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Choreographers

Create new dance routines. Rehearse performance of routines. May direct and stage presentations.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Advise dancers on standing and moving properly, teaching correct dance techniques to help prevent injuries.
    • Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness.
    • Design sets, lighting, costumes, and other artistic elements of productions, in collaboration with cast members.
    • Choose the music, sound effects, or spoken narrative to accompany a dance.
    • Direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in dance steps and in techniques to achieve desired effects.
    • Assess students' dancing abilities to determine where improvement or change is needed.
    • 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.
    • Teach students, dancers, and other performers about rhythm and interpretive movement.
    • Manage dance schools, or assist in their management.
    • Coordinate production music with music directors.
    • Record dance movements and their technical aspects, using a technical understanding of the patterns and formations of choreography.
    • Experiment with different types of dancers, steps, dances, and placements, testing ideas informally to get feedback from dancers.
    • Restage traditional dances and works in dance companies' repertoires, developing new interpretations.
    • Develop ideas for creating dances, keeping notes and sketches to record influences.
    • Audition performers for one or more dance parts.
    • Read and study story lines and musical scores to determine how to translate ideas and moods into dance movements.
    • Seek influences from other art forms, such as theatre, the visual arts, and architecture.
    • Direct and stage dance presentations for various forms of entertainment.

    Skills

    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    Abilities

    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.

    Knowledge

    • 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.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • 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.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • 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.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    5 years or more work experience
    Training
    More than 1 year on-the-job training

    Pay

    U.S. Annual Salary
    55600/yr
    U.S. Hourly Wage
    26.73/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    30
    Yearly Projected Openings
    10

    Personality

    Artistic: People interested in this work like activities that include creating, designing, and making your own rules. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Innovation
    • Persistence
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Leadership
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Compact disk players or recorders
    • Digital camcorders or video cameras
    • Digital video disk players or recorders
    • Metronomes
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Portable stereo systems
    • Stage or projection or studio lighting system
    • Stop watch
    • Tablet computers

    Technology

    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Graphical user interface development software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Word processing software