Choreographer vs dancer

The differences between choreographers and dancers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a choreographer has an average salary of $60,957, which is higher than the $53,667 average annual salary of a dancer.

The top three skills for a choreographer include stage presence, musical theater and dance classes. The most important skills for a dancer are dance performances, excellent guest, and public appearances.

Choreographer vs dancer overview

	Choreographer	Dancer
Yearly salary	$60,957	$53,667
Hourly rate	$29.31	$25.80
Growth rate	27%	27%
Number of jobs	496	167
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	27	27
Years of experience	4	-

Choreographer vs dancer salary

Choreographers and dancers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Choreographer	Dancer
Average salary	$60,957	$53,667
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $115,000	Between $25,000 And $114,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Louisville Ballet	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between choreographer and dancer education

There are a few differences between a choreographer and a dancer in terms of educational background:

	Choreographer	Dancer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Dance	Dance
Most common college	Duke University	-

Choreographer vs dancer demographics

Here are the differences between choreographers' and dancers' demographics:

	Choreographer	Dancer
Average age	27	27
Gender ratio	Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0%	Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 10.7% Hispanic or Latino, 29.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 44.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 10.7% Hispanic or Latino, 29.5% Asian, 8.4% White, 43.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	24%	24%

Differences between choreographer and dancer duties and responsibilities

Choreographer example responsibilities.

Start up and manage social media; Facebook, Instagram.
Perform as lead dancer in semi-annual mainstage concerts.
Perform in mainstage, blackbox and academic productions.
Perform in script shows including children's theater, choreograph stage combat, and choreograph dance performances.
Create, execute and perform an original musical production: including plot, music, costumes, choreography and staging
Design culturally authentic costumes for performances.

Dancer example responsibilities.

Perform at all NBA home games and various other events.
Perform hula and tahitian dances, lei greet, private conventions.
Experience in ballet, jazz, and contemporary/lyrical for all ages.
Train new dancers and help correlate new approaches towards improving luau show.
Perform in events throughout NYC; participate in rehearsals twice per week during school breaks.
Perform as a professional hula dancer and belly dancer on various corporate and special events.

Choreographer vs dancer skills

Common choreographer skills

Stage Presence, 29%
Musical Theater, 15%
Dance Classes, 10%
Dance Routines, 8%
JR, 4%
Hip Hop, 4%

Common dancer skills

Dance Performances, 13%
Excellent Guest, 9%
Public Appearances, 8%
Costumes, 8%
Parade, 6%
Hip Hop, 6%

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Choreographer vs Dancer

Updated January 8, 2025

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