Choreography as a Career

Alternative Careers | November 6, 2010 | Share

If a boring 9 – 5 job scares you and you are looking for an alternative career option, you have to work towards identifying what it is that you have a passion for. For those who have a passion for dance, there are a number of career opportunities that break away from the mundane. You could either become a part of a dance troupe or you could look at making some money by making people dance to your tunes. Yes, a choreographer is a great career option and like Saroj Khan and Farah Khan you too could look at making Bollywood your life.

OK, if you want to stay away from the glitzy and glamorous and highly chaotic world of Bollywood but still want to pursue the option there are a number of ways in which you can do it.

You do not need an education to qualify you as a choreographer. Professional training always helps though as it works on inculcating a sense of discipline in your style of teaching. However if you are gifted and have been dancing your way through life, you do not need to go to school to teach dancing. However you need a plan. A plan that will help you set up base and teach dance to those who are willing to learn.

Choreography basically means setting steps to a song and ensuring that the people involved follow the steps and go in tune to what you have visualised. It may take years to perfect the art of choreography, but for those who enjoy dancing and enjoy teaching, you will feel like you do not have to work a day in your life. Choreography requires a lot of patience as not everyone is as gifted as you may be. You have to be willing invest time and energy in teaching people the steps and you have to guide them and keep track of their performance.

The opportunities are varied and you could make money by starting your own little dance school or teaching groups of people who are looking to set up a performance in school college or their best friend’s sangeet party.

As a choreographer you have to spend a lot of time doing home work. You have to keep track of the latest tracks that people might like dancing too and develop your own routine to it. You may have to vary each track to fit in anything from two to ten dancers. From fast English songs to slow paced hindi romantic songs that the bride and bridegroom can dance to at their wedding should be provisioned for.

Once your popularity grows so will your bank balance. It is essential that you have a pleasing personality and know how to deal with people because understanding people and designing steps that they can master is a part of the profession of a choreographer. If you are overly ambitious you could go on to setting up your own dance troupe and dance your way to glory at various events that need the assistance of dance troupes for entertainment.

Charu Anjane