Chapters
- 01. What Does A Choreographer Do?
- 02. Pursuing A Career In Choreography
- 03. Responsibilities Of A Choreographer
- 04. Education Requirements For Choreographers
- 05. Workplace Settings For Choreographers
- 06. Pros And Cons Of Being A Choreographer
- 07. Dance Styles Associated With Choreographers
- 08. Qualities That Choreographers Must Possess
- 09. Become A Choreographer And Find Your Audience
Do you love to motivate, inspire and teach? If so, a career in dance choreography can be a perfect choice!
A choreography job is both demanding and rewarding. Their work entails ensuring that a dance routine is enjoyable for the dancers and the audience.
But it's not as easy as it sounds; it takes a lot of work to develop new dancing moves and edit routines.
Choreographers must have a good ear for music since their work depends on the beat and melody of each piece.
Hence, they should know how to use music to construct dance routines that complement the performance or production.
Keep reading as we delve deeper into what a choreographer does:
What Does A Choreographer Do?
Choreographers work closely with dancers, instructing them both verbally and by example. They sometimes spend weeks or months with one client, and their work includes:
- Giving dancers instruction and encouragement
- Devising and arranging choreography
- Making the necessary modifications and tweaks to make a routine flawless
- They must also read a script and understand each song to create dance sequences
It goes without saying that there is a lot of practice is required.
One of the most crucial things to keep in mind when choreographing for theatre is that the movement must adhere to the original meaning.
Choreographers can also assist actors and singers in developing their personas by helping them choose the right rhythm and pacing for their performances.
Pursuing A Career In Choreography
Choreographers usually start their careers as dancers, learning a variety of routines from a young age. Similarly, many dancers go on to become choreographers after a career in the arts.
After high school, choreographers can also enroll in a collegiate dance program to master other body motions and dance styles.
According to a survey, around 40% of choreographers polled had attended college or received a bachelor's degree.
And if you want to go down the same route, know that bachelor's degrees in dance are available at various schools and institutions, primarily through fine arts or theatre departments.
Students enrolled in collegiate dance programs can expect to learn a variety of different dance forms.
Responsibilities Of A Choreographer
Choreographers understand dance theory through their experience and knowledge of the art. They also gain an understanding of how the body responds to various activities.
As a result, they must choose the greatest dancers for a specific routine and encourage and direct a group to work in tandem.
Additionally, more goes into a performance, and an experienced choreographer will know how to navigate most of it.
They may, for example, collaborate with the music director to choose the score. Moreover, they could help other specialists to improve periphery performance components such as:
- Lighting
- Wardrobe
- Set design
Education Requirements For Choreographers
According to the BLS, choreographers typically go through several years of work experience before being considered an authority in their field.
Dance training begins at a young age for them. That is how they manage to accelerate their career from dancer to choreographer with such ease.
However, it is essential to know that college degrees or choreography qualifications are not necessary for becoming a choreographer.
Meanwhile, those interested in learning about dance forms, dance theory, and composition can still enroll in a bachelor's degree program in dance.
And for those who may want to get into the theory side of things, choreography master's programs are also available. A two-year master's covers:
- The history of choreography
- How to create original dances
- Collaborating with performers
Workplace Settings For Choreographers
Choreographers work in a variety of settings all over the world. For example, many of them work as educators at schools or universities. In contrast, some people even run their own businesses.
Most new choreographers are more interested in designing routines for music videos and films. Meanwhile, some even specialize in developing cheerleading and skating drills.
However, it isn't all fun and games, and the process of creating dance routines requires hard work and meticulous attention to detail.
Therefore, this demanding profession needs you to exhibit high levels of:
- Self-assurance
- Inventiveness
- Skill
- Patience
- Focus
- Drive
- Enthusiasm for dance
Furthermore, a choreographer creates a story through movement. And they do this by coordinating the steps and motions of the dancers with the musical accompaniment.
Hence, they may sometimes use ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, and jazz in combinations to create a truly unique body of work.
Pros And Cons Of Being A Choreographer
There are certain benefits of being a choreographer. However, there are some drawbacks as well. So let's dive straight into it:
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Expression Of The Mind
Dance is a popular form of art in which a dancer uses music and movement to interpret and tell a creative story. Then, choreographers use their unique creative abilities to put it all together.
You have the rare opportunity to work professionally in an area where you have a creative love of performing arts.
As a result, you get to form intricate sets of routines and movements to express yourself or ideas that you think are important.
Control
Becoming a choreographer is comparable to moving into a management role at another company. This is because a choreographer assumes a key controlling leadership role in all phases of dance production.
They look after all the production phases, including:
- Song selection
- Hiring Dancers
- Costume Desing
- Lighting
Additionally, some choreographers demand complete control over the production process and open their studios.
Others choose to bring about productions for other studios or firms, controlling every step of the dance process.
Pay
Compared to other practical professionals in the field, choreographic pay is often low. According to recent studies, choreographers make a median hourly income of $15 to $20.
However, the pay is higher in more prestigious dance studios in major cities like Chicago and New York. Therefore, becoming a choreographer in America can be fruitful.
Furthermore, the choreographers who own their own dance studios can supplement their income by running their business and teaching classes simultaneously.
Physical Requirements
A career in choreography places a lot of physical strain on the body. Choreographers spend hours or days putting together dance pieces, teaching dancers the arrangements, and occasionally participating in training as well.
Meanwhile, those who work independently or freelance must also consider travel requirements and strict scheduling.
Unfortunately, work can be scarce at times; therefore, choreographers may be forced to accept jobs with demanding schedules to maintain a consistent income.
Health Benefits
Dancing can help people of all ages, shapes, and sizes stay fit. It has numerous physical and mental advantages, including:
- It keeps your heart and lungs working well
- Improves muscle strength, endurance, and motor fitness
- Improves aerobic fitness
- Helps control weight
- Enhances muscle tone and strength
- Reduces the risk of osteoporosis
- Improves coordination, agility, and flexibility
- Provides physical confidence, enhanced mental functioning, improved balance, and spatial awareness
- Helps with physical and mental well-being
- Improves self-confidence and self-esteem
Dance Styles Associated With Choreographers
There are numerous dancing forms to select from, each with its own set of benefits. Some of the renowned styles of dance include:
- Ballet: A dancing style that emphasizes strength, skill, and flexibility. It is usually performed in classical music
- Ballroom dancing: Includes waltz, swing, foxtrot, rumba, and tango, among other kinds of partner dancing
- Belly dancing: An enjoyable way to exercise that originated in the Middle East
- Hip-hop: An urban dance style that involves breaking, popping, locking, and freestyling to hip-hop music
- Jazz: a high-energy dancing style that incorporates kicks, leaps, and twists to the music beat.
- Pole dancing: As a form of fitness, it is becoming increasingly popular. It entails sensual movements with a vertical pole and calls on muscular endurance, coordination, and upper- and lower-body strength
- Salsa: A partner dance that emphasizes rhythms and sensuality and is influenced by the Caribbean, Latin American, and African elements
- Square-dancing: A folk dance in which four couples dance in a square pattern, rotating partners and moving around each other
- Tap dancing: A form of dance that emphasizes beats and timings. When the little metal plates on the dancer's shoes make contact with the ground, they make tapping sounds.
Qualities That Choreographers Must Possess
What are the qualities that are usually found in experienced choreographers?
- Athleticism: To move their bodies without falling or losing their sense of rhythm, successful dancers must have an outstanding balance, physical strength, and physical agility
- Creativity: To express thoughts through movement, dancers require creative skill and inventiveness.
- Skill: Choreographers must also have artistic talents and innovative ideas if they want to produce unique and exciting dance routines
- Ability to lead: They should have the leadership skills to direct the dancers to execute their routines
- Persistence: Dancers must devote years to hard training. They must be able to accept rejection and keep practicing for future appearances. Moreover, they must continue to research and develop new routines
- Physical endurance: Dancers are physically active for extended periods, so they must practice for a long time without becoming exhausted
- Teamwork: Dancers must collaborate to succeed because most dance routines involve a group or couples of dancers
Become A Choreographer And Find Your Audience
In the next decade, the overall employment of dancers and choreographers is expected to expand by 6%.
On the other hand, dancers' employment is expected to rise slower than the national average during the next ten years, at 6%.
Fortunately, private dancing schools are projected to provide many additional opportunities for these individuals.
Historically, the usual employer for dancers and choreographers, performing arts companies, are expected to reduce their hiring in the post-Covid economy.
Moreover, because it is a small-sized occupation, the rapid expansion will only result in roughly 800 new positions over the next decade.
But if you're a choreographer with a lack of customers, you should give Superprof a visit! Superprof is a platform for skilled professionals; it allows them to provide classes for whatever they are good at.
Set up your profile and wait. Soon enough, someone in your area will enquire about your services, and then it's up to you to pull them in!
Find interesting dance classes near me here on Superprof.
The platform that connects tutors and students
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