Career Options for Dance Majors

Career Options for Dance MajorsCareer Options for Dance MajorsUnless your child was dancing Swan Lake at age 7 and doing summer camp at ABT as a tween, you might think that a dance major is a direct path to unemployment. Contrary to those arts major misconceptions, many career paths and jobs are open to dance majors, whether theyre into ballet, hip-hop, or Tommy Tune. Dance majors bring a wealth of workplace skills besides pointe work and jazz hands. The very nature of their training translates to strong communication and non-verbal skills, problem-solving skills, and teamwork. Theyre organized, detail oriented, and highly disciplined, and they know the art of dance extensively. Performance is an obvious career path for dance majors, and the list of arts organizations that hire dancers goes far beyond New Yorks Lincoln Center or the Bellagio in Vegas. Every arena of the entertainment world, from MTV music videos to cruise lines and theme parks, employs dancers. A quarter of the danc e-related jobs are in choreography- an area that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to see grow by 3 percent from 2016 to 2026- which is fueled by pop culture interest in music and dance. Some dancers go into a specialized field of choreography to become dance notators, recording and preserving choreography and repertoire for the future using Benesh or Laban notation methods, which take special training. Some dance majors leverage their knowledge of the art world to work in arts management or arts administration, running operations, finance, or the marketing arms of existing arts organizations. They may manage other dancers or performers, handle the press, or build and run websites for dance or arts organizations. Arts administration jobs typically require bachelors degrees, whereas performance jobs value experience and training over diplomas however, getting an internship or degree in fine arts (e.g., bachelors or masters of fine arts degree) from a respected performing a rts school not only increases a dancers skills and experiencebut is also invaluable in networking. Dance is not a field that commands large salaries. Arts organizations are typically nonprofits, and wages reflect that. For performing arts company dancers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put the zentralwert salary at $16.96 per hour in 2017and noted that dancers had a high on-the-job injury rate and a brief performing career. Professional dance companies offer slightly better wages.Choreographersearn an average hourly wage of $23.28. Want all these tips wrapped up in a tidy Top 15 Jobs for Dance Majors list? Here you go Dancer in a major arts organizations, such as a ballet company, opera house, or musical theater companyChoreographer for those same organizationsNotator to preserve the choreography and repertoire for those companiesDancer at a large-scale theme park, Las Vegas production, or smaller production on a cruise lineDancer for music videos and commercialsChoreographer, trainer, or coach for music videosMarketing and public relations for a dance companyWeb design and social media management for a dance company Grant writing, development, and finance for arts organizationsArtist management and representationArts facilities operationsSpecial events planner for a ballet company or arts organizationDance teacher at a dance studio or schoolDance or movement therapistSports trainer or Pilates instructor