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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Dancer

💰 $ - $

Performing ArtsDanceEntertainmentArts & Culture

🎯 Role Definition

A Dancer performs choreographed and improvised movement for live productions, film, television, commercial, and community events. The professional dancer embodies choreography and artistic direction, maintains high-level dance technique across styles (ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, tap, etc.), and contributes to the creative and production process while prioritizing safety, physical conditioning, and consistent performance quality. This role requires strong musicality, stage presence, collaborative skills, and the ability to adapt quickly to new choreography, direction, venues, and touring demands.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Dance conservatory graduate or university dance program graduate
  • Dance apprenticeship, trainee program, or company internship
  • Professional freelance performer with regional credits

Advancement To:

  • Soloist / Principal Dancer within a company
  • Resident Choreographer or Rehearsal Director
  • Creative Director / Artistic Director of a dance company or ensemble

Lateral Moves:

  • Dance instructor, movement coach, or choreographer for film/TV
  • Musical theatre performer, stunt movement specialist, or fitness instructor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Learn, retain, and execute complex choreography across multiple styles with precision, musicality and consistent artistic intent to meet the director’s and choreographer’s vision for live and recorded productions.
  • Attend and actively participate in daily company class and rehearsals, arriving prepared to work through technical warm-ups, combinations, partnering sequences, and staging notes.
  • Maintain and continuously develop professional-level dance technique (ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, tap, pointe where applicable) through ongoing training, cross-training and conditioning to ensure performance readiness for rigorous schedules.
  • Perform in scheduled shows, tours, recording sessions and promotional events, delivering stage presence, emotional clarity and consistent technical execution in front of diverse audiences and cameras.
  • Collaborate with choreographers, directors, costume designers, stage managers and lighting teams to refine staging, spacing, and timing; incorporate creative feedback quickly and positively.
  • Rehearse variations, understudy roles and cover choreography for colleagues, demonstrating the ability to step into principal or featured roles on short notice while preserving artistic continuity.
  • Execute safe partnering, lifts and stage movement by adhering to company safety protocols, proper physical mechanics, and communication during rehearsals and performances to prevent injury.
  • Document and track personal rehearsal notes, choreography changes, blocking details and cues in digital or printed formats to ensure accurate replication across performances.
  • Participate in auditions, casting sessions and movement workshops; present polished audition materials and perform prepared repertoire to secure engagements with companies, touring productions and commercial projects.
  • Travel for tours and external performances, managing logistics such as quick costume changes, load-in/load-out assistance, and adapting performance quality to varying stage dimensions and technical conditions.
  • Support promotional and marketing initiatives by attending press events, photo shoots, interviews and social media content shoots, representing the company’s brand and mission professionally.
  • Provide mentorship and constructive feedback to apprentices, trainees and less experienced company members during rehearsals and informal coaching sessions.
  • Monitor and proactively manage physical health through nutrition, rehabilitation, preventative care, and communication with medical or physiotherapy professionals to sustain a demanding performance schedule.
  • Participate in creative development sessions, offering movement ideas, improvisation and technical solutions that contribute to new choreography or production concepts.
  • Assist in costume fittings, prop rehearsals and quick-change planning to ensure practicality and safety while preserving aesthetic intent during performances.
  • Follow company policies, contractual agreements, union (where applicable) guidelines, and attendance requirements; maintain accurate records of hours, rehearsals and performances for payroll and reporting.
  • Adapt movement quality and interpretation when performing for different formats (theatre, film, commercial, live outdoor events), including awareness of camera framing, sightlines and audience proximity.
  • Support stage management during tech rehearsals by marking entrances/exits, working with cues and testing choreography under full technical load to ensure seamless performance transitions.
  • Contribute to community outreach, education and outreach workshops or masterclasses representing the company in schools and cultural events to build audience engagement and arts education.
  • Manage personal practice outside company hours by refining repertoire, conditioning, stretching and injury-prevention exercises to meet company standards and personal development goals.
  • Maintain professional presentation and availability for costume, hair and make-up preparation, following production aesthetic requirements and quick-change procedures to meet show timing.
  • Participate in periodic casting and repertoire meetings with artistic staff, providing availability, repertoire strengths and feedback on role suitability to support season planning.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist production teams with stage setup, costume organization and backstage logistics during load-in, wardrobe changes and company calls.
  • Support administrative tasks such as tracking rehearsal attendance, updating digital files with choreography notes and reporting injuries or medical needs to production management.
  • Contribute to company content creation by filming rehearsal snippets, promotional videos and social media-friendly movement sequences under direction of marketing staff.
  • Lead occasional masterclasses, community workshops or outreach sessions to represent the company brand and inspire new audiences and students.
  • Participate in photoshoots and promotional materials creation, coordinating closely with costume and hair departments to achieve the intended visual narrative.
  • Help evaluate audition materials from prospective applicants when requested by artistic staff, providing perspective on technique, performance quality and candidate fit.
  • Attend professional development sessions, injury-prevention seminars, and rehearsal technique workshops to stay current with best practices in dance training and performance.
  • Provide constructive feedback during run-throughs to help refine ensemble cohesion, spatial relationships and timing across the cast.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Professional-level ballet technique (classical alignment, pointe work where required, adage and allegro proficiency).
  • Contemporary technique including floor work, release, improvisation and use of breath and weight.
  • Jazz and commercial dance styles: turns, isolations, syncopated movement and performance quality for stage and screen.
  • Hip-hop and street dance fundamentals, including rhythm, groove, locking, popping and freestyle competency (where applicable).
  • Partnering and pas de deux skills: secure lifts, weight-sharing, communication and spatial awareness.
  • Pointe work, where required, including proper pointe conditioning and safe technique.
  • Tap technique and rhythmic clarity (for roles requiring percussive dance).
  • Choreography learning and notation skills: fast retention, mapping, transposition and ability to give/receive staging notes.
  • Stagecraft awareness: sightlines, entrance/exit timing, marking, and adapting movement to venue size and floor surfaces.
  • Film and camera skills: adjusting performance scale for close-ups, marks, and continuity for recorded media.
  • Dance conditioning and cross-training knowledge: Pilates, yoga, strength and cardiovascular programs tailored to dancers.
  • Injury prevention and basic rehabilitation awareness; ability to follow physiotherapy or medical guidance.
  • Musicality and rhythm reading: ability to count, phrase and interpret complex musical structures.
  • Voice and acting basics where required for musical theatre or narrative-driven choreography.

Soft Skills

  • Collaboration and teamwork: strong ability to work respectfully with choreographers, colleagues and production teams.
  • Coachability: receptive to feedback, quick implementation of artistic direction and technical corrections.
  • Discipline and professionalism: punctuality, consistent preparation and adherence to company standards and schedules.
  • Resilience and emotional stamina: ability to maintain performance quality under pressure and long touring schedules.
  • Adaptability and problem-solving: flexible with last-minute choreography changes, tech issues and venue differences.
  • Communication: clear verbal and non-verbal communication during rehearsals, partner work and production meetings.
  • Time management: balancing rehearsals, cross-training and personal practice to meet performance demands.
  • Creativity and artistic expression: ability to interpret choreography with originality while honoring the choreographer’s intent.
  • Leadership and mentorship: capacity to guide apprentices and contribute positively to the rehearsal atmosphere.
  • Cultural sensitivity and professionalism in outreach and community engagement contexts.
  • Attention to detail and spatial awareness for precise staging, cueing and costume/prop coordination.
  • Stress management and self-care orientation to mitigate burnout during intense production periods.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent with documented dance training and performance experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Dance, Bachelor of Arts in Dance/Performing Arts, or equivalent conservatory diploma.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Dance Performance
  • Choreography
  • Performing Arts
  • Ballet Conservatory Training
  • Dance Pedagogy

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • Entry-level: 0–2 years of professional company, regional theatre, or touring experience.
  • Mid-level: 2–5 years of consistent professional performance, touring, or principal understudy roles.
  • Senior-level: 5+ years as a company dancer, principal/soloist, or lead performer with touring and recording credits.

Preferred:

  • 2+ years with a professional dance company, commercial/film credits, or national/international touring experience.
  • Demonstrated track record of learning complex repertoire quickly, performing under varied technical conditions, and contributing to creative development.
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