Choreographer
Quick Facts
Median Salary$55,584
Most Common EducationBachelor's degree
Projected 10-Year Growth+20.06%
Assessment MatchTake the Assessment
What They Do
A Choreographer creates dances or routines to be performed and teaches them to dancers. Chooses music to accompany dance or provide basis for choreography. May specialize in classical dance tradition or contemporary or jazz dance forms. May also work with other performers such as figure skaters, or choreograph musicals or other movie scenes.
Core Tasks:
- Direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in dance steps and in techniques to achieve desired effects.
- Advise dancers on standing and moving properly, teaching correct dance techniques to help prevent injuries.
- Teach students, dancers, and other performers about rhythm and interpretive movement.
- Direct and stage dance presentations for various forms of entertainment.
- Record dance movements and their technical aspects, using a technical understanding of the patterns and formations of choreography.
- Choose the music, sound effects, or spoken narrative to accompany a dance.
- 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.
- Develop ideas for creating dances, keeping notes and sketches to record influences.
- Coordinate production music with music directors.
- 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.
- Audition performers for one or more dance parts.
- Assess students' dancing abilities to determine where improvement or change is needed.
- Design sets, lighting, costumes, and other artistic elements of productions, in collaboration with cast members.
- Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness.
- Read and study story lines and musical scores to determine how to translate ideas and moods into dance movements.
- Manage dance schools, or assist in their management.
What to expect as a Choreographer
1Earn a Bachelor's degree
13% of people achieve this level of education.
2Gain skills and experience
See Choreographer related courses on Tallo
3Land a job
99 openings for Choreographers
Career Progression
in United States (Nation)
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