What does a dance instructor/choreographer do?
Dance instructor/choreographer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real dance instructor/choreographer resumes:
- Lead children's classes, training kids in kicks, punches, self-defense and how to avoid physical confrontations.
- Teach a full tap dance syllabus to all ages and all skill levels.
- Prepare a syllabus for each class, stretching/warm-up students, teaching dance technique and routines.
- Prepare and run all dance rehearsals.
- Schedule and run rehearsals, re-serve rehearsal space and arrange for accompanists.
- Teach dance/choreograph several classes including competition musical theatre, jazz, and Zumba.
- Assist in rehearsals, props, audio, video and costumes for theater performances.
- Choreograph routines to different types of music (salsa, cha-cha, merengue, hip-hop etc.
- Teach intermediate to advance classes such as ballet, pointe, lyrical, modern, and jazz.
- Design sets, lighting, costumes, and other artistic elements of productions, in collaboration with cast members.
- Jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, acrobatics, lyrical, modern, pointe, and competition teams.
- Display leadership through teaching choreography routines.
- Provide a fun environment, accepting and promoting creativeness and leadership.
- Choreograph short dance phrases to assist students in developing a better understanding of movement connectivity.
- Develop and implement interesting and interactive exercises to increase student understanding and knowledge of specific dance genres.
Dance instructor/choreographer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Dance Instructor/Choreographers are proficient in Dance Classes, Hip-Hop Dance, and Dance Performances. They’re also known for soft skills such as Speaking skills, Athleticism, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Dance Instructor/Choreographers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Dance Classes, 20%
Lead dance classes -Choreograph competition pieces -Teach dance history -Have knowledge about Anatomy, Physiology and dance-related injuries
- Hip-Hop Dance, 13%
Choreograph hip-hop dance pieces and represent ASA in the annual Culture Night, Dancers' Symposium and Dance Marathon
- Dance Performances, 10%
Choreographed and directed dance performances.
- Musical Theater, 7%
Choreographed for multiple musical theater numbers including Hairspray, Grease, and Guys and Dolls.
- Dance Program, 4%
Enhanced quality of dance program by teaching modern, ballet, and improvisational classes to students in beginner and intermediate levels.
- Dance Studio, 4%
Dance instructor and choreographer to the competitive dancers of Long Island's largest dance studio.
"dance classes," "hip-hop dance," and "dance performances" are among the most common skills that dance instructor/choreographers use at work. You can find even more dance instructor/choreographer responsibilities below, including:
Speaking skills. One of the key soft skills for a dance instructor/choreographer to have is speaking skills. You can see how this relates to what dance instructor/choreographers do because "postsecondary teachers need good communication skills to present lectures and provide feedback to students." Additionally, a dance instructor/choreographer resume shows how dance instructor/choreographers use speaking skills: "choose the music, sound effects, or spoken narrative to accompany a dance. "
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Compare different dance instructor/choreographers
Dance instructor/choreographer vs. Guitar teacher
First aid instructors teach people skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid for poisoning, choking, and even burning. Instructors may teach both adults and children. They teach you ways to recognize emergency situations, respond with great caution, and wear protective gear. Instructors also inform students how to transfer patients to safety, treat minor injuries, and what to do if they need additional assistance.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between dance instructor/choreographers and guitar teacher. For instance, dance instructor/choreographer responsibilities require skills such as "dance classes," "hip-hop dance," "dance performances," and "musical theater." Whereas a guitar teacher is skilled in "learning process," "group classes," "songwriting," and "ran." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Guitar teachers tend to reach similar levels of education than dance instructor/choreographers. In fact, guitar teachers are 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Dance instructor/choreographer vs. Voice teacher
Each career also uses different skills, according to real dance instructor/choreographer resumes. While dance instructor/choreographer responsibilities can utilize skills like "dance classes," "hip-hop dance," "dance performances," and "dance program," voice teachers use skills like "kids," "stage presence," "music education," and "music lessons."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Voice teachers tend to reach higher levels of education than dance instructor/choreographers. In fact, they're 14.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dance instructor/choreographer vs. Private music teacher
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, dance instructor/choreographers are more likely to have skills like "dance classes," "hip-hop dance," "dance performances," and "musical theater." But a private music teacher is more likely to have skills like "mathematics," "language arts," "cello," and "in-home."
Most private music teachers achieve a higher degree level compared to dance instructor/choreographers. For example, they're 9.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dance instructor/choreographer vs. First aid instructor
Types of dance instructor/choreographer
Updated January 8, 2025
