Becoming a professional dancer can be a rewarding but difficult path—a path not everyone wants to commit to. But rest assured, all is not lost. Just because professional dance isn’t a suitable career for you doesn’t mean you don’t have options.

The truth is that dance involves a good mix of science and art. Not only does it require serious physical strength, stamina, and nutrition, but it also requires evoking emotions through movement and having an eye for detail. There are plenty of career options for you to branch out into using these skills.

Here are 11 dance career opportunities to consider. Who knows, one of these might just give you the genuine joy and passion you have been looking for:

1. Dance Teacher

Dance wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for its educators. There’s something rewarding about passing on your dance skills and knowledge onto the younger generation. As such, teaching is a popular career choice among dancers. 

As a dance teacher, you can: 

• Teach at a studio, high school, or college program
• Offer classes and private lessons
• Choreograph routines for your students for performances or competitions
• Find ways to inspire and motivate students during competition season
• Create costumes for performances and competitions 

2.Choreographer

Being a choreographer can be a gratifying experience where you have artistic ownership of your work. So if you’ve been dancing for quite a while and feel ready to take on a greater creative role, choreography might just be for you. 

Becoming a choreographer generally requires studying dance in college and having a diverse dance background in genres such as ballet, jazz, modern dance, and hip-hop. 

Here are some of the key responsibilities:

• Selecting music 
• Putting together sequences of dance moves to the music
• Auditioning dancers for a role in a show or company
• Leading dance classes and teaching complex dance routines to dancers
• Helping with costume design and lighting 
• Studying new and emerging forms of dance to inspire future dance choreography

Speak with your current and former choreographers for more choreography career information.

3. Arts Administrator

Looking for an office job? Consider an arts administrator position at a dance company. It’s a less physically demanding job than being a dancer, but still allows you to stay involved in the dance and arts community. 

 The role of an arts administrator might include: 

• Managing budgets
• Scheduling meetings, rehearsals, and shows 
• Organizing fundraisers
• Being the artistic director’s trusted advisor 

4. Yoga or Pilates Teacher

The dance world is no stranger to yoga and pilates. Focused on strength and conditioning, both workouts are great supporting activities that can help protect dancers from injury.  

Yoga and pilates are great career choices for those who want to transition into a field that involves physical activity but is gentler on the body. Since dance naturally weaves into both yoga and pilates, you can easily learn and practice them. 

Teaching either yoga or pilates requires signing up for a teacher training program. The program generally ranges from 200 hours of training to receive a standard certification to 500 hours of training to earn advanced certification. 

5. Barre Teacher

Barre classes have been trending quite a bit lately, and for good reason. Barre incorporates techniques from ballet, yoga, and pilates to provide a low-impact, high-intensity workout. It’s designed to improve your balance, enhance strength and flexibility, and build the all-important core. 

Becoming a barre teacher requires enrolling in a certificate program where you’ll learn all the essentials to teach barre. Your background in ballet can make the transition into barre simple and quick! 

6. Marketer for Dance Company

If you’re looking for something creative and want to get your hands on different media assets, becoming a marketer for a dance company can be an exciting career path. 

You can work with the arts administrator to map out various advertising assets, social media posts, and website blog posts. You can even try dabbling in some graphic design if you have time for additional training.  

7. Dance Critic

Consider being on “the other side” and critiquing dance performances. Various news and dance publications provide platforms for you to share your dance knowledge and opinions. Dance will remain front and center in your career, and you’ll get the chance to attend multiple performances.

The road to being a dance critic typically requires a college degree in English, Communications, or Journalism and some dance courses. Look into whether any campus publications or internships provide opportunities for you to gain experience and build your résumé. 

8. Lighting and Set Designer

If you love theater and have an eye for visual design, becoming a lighting and/or set designer for dance productions could be a great fit. This is an excellent opportunity to flex your creativity and design skills for the dance community. 

Your dance experience can really come in handy, because you understand the unique technicalities required in choreography and movement to establish the right ambiance and physical space for a given production piece. 

9. Dance Costume Designer

Another good career option in theater and the arts is a costume designer. Costumes bring the choreography and emotions to life, so your efforts will play an impactful role in any dance production. 

Pursuing a costume designer career path may include enrolling in a costume or fashion design program or an apparel and textile manufacturing program. While navigating through this career, don’t forget Jo+Jax has high-quality dance attire that may suit your needs!

10. Physical Therapist 

Physical therapy is essential to the world of dance. It focuses on helping people ease pain and move correctly. If you enjoy science and learning about the human body, being a physical therapist can be a rewarding dance career option.

Especially with your dance background, you can be empathetic and truly understand how to customize a treatment plan based on a client’s dance training. 

11. Nutritionist or Registered Dietician

In dancing and other sports, nutrition plays a pivotal role in your performance and reduces your risk of injury. If you’d like to explore other rewarding job paths that are rooted in human health, consider the roles of a nutritionist or registered dietician. 

While both careers focus on nutrition and building healthy lifestyles, they differ in qualifications and responsibilities: 

• Nutritionist: Nutritionists manage people’s nutritional behaviors and goals. They advise their clients on what to eat to achieve their health objectives. 
• Registered Dietitian: Registered dieticians are nutritionists, but they are certified to diagnose eating disorders and treat clinical conditions. Becoming a registered dietitian generally requires more schooling than becoming a nutritionist. 

With either career path, you can specialize in helping dancers build the right diet according to their health goals. Your dance background will be especially useful and appreciated!

Leap into Your Dance Career on a High Note

Ready to leap into your career? Start looking into these dance career opportunities to kickstart your future on a high note.