Dancers
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 27-2031.00United States
Perform dances. May perform on stage, for broadcasting, or for video recording.
- Median annual earnings
- $50,472
- Projected change
- +5.1%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 12.31K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
79.2% of the workforce
Growing to 12.94K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What dancers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Study and practice dance moves required in roles.
- Harmonize body movements to rhythm of musical accompaniment.
- Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness.
- Coordinate dancing with that of partners or dance ensembles.
- Perform classical, modern, or acrobatic dances in productions, expressing stories, rhythm, and sound with their bodies.
- Collaborate with choreographers to refine or modify dance steps.
- Develop self-understanding of physical capabilities and limitations, and choose dance styles accordingly.
- Audition for dance roles or for membership in dance companies.
- Attend costume fittings, photography sessions, and makeup calls associated with dance performances.
- Monitor the field of dance to remain aware of current trends and innovations.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $24,695
- 25th percentile
- $31,417
- 50th percentile
- $50,472
- 75th percentile
- $82,581
- 90th percentile
- $120,046
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $50,472 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+5.1%average or slower
202512,305 jobs
2035 projected12,937 jobs
632 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 79.2%
- Certificate
- 13.5%
- Some college
- 7.2%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- 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.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- 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.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Hip Hop Dance Instructors171 postings
- 02Dancers110 postings
- 03Performers91 postings
- 04Costumers77 postings
- 05Entertainers48 postings
- 06CDL-A Truck Drivers42 postings
- 07Mascots41 postings
- 08Music Video Directors40 postings
- 09Walkers35 postings
- 10Actors/Dancers/Singers32 postings
- 11Lead Actors32 postings
- 12Actors/Performers28 postings
- 13Character Performers23 postings
- 14Actors/Dancers22 postings
- 15Explosives Engineers21 postings
- 16Registered Nurses21 postings
- 17Character Artists20 postings
- 18Hip Hop Artists17 postings
- 19Background Actors15 postings
- 20Dance Instructors14 postings
Top employers
- 01Six Flags Entertainment Corporation46 postings
- 02Liberty Tax45 postings
- 03Backstage International Ltd36 postings
- 04Six Flags Great Adventure33 postings
- 05Jth Tax29 postings
- 06Carowinds27 postings
- 07IntelyCare21 postings
- 08High Scale Reptiles & Enclosures12 postings
- 09Rising Stars12 postings
- 10New York University11 postings
- 11Busch Gardens10 postings
- 12Knott's Berry Farm10 postings
- 13Seaworld Parks & Entertainment9 postings
- 14Twilight Theatre Company9 postings
- 15Cinergy Entertainment Group8 postings
- 16Deja Vu Showgirls8 postings
- 17Fit4Kids8 postings
- 18Grant Wilfley Casting8 postings
- 19Mouses Ear South8 postings
- 20Royal Caribbean Group8 postings
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