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Choreographers

Create new dance routines. Rehearse performance of routines. May direct and stage presentations.

What you’d do

  • 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.
  • Record dance movements and their technical aspects, using a technical understanding of the patterns and formations of choreography.
  • Direct and stage dance presentations for various forms of entertainment.
  • 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.

Skills that matter

  • Instructing
  • Active Listening
  • Coordination
  • Speaking
  • Monitoring
  • Learning Strategies

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Choreographer
  • Dance Director
  • Dance Maker
  • Opera Choreographer
  • Ballet Director
  • Musical Choreographer
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