Dancer/Choreographer
Dancers and choreographers are vital figures in the performing arts, utilizing movement to express ideas and emotions, often in collaboration with other artists like musicians and directors. Dancers create dynamic performances through their physicality, while choreographers design and teach the movements that dancers execute, making both roles crucial to the success of a production. This field is known for its competitiveness, requiring a dedicated commitment to physical fitness, artistic expression, and collaboration. Most dancers begin their training early, often participating in formal dance education and gaining experience through auditions and performances.
Dancers typically work in studios and theaters, and their jobs can be supplemented by teaching dance or choreography to others. The role demands not only artistic talent but also resilience, as the career can be financially precarious and usually has a limited duration due to the physical demands on the body. Choreographers, while still facing competition, may experience a different kind of pressure, focusing more on the creative aspects of dance without the same physical constraints. Education in dance, alongside courses in related fields like music and literature, can provide a strong foundation for those aspiring to enter this vibrant but challenging industry.
Dancer/Choreographer
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
Interests: Dance, performing arts, physical activity, exercise, music
Earnings (Median Hourly): $24.95 per hour
Employment & Outlook: 6% (Faster than average)
Entry-Level Education: High school diploma
Related Work Experience: Previous experience as a dancer
On-the-job-Training: Long-term on-the-job training
Overview
Sphere of Work. Dancers and choreographers work in the performing arts field, usually in collaboration with other dancers, a director of choreography, musicians, and composers. Dancers use their bodies to create movements and poses that evoke a feeling or idea befitting the accompanying music or drama. Choreographers arrange and teach all dancers’ movements and gestures in a given work. Both dancing and choreography are highly competitive fields requiring a high degree of personal and professional commitment. Many dancers transition into careers as choreographers when they stop dancing professionally.
Work Environment. Dancers and choreographers work in a variety of environments, but almost all of them work in dance studios as part of a group of dancers in preparation for performance. Depending on the type of organization they work for, and the imagined setting for a particular piece, performances could take place in a theater, a public location, or on a film set. In academic settings, choreographers are also responsible for educating their dancers on the history of different types of dance, specific techniques, pivotal figures, innovations, and contemporary dance theory.
Occupation Interest. Working as a dancer or choreographer appeals to those with a strong interest in the performing arts who enjoy the idea of highly disciplined, creative, collaborative work. Prospective dancers should have an innate love of dance and the drive to pursue their inclinations, as dance is an intensely competitive field and employment can be both sporadic and financially challenging. Because it is physically demanding, people interested in pursuing dance careers should be exceptionally fit and possess great agility, balance, stamina, and muscle coordination. Dance and choreography are both careers in which networking is key to success, due to relatively slow job growth and intense competition for available jobs.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. It is difficult for most dancers to find enough work in their chosen field to earn an adequate living. Many dancers and choreographers supplement their dancing income with jobs in academia, and many of them spend part of their day teaching. This may include teaching younger dancers new techniques in a dance studio or educating them on dance theory in a classroom by watching videos of past performances, reading essays, and discussing the relationship between dance and other artistic movements.
Dancers and choreographers should expect to attend almost daily rehearsals for a performance in the evenings while a piece is in production. During rehearsals, the choreographer is responsible for directing the group’s attention towards specific sections of a dance that need work. Early in the development of a work, choreographers arrange each section of the dance separately, which allows them to analyze each dancer’s movements and help coordinate exact body movements to certain parts of the music. After several rehearsals, all sections of the dance will be performed in sequence and the group will attempt to run through the entire piece at once, working on making smooth transitions between the different sections.
Dance is a career that encompasses more than just working hours. Dancers carefully control their weight, paying strict attention to diet and exercise. Most live in or close to major cities where large dance companies are financially viable. There is a tremendous amount of personal discipline required to succeed as a dancer. Moreover, because the career of a dancer typically only lasts into his or her thirties, there is pressure to make the most of the years when he or she is physically able to compete with other dancers.
Choreographers also experience work-related stress, because their field is highly competitive and tied to geography. However, choreographers are not under the intense pressure to maintain a specific body weight that affects dancers, and they usually do not spend as much time practicing and exercising.
Ballet Dancers (151.047-010). Ballet Dancers perform a dancing technique based on the turn-out leg, pointed foot, and five fundamental foot and arm positions.
Ballroom Dancers (151.047-010).Ballroom Dancers demonstrate social dancing ranging from the waltz to the latest popular dance.
Tap Dancers (151.047-010). Tap Dancers perform a style of dancing that is distinguished by rhythm tapped by the feet in time with the music.
Dancing Instructors (151.027-014). Dancing Instructors instruct students in ballet, ballroom, tap, and other forms of dancing.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. Dancers and choreographers usually work indoors, either in a dance studio or a theater, preparing a piece for performance with other dancers. Sometimes they perform outdoors during the summer months.
Human Environment. Dancers and choreographers work in a highly collaborative environment. They should be thick-skinned and assertive and should be comfortable contributing to a group. Choreographers will have to decide how much they are willing to allow for dancer interpretation and improvisation in the composition of their dance.
Technological Environment. Working in a studio or theater can help choreographers familiarize themselves with basic sound, video, and lighting equipment. Dancers and choreographers watch video recordings of past performances. They wear special shoes and clothing designed to maximize flexibility of movement.
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. Because dancers’ careers tend to peak in their twenties, parents should enroll interested children in classes as early as possible. High school students wishing to pursue a career as a dancer or choreographer should take as many courses as possible in their high school’s dance department. Many have their first auditions during their high school years. Involvement in the arts, particularly music and theater, will also provide valuable experience in on-stage performance and strengthen their understanding of rhythm. Courses in literature will also be helpful, as a major part of choreography deals with dramatic concerns. Literature courses can help young dancers improve their ability to interpret dramatic roles using dance techniques.
Postsecondary. At the university level, students interested in becoming a dancer or choreographer should major in dance. Some may choose to focus on choreography within the major or take as many courses as possible in choreography and theory. Students should take a wide range of performing arts and humanities courses, studying literature, theater, and music as elective courses. They may even choose to pursue one of these subjects as an additional major or minor. Most importantly, college students wishing to pursue a career as a dancer or choreographer should take advantage of dance and choreography opportunities wherever available. Dancers may want to consider taking a basic business or mathematics course or spend some time researching other career options because most will need to transition into a second career at the end of their dancing career.
Dancers planning to move into a teaching career at some point will need to earn a master of fine arts (MFA) degree in dance.
Related Occupations
− Actor
Bibliography
"Dancers and Choreographers." Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Dept. of Labor, 17 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/ooh/entertainment-and-sports/dancers-and-choreographers.htm. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.