Dancers
(NOC 5134)
in All Art, Culture, Recreation and SportThis group includes dancers and dance teachers. Dancers work for ballet and dance companies, television and film productions, and night clubs and similar businesses. Dancers perform either alone or as part of a group for live audiences or for television or film tapings. Dance teachers work for dance academies and dance schools. Dancers may specialize in ballet, ballroom, folk, jazz, or modern dance.
Job Outlook
Undetermined
Read more
Compared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport
Hourly Pay
N/A
MinimumN/A
MedianN/A
MaximumAnnual Pay
$741
Minimum$8,040
Median$23,643
MaximumCompared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport
Hourly Pay
$13.00
Minimum$21.00
Median$40.00
MaximumAnnual Pay
$945
Minimum$11,712
Median$60,447
MaximumAbout the job
Nature of work
This group includes dancers and dance teachers. Dancers work for ballet and dance companies, television and film productions, and night clubs and similar businesses. Dancers perform either alone or as part of a group for live audiences or for television or film tapings. Dance teachers work for dance academies and dance schools. Dancers may specialize in ballet, ballroom, folk, jazz, or modern dance.
Job duties
Dancers:
- Practice and rehearse dance routines under direction or instruction to achieve desired interpretation and presentation.
- Perform dances as soloists or as members of groups before audiences or for film or television.
- Train and exercise to maintain the required levels of ability and fitness.
- May choreograph their own performances.
Dance teachers:
- Teach dance technique and artistic interpretation to amateur and professional individuals and groups.
- Teach the techniques, cultural origins, and symbolic meanings of Aboriginal, ethnic and folkloric dances.
- Teach recreational dancing lessons like ballroom dancing.
- Prepare dance students for specific auditions and performances.
Sample job titles
- ballerina
- ballet dancer
- ballroom dancing teacher
- belly dancer
- dance instructor
- dancer
- group dance teacher
- interpretive dancer
- tap dancer
Skills
- You should be dedicated, motivated, and willing to accept constructive criticism. Talent, creativity, and technical skills are essential. You must be comfortable working with others and performing before an audience. Self-discipline and a good business sense are also helpful. Dancers must train and exercise diligently to stay in form, and they must be willing to accept direction as to interpretation and presentation. Today's dancers are expected to be versatile and skilled in many forms of dance. A solid foundation of ballet is required for most modern, jazz and even hip-hop jobs. Even classical ballet dancers need modern and/or jazz training.
Job requirements
- A university degree or college diploma in dance or graduation from a private dance school or academy may be required.
- Membership in a guild or union related to the job or type of performance may be required.
Other considerations
- Talent and ability, as demonstrated during an audition, are important hiring criteria. Dance teachers usually require experience as dancers.
By the numbers
Quick look
employed in 2016
employed full-time
self employed
median age
Compared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport
employed in 2016
employed full-time
self employed
median age
Where will I likely work?
Halifax
$9,253 median annual incomeNorth Shore
N/AAnnapolis Valley
$6,329 median annual incomeCape Breton
N/ASouthern
N/ACompared to: All NS Occupations
Halifax
North Shore
Annapolis Valley
Cape Breton
Southern
Top Industries of Employment
Educational services
Arts, entertainment and recreation
Other services (except public administration)
Manufacturing
What is the age of Employment?
15-24
35-44
25-34
55-64
65+
45-54
Compared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport
15-24
35-44
45-54
25-34
55-64
Top levels of education
High school
$4,042 median annual incomeBachelor
$15,647 median annual incomeLess than high school
N/ACollege Diploma
N/AMaster
N/ACompared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport
Bachelor
$17,829 median annual incomeHigh school
$7,552 median annual incomeCollege Diploma
$22,120 median annual incomeLess than high school
$2,922 median annual incomeMaster
$36,173 median annual incomeEducation & training
Dance
College or University ProgramThese programs prepare students 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. They include courses in technique, choreography, Laban notation, dance history and criticism, and dance production.
Institutions providing this program
Drama and Dance Teacher Education
College or University ProgramThese programs prepare individuals to teach drama and/or dance programs at various educational levels.
Institutions providing this program
Fine Arts
College, Trades, or University ProgramThese programs prepare students to generally function as creative artists in the visual and plastic media. They include courses in the traditional fine arts media (drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, CAD/CAM) and/or modern media (ceramics, textiles, intermedia, photography, digital images), theory of art, colour theory, composition and perspective, anatomy, the techniques and procedures for maintaining equipment and managing a studio, and art portfolio marketing.
Institutions providing this program
Employment requirements & contacts
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Additional resources
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