Choreographers
Overview
Introduction
Choreographers create dances that use movement to tell a story or elicit a mood and then teach them to dancers. There are many types of dance—ranging from tango and tap, to ballroom and ballet, to jazz, modern dance, and non-Western dances. Approximately 6,900 choreographers are employed in the United States.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Choreographers had median annual wages of $52,000 in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Like dancers’ incomes, choreographers’ earnings vary widely. The lowest paid 10 percent of choreographers made less than $30,040 per year, while at the other end of the pay scale, the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $91,140 annually. Fifty percent of choreographers earned between $...
Work Environment
The work of choreographers can be exhilarating and fulfilling (when the hours of brainstorming, creativity, and hard work result in a dance sequence or production that is well-received by both audiences and critics) and challenging and frustrating (when the choreographer faces “creative block,” dancers have difficulty learning the dance steps, and the choreographer disagrees with the director a...
Outlook
Employment of choreographers is projected to increase by 5 percent from 2022 to 2032, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. This is faster than the average for all occupations. Despite this prediction, its important to remember that only 6,900 professional choreographers are employed in the United States, and competition for jobs is very strong. The best opportunities are found with region...