Choreographers
Create new dance routines. Rehearse performance of routines. May direct and stage presentations.
Also called: Ballet Director · Choreographer · Dance Director · Dance Maker · Musical Choreographer · Opera Choreographer
Median pay (national)
$55,600
$33,080–$94,090 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
3,430
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+6.1%
~700 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for choreographers shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $94,090 versus $33,080 at the bottom 10% — 2.8x. The median of $55,600 leaves roughly 69% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +6.1% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 700 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 16 states with released data, New York pays the most for this role (median $94,090, +69% vs the national median), while Illinois sits lowest at $31,570 — a 198% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
Tailor your resume to Choreographers
Honest tailoring
See how your resume lines up with Choreographers
Refit re-angles your real experience toward this role using the skills above — and never invents skills you don't have. A no-fabrication gate checks every change before you see it.
Free. No account needed to see your first re-fit.
Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Learning Strategies
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Advise dancers on standing and moving properly, teaching correct dance techniques to help prevent injuries.
- 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.
- Develop ideas for creating dances, keeping notes and sketches to record influences.
- Coordinate production music with music directors.
- Design dances for individual dancers, dance companies, musical theatre, opera, fashion shows, film, television productions, and special events, and for dancers ranging from beginners to professionals.
- Audition performers for one or more dance parts.
- Assess students' dancing abilities to determine where improvement or change is needed.
- Design sets, lighting, costumes, and other artistic elements of productions, in collaboration with cast members.
Tools & technology
- Salesforce software
- Chorel Technology Dance Designer
- Credo Interactive DanceForms
- Salesforce Visualforce
- Social media sites
- Web browser software
- YouTube
- Email software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- Fine Arts
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- Production and Processing
- Design
- Communications and Media
- English Language
- Psychology