choreographer

A choreographer is a person who conceives, organizes, and arranges dance movements into a cohesive sequence for performances or media. This role involves interpreting music and theme to create movement vocabulary, pacing, and structure, and it often includes teaching and rehearsing dancers in staging, spacing, timing, and cues.

In collaboration with directors, composers, designers, and producers, choreographers translate artistic concepts into concrete movement and oversee the rehearsal process. They may create blocking patterns on stage, develop transitions between sections, and adapt material to different dancer bodies, levels, and safety considerations. In film and television, they may work with dance captains or movement directors and may choreograph fight sequences or stunt work as needed.

Choreographers work across genres such as ballet, contemporary, hip hop, tap, musical theatre, and circus, as well as in educational, community, and competitive settings. Some are primarily artistic directors, shaping the repertoire of a company, while others focus on a single production or a dance film. Notation and recording of choreography can involve written counts, video references, or movement notation systems.

Typical training includes formal dance study, exposure to choreography, and experience as a dancer or assistant in productions. The career path often combines freelance work with commissions from companies or schools. Essential skills include musicality, leadership, communication, problem solving, and an understanding of safety and alignment.

Prominent choreographers such as George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Bob Fosse, Twyla Tharp, Pina Bausch, and Akram Khan have shaped the development of dance across styles, influencing both technique and stagecraft. The term 'choreography' can also apply to movement design in film, theatre, and live events.