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Career as Choreographer

Choreography is an interesting field of arts where dance is performed with different styles, movements and expressions. it is a Choreographer’s job to create and try new steps and motions in dance. With an increased interest in dancing among the present-day youngsters, the job of Choreographer will gain significant momentum in the following years. As dance is the way of expressing the emotions and feelings, aspirants with creativity, joy for dancing and impressing others are highly attracted towards the job of Choreography. A Career of Choreography will be popular in the upcoming years. Noted with the increased craze about dance and music, youngsters are more eager to learn and become a choreographer. Irrespective of gender bias, everyone is interested in becoming a dancer by looking at the fame obtained by the famous dancers and choreographers. Because of the large number of television channels telecasting dance and music shows, even children are more interested in the dance field.

Job Profile

Career as Choreographer

As a Choreographer, the candidate has infinite options to choose his/her career in the field of dance. Few are

  • Dance Teacher

  • Dance doctor or dance therapist

  • Theatre or Stage performer

  • Dance critic

  • Dance master in films

  • Dance assistant

  • Classical Dance researcher

  • Freelance Dance artist

  • Social Media Dance tutor

Fields for Choreographer

  • Schools

  • Colleges

  • Film Industry

  • Television

  • Advertisement Field

  • Dance troupes

  • Dance shows

  • Social media like Youtube, Facebook, etc.

Salary for Choreographers

The average salary for a Fresh Choreographer is found to be 2.5 lakh per annum in India. Based on the performance, experience, fame, field of work, the salary will be determined. A dance teacher is earning an average of 2.5 to 3 lakh per annum. The salary is not a constraint for the well established and experienced Choreographer. The Choreographer field is the one where talented dancers will be highly rewarded with money and fame.

Future Growth Prospects and How to get there faster

Generally all the aspirants start their career as dancers. With the gained experience and improved knowledge, they upgrade themselves towards the journey of Choreography. Since there are a variety of jobs available in the field of dance, aspirants can choose either starting as a dancer or working in the field of teaching the dance once they gain proper training.
 

Joining a professional school or institution will make them a good start towards the career of dance. Interested aspirants who are currently working in any other field may join part-time courses which are more familiar in cities, or they can undergo any vocational weekend training courses. 

Growth in the Choreography career is based on the field they choose. Self-employed dancers who teach dance in their home may get familiar over years which may fetch them a job in any dancing schools based on the experience. Those who begin as a dancer in shows, cinema and performing arts companies, will have a great opportunity but patience with hard work needed to become a great choreographer within 5 to 6 years.

Pros and Cons of being a Choreographer

Pros
 

  • This job gives utmost satisfaction for those who are with a passion for dancing

  • Job with high creativity and productiveness

  • Number of choices and careers 

  • Fame and good salary

Cons

  • This job needs hard work and physical stamina

  • Needs at least 5 years of training and experience to become an expert

  • Requires patience and involvement to improve their career goals in cinema and TV shows

  • Each style of dance is unique. So learning different styles requires joining and formally learning in the respective schools.

  • Need to be learnt rigorously properly for maintaining the uniqueness of the basic dance styles. 

  • Need to rehearse for several hours to prepare for a performance.

How do I get there?

A basic educational qualification such as 10+2 is adequate to join a dance school for acquiring a bachelor degree in dance. For pursuing masters, one must have a bachelor degree in dance. Apart from that few dance institutes conduct entrance exams for admissions in the highly competitive dance courses. Few are 

  1. Academy Of Music, Dance, Drama and Fine Arts Entrance Exam

  2. Banaras Hindu University Entrance Exam

  3. Nalanda Dance Research Centre Entrance Exam

  4. Shivaji University- Faculty of Arts & Faculty of Social Sciences Entrance Exam

  5. Osmania University Dance Entrance Exam

  6. Gujarat University Entrance Exam

  7. The Maharaja Sayajirao University Entrance Exam

  8. Film and Television Institute of India – FTII JET 

For becoming a dance teacher in Government dance schools, UGC-NET Exam for Dance and Drama/Theatre, SET, SLET exams in Performing Arts is conducted by central and state governments for the benefit of bachelors and masters degree holders in dance.

Courses

Dance schools provide Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees along with a number of Diploma and certificate vocational courses in different forms of dance. The most popular degree in dance is B.A. (Dance) for three years provided in more than 75 established dance schools and other regional dance theatres in India. Students who want to become  dance teachers can join a master’s course. Postgraduate diploma and masters degree in dance are taught for 2 years, whereas diploma and certificate courses are provided as one-year training.

What are the Top Dance Schools where one should be studying to become a Choreographer?

  1. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore

  2. Delhi Dance Academy, Delhi

  3. The ITA School of Performing Arts, Mumbai

  4. Veve Dance, Mumbai

  5. Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi

  6. Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography, Bangalore

  7. University of Mysore

  8. Shiamak Davar Institute for Performing Art, New Delhi

  9. Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai

  10. Shiamak Davar Institute for Performing Art, Mumbai

  11. Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography, Bangalore

  12. University of Mysore

  13. Rabindra Bharathi University, Bhubaneswar

  14. Institute for Creative Excellence, Chandigarh

  15. Sri Thyagaraja College of Music and Dance, Hyderabad

  16. National Institute of Kathak Dance, Delhi

Course Fee

B.A., Dance courses in every college have a different fee structure. Starting with Rs, 4,600/- per annum charged till Rs 2 Lakh/- per annum in India. Similarly, Masters degrees have a fee of Rs 4,100/- to Rs 60,000/- per annum. For diploma courses, the fee is charged between Rs 4,000/- to Rs 91,000/- per annum. The certificate course is provided with Rs 950/- to Rs 4,000/- for 6 months and 1-year duration.

Books and other Study material

Some of the following books may help the aspirants who want to enhance their knowledge in the field of dance and to know about the basic job about the Choreography:

  1. Dance Production, Design and Technology by Jeromy Hopgood. 

  2. Choreography as Visual Art by Trisha Brown

  3. Divine Choreography by Lynn m Hayden

  4. Dance Composition Basics by Pamela Anderson Sofras

  5. Music Fundamentals for Dance by Nola Nollen Holland

  6. The People have never stopped Dancing by Jacquilne Shea Murphy

What if this career does not work out for me? What are the other options for a person with these credentials?

 If one doesn’t like the career of Choreography, they can be starting their own school and may teach the dance. Alternatively, Dance therapy is a  field that many dancers are pursuing. In cities, Dance therapists are recruited in many Multinational companies, Private organizations, Schools, etc., Zumba dance is highly encouraged for workers in stressful fields; hence Zumba dance trainers are becoming popular nowadays. If one is not interested in any of the fields, based on the credentials obtained, they can join any job which requires an approved degree in any field.

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Content on this page is by Career Expert
Mrs. Kum Kum Tandon
MA (Psychology), M.Ed, Diploma in Educational Psychology, Vocational Guidance & Counseling (NCERT, Delhi) | View Complete Profile
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