Occupation Details
Choreographers
Create new dance routines. Rehearse performance of routines. May direct and stage presentations.
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Interests
Artistic
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Social
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Enterprising
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Work Values
Achievement
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Relationships
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Independence
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Salary & Job Outlook
Starting Salary
$0.00
New York StateMedian Salary
$0.00
New York StateExperienced Salary
$0.00
New York StateNational Average for Comparison
New York State Job Market Outlook
Jobs Right Now (2018)
64,900
professionals in NYFuture Job Growth (2030)
92,570
+2,767 jobs/yearNew Jobs Every Year
11,439
new opportunities yearlyGrowth Rate
0.4%
projected increasePreparation: Experience, Training, and Education
The list below outlines the prior educational experience required to perform in this occupation.
Degree Needed - Four-year college
Experience Requirements
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education Requirements
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Training Details
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Transferrable Skills and Experience
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, conservation scientists, art directors, and cost estimators.
School Programs
The following lists school programs which are applicable to this occupation.
Licensing & Certification
State License and Certifications Requirements are not currently associated with this occupation.
Skills
The list below includes the skills required by workers in this occupation; skills are what allow you to learn more quickly and improve your performance.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Skill level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Knowledge
The list below includes knowledge items, the principles and facts required by this occupation.
Fine Arts
Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Communications and Media
Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Knowledge level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Work Environment
The list below includes the physical and social factors that influence the nature of work in this occupation.
Hover over or tap each factor to see its description.
Work Styles
Included in the list below are the personal work style characteristics that can affect how well a worker is likely to perform in this occupation.
Achievement/Effort
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Adaptability/Flexibility
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Innovation
Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Leadership
Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Persistence
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Tools & Technology
This list below describes the machines, equipment, tools, software, and information technology that workers in this occupation will use.
Tools
- Compact disk CD players
- Digital stopwatches
- Digital video cameras
- Digital video disk DVD players
- Electronic metronomes
- Laptop computers
- Multi-speaker stereo systems
- Personal computers
- Stage lighting systems
Technology
- Credo Interactive DanceForms
- Email software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Salesforce Visualforce
- Salesforce software
- Social media sites
- Web browser software
- Word processing software
Duties
Duties are job behaviors describing activities that occur on multiple jobs. The generalized and detailed work activities described in the list below apply to this occupation.
- audition performers
- evaluate talent or individual
- direct talent
- rehearse cast to develop performance
- direct camera operators
- create art from ideas
- convey moods or emotions through music
- express creativity through music, dance, or acting
- tell stories through musical, visual, or dramatic arts
- choreograph dance
- study story line or music to devise dance movements
Tasks
The list below outlines specific tasks that a worker in this occupation is called upon to do regularly.
- Direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in dance steps and in techniques to achieve desired effects.
- Teach students, dancers, and other performers about rhythm and interpretive movement.
- Choose the music, sound effects, or spoken narrative to accompany a dance.
- Advise dancers on standing and moving properly, teaching correct dance techniques to help prevent injuries.
- 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.
- 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.
- Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness.
- Experiment with different types of dancers, steps, dances, and placements, testing ideas informally to get feedback from dancers.
- Read and study story lines and musical scores to determine how to translate ideas and moods into dance movements.
- Direct and stage dance presentations for various forms of entertainment.
- Coordinate production music with music directors.
- Audition performers for one or more dance parts.
- Design sets, lighting, costumes, and other artistic elements of productions, in collaboration with cast members.
- Restage traditional dances and works in dance companies' repertoires, developing new interpretations.
- Record dance movements and their technical aspects, using a technical understanding of the patterns and formations of choreography.
- Assess students' dancing abilities to determine where improvement or change is needed.
- Manage dance schools, or assist in their management.
Learning Resources
More information on this occupation may be found in the links provided below.
Dancers and choreographers
Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.
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