Dancer

Job overview
Dancing is an activity usually, but not always, joyously engaged in by people throughout the world and throughout the ages.

When taken consciously as a profession dedicated to creating an integrated performing art, dance can be subdivided as follows: - classical dance, drama, music and mime.

What do people do in this career?
Areas of specialisation include:-dancer, teacher, choreographer, choreologist, dance master and dance historian.

Professional dancers?
Require physical and mental stamina as they are subjected to prolonged, irregular and taxing working schedules covering training sessions, rehearsals and performances.

Choreographers?
Create new dance works and should have a wide knowledge of all the relevant aspects of dance, in order to translate their ideas into dance compositions.

Choreologists?
Notate new dance works and read written notation scores.

In this way they assist the dance master who is responsible for teaching and rehearsing dance repertoires.

Dance teachers?
Train children and students in basic dance techniques and prepare them for dance examinations.

Dance masters?
Prepare and rehearse more advanced dancers for on-stage performances.

Dance historians?
Teach and research the history of dance and provide an academic and philosophic perspective on the cultural development of this art.

What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
Apart from having the correct physique, temperament and a thorough working knowledge of various dance styles and techniques, professional dancers should have a well-developed artistic sensibility.

What qualifications are needed?
There is a wide variety of dance academies in existence, some of them world-famous, but most aspiring dancers with talent will begin with their local teacher and move on to any formal qualifications if they have the talent.