Choreographers
Create new dance routines. Rehearse performance of routines. May direct and stage presentations.
Also known as: Ballet Director, Choreographer, Choreography Director, Dance Choreographer, Dance Director, Dance Instructor, Dance Maker, Dance Master, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Faster than average)
What You'd Do
- Direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in dance steps and in techniques to achieve desired effects.
- Read and study story lines and musical scores to determine how to translate ideas and moods into dance movements.
- Design dances for individual dancers, dance companies, musical theatre, opera, fashion shows, film, television productions, and special events, and for dancers ranging from beginners to professionals.
- Choose the music, sound effects, or spoken narrative to accompany a dance.
- Advise dancers on standing and moving properly, teaching correct dance techniques to help prevent injuries.
- Coordinate production music with music directors.
- Audition performers for one or more dance parts.
- Direct and stage dance presentations for various forms of entertainment.
- Develop ideas for creating dances, keeping notes and sketches to record influences.
- Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness.
- Teach students, dancers, and other performers about rhythm and interpretive movement.
- Assess students' dancing abilities to determine where improvement or change is needed.
- Experiment with different types of dancers, steps, dances, and placements, testing ideas informally to get feedback from dancers.
- Seek influences from other art forms, such as theatre, the visual arts, and architecture.
- Design sets, lighting, costumes, and other artistic elements of productions, in collaboration with cast members.
- Record dance movements and their technical aspects, using a technical understanding of the patterns and formations of choreography.
- Manage dance schools, or assist in their management.
- Restage traditional dances and works in dance companies' repertoires, developing new interpretations.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
Is Choreographers right for you?
Take our free career quiz to see how you match with this and 900+ other careers.
Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.