Choreographer - General Job Description

Choreographers create ideas for expressing dance through movement. They design dances for a variety of dance types and experience levels. Choreographers translate stories, ideas and moods into movement for performance.

Typical Job Duties

Create routines for expressing ideas through physical movements, patterns and formations

Altering existing routines based on a new or personal interpretation

Choreographers choose suitable dancers for specific performances

Teach specific movements, techniques and routines to dancers and other performers

Experiment with different dancers and placement

May be involved in choosing music, sound effects or spoken narrative to accompany movement

Career Path Guide for Becoming a Choreographer

A great first step to becoming a choreographer is to apply for an apprenticeship under an established choreographer. This will give you valuable practical experience as well as the chance to make important industry contacts. The Choreographer you apprentice under will likely also help you spread the word that you are interested in taking on projects of your own.

If you continue to dance, your reputation as a dancer is very likely to help lead you to opportunities for choreography work in dance schools, universities and dance companies. The more you are given chances to choreograph, the more you will build a reputation, strengthen your knowledge base and develop a resume.

Try and find jobs doing choreography work for community productions, dance recitals and festivals, as each job has a chance to lead to a bigger and better opportunity. So showcase your work whenever possible.

You may also want to try joining a regional or national dance organization. Organizations, such as the National Dance Association and Dance/USA, offer employment listings, networking events and educational opportunities for members.

Scholarships for Becoming a Choreographer

The Applicable Majors section below shows fields of study relevant to a career as a Choreographer. You can search for scholarships matched to those fields of study on our Fine Arts Scholarships and Dance Scholarships pages.

Success Tip: Be sure to apply for any scholarships that you even barely qualify for, as there are millions of dollars of scholarships that go unused every year due to a lack of applicants!