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Job Definition
Create and teach dance. May direct and stage presentations.
Job Zone

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Interests
Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Knowledge
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
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.
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.
Skills
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Tasks
Audition performers for one or more dance parts.
Choose the music, sound effects, or spoken narrative to accompany a dance.
Direct and stage dance presentations for various forms of entertainment.
Manage dance schools, or assist in their management.
Seek influences from other art forms such as theatre, the visual arts, and architecture.
Teach students, dancers, and other performers about rhythm and interpretive movement.
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.
Coordinate production music with music directors.
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.
Develop ideas for creating dances, keeping notes and sketches to record influences.
Direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in how to use dance steps, and in techniques to achieve desired effects.
Experiment with different types of dancers, steps, dances, and placements, testing ideas informally to get feedback from dancers.
Read and study story lines and musical scores to determine how to translate ideas and moods into dance movements.
Record dance movements and their technical aspects, using a technical understanding of the patterns and formations of choreography.
Wages

In 2008, the California average annual wage was $46,670.00.

Most people employed in this occupation were paid between $23,710.00 and $70,660.00.

Outlook

During 2006, there were approximately 4,000 people employed in this field in California. It is projected that there will be 3,900 employed in 2016. This occupation will have about 0 openings due to growth and about 220 replacement openings for approximately 220 total annual openings. This occupation .

Colleges and Training
Below are college programs that are generally associated with this occupation. To view colleges that offer these programs, click on the titles below.
Dance, General - A general program that prepares individuals to express ideas, feelings, and/or inner visions through the performance of one or more of the dance disciplines, including but not limited to ballet, modern, jazz, ethnic, and folk dance, and that focuses on the study and analysis of dance as a cultural phenomenon. Includes instruction in technique, choreography, Laban notation, dance history and criticism, and dance production.
Similar Occupations
Set and Exhibit Designers - Design special exhibits and movie, television, and theater sets. May study scripts, confer with directors, and conduct research to determine appropriate architectural styles.
Actors - Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or motion picture productions for entertainment, information, or instruction. Interpret serious or comic role by speech, gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform audience. May dance and sing.
Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio - Interpret script, conduct rehearsals, and direct activities of cast and technical crew for stage, motion pictures, television, or radio programs.
Dancers - Perform dances. May also sing or act.
Photographers - Photograph persons, subjects, merchandise, or other commercial products. May develop negatives and produce finished prints.
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture - Operate television, video, or motion picture camera to photograph images or scenes for various purposes, such as TV broadcasts, advertising, video production, or motion pictures.
Film and Video Editors - Edit motion picture soundtracks, film, and video.
Costume Attendants - Select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers.
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance - Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.
Etchers and Engravers - Engrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials for identification or decorative purposes. Includes such workers as etcher-circuit processors, pantograph engravers, and silk screen etchers.
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