Dance Professor

Passionate about their craft and eager to share it with the world, Dance Professors teach students how to tell stories not through words, but through movement. In this job, you choreograph dances, choose costumes, and instruct your students on everything from proper footing to keeping the rhythm.

As a Professor, you teach at the college level, which means your students already know their pliés from their pirouettes. It’s time to move beyond the basics and help each Dancer find his or her style.

What can you teach? Jazz, ballet, interpretive dance — the list goes on. Many Dance Professors teach multiple classes throughout the semester, so one morning, you may find yourself twirling in a tutu, only to shimmy into tap shoes for your afternoon class. Regardless of the type of dance, your job is to plan out dance routines and help students stick tricky moves. Homework assignments are always the same: practice, practice, practice.

In between your classes, you’re in the office dealing with the business side of your profession. Dance routines must be written out, and your semester lesson plans keep your Department Head up to date on what you’ll teach each year.

Of course, office drudgery is kept to a minimum. As a Dance Professor, you focus mainly on picking the music, the costumes, and the moves that bring a class or a dance rehearsal to life.