Dancers

(NOC 5134)

in All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport

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 Outlook

Undetermined

Read more

  • Estimate change in employment not available for this occupation.
  • Estimate 0 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
  • Estimate rate of unemployment not available for this occupation.

Compared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport

  • Estimate 840 employment change, 2021-2023
  • Estimate 1495 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
  • Estimate rate of unemployment not available for these occupation.

Hourly Pay

N/A

Minimum

N/A

Median

N/A

Maximum

Annual Pay

$741

Minimum

$8,040

Median

$23,643

Maximum

Compared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport

Hourly Pay

$13.00

Minimum

$21.00

Median

$40.00

Maximum

Annual Pay

$945

Minimum

$11,712

Median

$60,447

Maximum

About 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

255

employed in 2016

23.5%

employed full-time

35.3%

self employed

94.1%
Icons/female Created with Sketch.
5.9%
Icons/male Created with Sketch.
23

median age

Compared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport

11,000

employed in 2016

53.3%

employed full-time

29.3%

self employed

55.6%
Icons/female Created with Sketch.
44.4%
Icons/male Created with Sketch.
38.2

median age

Where will I likely work?

50.9%

Halifax

$9,253 median annual income
28.3%

North Shore

N/A
13.2%

Annapolis Valley

$6,329 median annual income
3.8%

Southern

N/A
3.8%

Cape Breton

N/A

Compared to: All NS Occupations

47.0%

Halifax

15.6%

North Shore

12.9%

Annapolis Valley

12.7%

Cape Breton

11.8%

Southern

Top Industries of Employment

73.0%

Educational services

16.2%

Arts, entertainment and recreation

5.4%

Manufacturing

5.4%

Other services (except public administration)

What is the age of Employment?

61.0%

15-24

12.0%

35-44

10.0%

25-34

8.0%

55-64

6.0%

65+

4.0%

45-54

Compared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport

29.7%

15-24

15.9%

35-44

15.7%

45-54

15.4%

25-34

14.9%

55-64

Top levels of education

32.0%

High school

$4,042 median annual income
32.0%

Bachelor

$15,647 median annual income
28.0%

Less than high school

N/A
8.0%

College Diploma

N/A
4.0%

Master

N/A

Compared to: All Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport

26.4%

Bachelor

$17,829 median annual income
24.9%

High school

$7,552 median annual income
19.5%

College Diploma

$22,120 median annual income
13.7%

Less than high school

$2,922 median annual income
7.9%

Master

$36,173 median annual income

Education & training

Dance

College or University Program

These 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

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

Drama and Dance Teacher Education

College or University Program

These programs prepare individuals to teach drama and/or dance programs at various educational levels.

Institutions providing this program

Maritime Conservatory of the Performing Arts

Halifax, NS

Fine Arts

College, Trades, or University Program

These 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

NSCAD University

Halifax, NS

Employment requirements & contacts

No regulating bodies were found under this occupation profile

Contacts

Dance Nova Scotia
Halifax, NS
Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts
Halifax, NS
Halifax Dance
Halifax, NS

Additional resources

There are no additional resources for this occupation.