What is a Choreographer?

Do you love movement and the art of dance? Do you love to inspire, motivate, and teach others?

Becoming a choreographer might be an amazing career choice!

Choreographers design and direct routines used in dances and performances. They use choreography as an artistic opportunity to express their personality through the creation of dance.

What does a Choreographer do?

A career in choreography can be both challenging and fulfilling. A large part of a choreographer's job is to make sure that the routine is pleasurable not only for the participants, but for the audience as well.

A choreographer working with a young dancer and going over the routine.

A lot of time is spent inventing new dance moves and editing routines. Choreographers need to have a good ear for music, as they have to listen intently to the piece of music being used and create dance routines that work with the production or performance.

Choreographers work very closely with dancers, teaching them by example and by spoken instruction. A choreographer may spend weeks or months providing direction and encouragement to the dancers, inventing and arranging the choreography, and of course making the necessary changes and tweaks to perfect the dances. Needless to say, there is endless practice involved.

In theatre, they also need to read through a script and interpret each song in order to create dance sequences. One of the most important things when doing choreography for theatre is to make sure the movement follows the original interpretation. Choreographers can also help actors and singers develop their characters, selecting rhythm and pacing to enhance their performances.

Are you suited to be a choreographer?

Choreographers have distinct personalities. They tend to be artistic individuals, which means they’re creative, intuitive, sensitive, articulate, and expressive. They are unstructured, original, nonconforming, and innovative. Some of them are also social, meaning they’re kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, helpful, empathetic, tactful, and friendly.

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What is the workplace of a Choreographer like?

Choreographers are found in an array of positions around the world. Many are instructors at schools or universities. Some run their own business as freelancers.

Some choreographers create dance routines for music videos and films. Some even create routines for cheerleading and skating competitions.

This can be a very demanding career and requires a lot of confidence, creativity, skill, patience, focus, determination, and a love and passion for dance.

Choreographers are also known as:
Dance Choreographer Dance Composer