How Much Money Can A Choreographer Earn?
The world of dance is ever-expanding. Some might say more than ever. With digital platforms constantly releasing music videos that include dancing, choreographers will always be needed. However, if high is the demand for a choreographer? Furthermore, do they earn a lot of money? These are all questions we will address in this article. Many people may look at this article and wonder, who are some famous choreographers? Well, there are a few extremely popular examples. For example, Michael Jackson, Wade Robson, and Beyoncé were/are all famous choreographers. While they may not have done strictly choreography for their whole career, they are more or less known for their dancing, artistry, and performances.
If you want a more recent example of someone who is a choreographer, look no further than DaniLeigh. She’s an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Furthermore, she releases an amalgamation of videos where she choreographed the dances. Some of her work includes choreographing her music video for the song ‘Lil Bebe’. As well as choreographing DaBaby’s music video for his song ‘Bop’. All of these videos and examples can be found on YouTube.
What Do Choreographers Do?
As a choreographer, you have a multitude of tasks. However, the all-encompassing duty of a choreographer is to teach and create dances. Choreographers are an essential party of entertainment. From music videos to movies, choreographers are quite common. Although the nature of the job is similar to that of a stunt coordinator (choreographers coordinate dances and the latter deals with stunts), we will take a look at dance choreographers as a whole. Dance choreographers have quite a bit responsibilities. These responsibilities include but are not limited to creating a long or short dance routine for both lyrical and instrumental music, developing sequences that transition between both scenes or people, and create rehearsals in order to make sure everyone is developing their skills.
Depending on how long you’ve been a choreographer, you can create some complex pieces of work. For example, one type of dance that I’ve always found intriguing is lyrical dancing. The concept of lyrical dancing is to tell a story. However, these dances are usually done to music that includes lyrics. Therefore, they’re translating the lyrics in the song through dance. Another interesting style of dance is called interpretive dance. This is typically done in classical music. However, the point of interpretive dancing is to show human emotions, conditions, and dramatic expressions through the movements. You can also tell a story. A good example of this is Cirque Du Soleil. While some of their performances have lyrics in them, a large majority of the play is purely instrumental. From this, they tell a story, through dance, that is unique to each play.
Related Articles
- 4 High-Return P2P Lending Platforms For Canadian Investors
- Highest Paying Trade Jobs In Canada
- From Hello To Hired: Breaking Through The Interview
- 4 High Paying Jobs That Don’t Require A Degree
How To Become A Choreographer?
The great thing about becoming a dance choreographer is that you do not need any for schooling. However, choreography is the type of field where experience matters a lot. Of course, this can depend on the avenue that you want to take. There are a few different paths that you can take. As a choreographer, you can own a studio and teach dance. However, if this isn’t the type of work out want to do, you can always go into choreographing dances in movies and music videos.
Although this is all true, acquiring some sort of education during your career is highly advantageous. This is because attending formal training can greatly increase your knowledge and application of various techniques within dance. Like any skill that you go to school for, you have to enter with the mindset to learn. Seasoned choreographers still have a lot that they can learn. Therefore, if it is true for them then it likely is for you as well.
Aside from the knowledge that you will acquire from formal education, it adds a certain authenticity. Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer. For any job that requires skill, you will want someone who has the credentials to back it up. While this may not be your specific preference, most people are willing to trust their resources and time with someone who has a piece of paper saying they’re certified.
Of course, in many fields, having a certification is absolutely mandatory. However, let me put two choices in front of you. Would you rather hire a choreographer who has only 5 years of experience? or would you want to hire someone who has a wall full of certifications, plus the 5 years of experience? Many people will say it depends on an amalgamation of other factors. However, between those two options, most people will pick the person with the additional certifications. Regardless, you can still become extremely successful and make a name for yourself without formal schooling. However, most people acquire some sort of schooling during their careers.
How Much Can A Choreographer Earn?
The salary for a choreographer can vary greatly. This is due to the fact that if you’re not hired by a studio, you can charge a set amount of your choosing. However, there are many ways that you can earn money as a choreographer but it all starts with how you market yourself. Let’s say you’re a freelance choreographer. You can post YouTube videos, TikToks, and Instagram reels of your work. From doing this, you’ll likely gain some exposure. This exposure can lead to many opportunities. For example, a studio can see you and may want to hire one of their dance teacher/choreographers. If that’s not the case, someone who is creating a music video may want you to oversee the dancing aspect of their video.
If none of these choices suit you, there is always the entrepreneur route. By this, I mean creating your own studio. While this option carries the most risk, it can produce the highest reward. However, you as a business owner will have to focus on many more aspects. For example, I knew a tattoo artist who used to own his own shop. However, he sold the business and become an employee at his current (or past) shop. When I asked him why he did this, he said it was due to the fact that when you own a business, doing what you love takes a back seat. This brings up a good point. As a business owner, being a tattoo artist will become less about the art and more about the business itself. This is most likely be how owning a studio is. However, everyone’s individual experiences will vary.
As you can see above, dance choreographers have made approximately $25 per hour. However, take this amount with a grain of salt as it is the average across 7 submitted salaries. Although this is the case, you can still look at it as a good starting amount. However, there are reports of choreographers earning upwards of $100,000 per year. This is either from their salary or from their earnings as a business owner. Regardless, you can definitely earn and healthy living and maintain a sustainable life if you choose to become a full-time choreographer. Therefore, do your due diligence and see if becoming a choreographer is the path you want to take.
Shameed is just a man on a mission to help those around him gain financial success. Obsessed with writing about all things finance, this GTA native is constantly learning and sharing his experiences with others.
