Choreographers
Also called: Ballet Director, Choreographer, Choreography Director, Dance Choreographer, Dance Director, Dance Instructor, Dance Maker, Dance Master
Create new dance routines.
What choreographers do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- 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.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Choreographers salary
The median annual wage for choreographers is $55,310 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $34,090 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $138,630. The mean annual wage is $73,100.
The mean hourly wage of $35.00 is 4.8× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Choreographers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $55,310 → in 3 years $60,900 → in 5 years $64,900 → in 10 years $76,100 (10-year range $65,400–$88,300). The model assumes pay growth of +3.2% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Choreographers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Choreographers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Choreographers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Choreographers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★★☆ Demanding (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become choreographers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as choreographers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.