In the world of dance, there are some people who are just born to learn dances and perform them on stage, while there are others born to impart knowledge and become dance choreographers. The art of dance has become extremely popular in the mainstream cultures today, and has even taken over the airwaves on television channels thanks to dance competition shows that have become hugely popular on TV. These shows, as well as traditional types of dance performances have opened up opportunities for dance choreographers to work and express themselves, while allowing dancers to give their interpretation on certain dance moves and styles.

Becoming a dance choreographer usually requires many years of experience. In many cases, choreographers are actually dancers who have retired and have decided to focus on creating dances as opposed to actually performing. Most dance choreographers who started out as dancers themselves feel the need to give back to the art by imparting some of the knowledge they learned while dancing.

Dance choreographers are very important to a dance school or even a television dance show because they are charged with the responsibility of creating original dances and also to develop new interpretations of existing styles. Apart from working in dance schools, many choreographers work in theaters, fashion shows as well as movie studios because there is always some kind of choreography that is needed in those areas as well.

The field of dance is quite strenuous for anybody who is seriously involved in it, and there are often stresses and strains on the body that result from years of participating in this activity. As a result, many dancers have to stop performing by their late 30s, and end up going into choreography because they still have a love for the art form. However, it is important to note that becoming a choreographer requires that you have completed some kind of college program in dance and education to be able to teach in college, high school or lower level schools. Other attributes that dance colleges look for when hiring choreographers include self-discipline, teamwork abilities, perseverance, patience, problem-solving skills, devotion and the ability to work well with people. Having the mere talent of being able to teach people how to dance is not enough especially when working with students in college and high school programs.

In 2008, the number of jobs being done by dance choreographers was approximately 16,200, with the median annual wages amounting to $38,520. The lowest 10% of choreographers earned less than $17,000, while the highest 10% earned more than $67,000. Many places that employ choreographers usually allow them to be entitled to sick leave and other benefits. While choreography may not necessarily be a top paying job for the majority, it is still an industry that many retired dancers go into because they love the art so much.

Dance choreographers are happy with their jobs in most cases because the get to express themselves using an art that they love and that perhaps many of them had performed in before becoming choreographers.