport Unive...
Colby College
College Of Charleston
College Of William And Ma...
College Of Wooster
Colorado College
Columbia College Chicago
Connecticut College
Cornell College
Cypress College
Davidson College
Desales University
Diablo Valley College
Dickinson College
Dominican University
Dominican University Of C...
Drexel University
East Carolina University
East Stroudsburg Universi...
Eastern Michigan Universi...
Eastern University
Eastern Washington Univer...
El Camino College
El Centro College- Dallas...
Elon University
Emerson College
Florida State University
Franklin And Marshall Col...
Fresno City College
Friends University
Goddard College
Goucher College
Grinnell College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hampshire College
Hendrix College
High Point University
Hobart And William Smith...
Hollins University
Hope College
Illinois Wesleyan Univers...
Indiana University-bloomi...
Jacksonville University
Julliard School
Kennesaw State University
Kenyon College
Macalester College
Marlboro College
Marymount Manhattan Colle...
Middlebury College
Mills College
Montclair State Universit...
Morehouse College
Muhlenberg College
New College Of Florida
New York University
North Carolina School Of...
Northwestern State Univer...
Oberlin College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Pace University- Nyc Camp...
Pikes Peak Community Coll...
Pikes Peak Community Coll...
Pratt Institute
Providence College
Randolph College
Reed College
Saint Mary's College - No...
Saint Mary's College Of C...
Saint Olaf College
Salem College
Sam Houston State Univers...
Sarah Lawrence College
Scripps College
Skidmore College
Smith College
Southern Methodist Univer...
Southern Utah University
Spelman College
St. Lawrence University
St. Mary's College Of Mar...
Stephens College
Stonehill College
Suny At Brockport
Suny At Potsdam
Suny At Purchase
Suny Rockland Community C...
Swarthmore College
Sweet Briar College
Texas Women's University
The University Of The Sou...
Towson University
University Of Alabama- Tu...
University Of Arizona
University Of California-...
University Of California-...
University Of Hawaii- Hil...
University Of Missouri- K...
University Of New Mexico
University Of North Carol...
University Of Oklahoma
University Of Richmond
University Of Saint Franc...
University Of South Flori...
University Of Southern Ca...
University Of Tampa
University Of The Arts
University Of Wisconsin-...
Ursinus College
Wagner College
Washington And Lee Univer...
Wesleyan University
Western Washington Univer...
Wheaton College- Massachu...
Winthrop University
Wittenberg University
Banff Centre For Arts...
Canada's National Ball...
George Brown College-...
Holland College
University Of Quebec-...
University Of Regina
Vancouver Community Co...
Approx Salary Expectation
Low End:
$29,000.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$53,000.00 /yr
High End:
$112,000.00 /yr
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.