Choreographer Resume: Templates & Writing Guide

You’re great at creating dance moves and teaching them to others as a Choreographer. But, are you having trouble coordinating your resume? If that’s the case, use our resume templates to have an easy time getting your resume into the right rhythm.

View in fullscreen
Siobhan Brier
Written by
Siobhan Brier
Updated on March 26, 2024

Whether it’s piecing together beautiful and intricate dance numbers, working alongside other performance professionals, or leading lively rehearsals, the responsibilities of a choreographer require taste and precision.

A strong and thoughtful resume can significantly increase your ability to stand out from the crowd.

When it comes time to find a job, there’s no better way to show you’ve got what it takes than by letting your qualifications and experiences take center stage. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss all the ins and outs of creating a choreographer resume that’s better than the competition, including:

  • How to decide on a resume format and the best way to organize your information
  • The best way to use the choreographer job description to help showcase your suitability for the role.
  • Suggestions for soft and hard skills to include on your resume
  • How to use power words and keywords that can make the difference between an average and killer resume

Looking to branch out into another related job in the world of the performing arts? Check out these similar resume guides for more tips and guidance:

Choreographer Resume Sample

Firstly, take a look at our choreographer resume example below. Designed to show you the best organization and writing techniques for a strong choreographer resume, this example serves as a great guide. 

Resume Example
Copied!

[Lindsey Hall]

[Choreographer]

[CA 15423 | 555-555-5555 | hall.lindsey@randomemail.com]

Summary

Creative and performance-driven choreographer with 5+ years of experience who excels at creating dance routines, directing and monitoring rehearsals, and educating students on different dance styles. Awarded “Best Hip-Hop Performance” by the Dance Awards 2 years in a row. Former American Theatre Ballet Dancer.

Experience 

Choreographer 

Gramercy Theatre, New York City 

2020 – Present

  • Choreographed various dance routines and performances for several theatrical plays and musicals, such as Angels of America and Yerma.
  • Auditioned over 500 dancers for roles in the studio’s annual performance.
  • Performed at the Gramercy Theatre Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Assistant Choreographer 

Julliard University, New York City 

2017-2020

  • Maintained the production calendar for live productions.
  • Directed 50 students in advanced choreography for a studio showcase.
  • Taught complex dance movements of both intermediate and advanced levels in the genre of ballet and hip-hop to over 30 students.
  • Scheduled one-on-one sessions with students who required extra help to individualize attention and help them excel.

Education 

Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance

Santa Monica University | Santa Monica, CA

2016

  • Graduated magna cum laude with a 3.77 GPA
  • Vice President, Events Club and Dance Club
  • Relevant Coursework: Music and Theater, Advanced Art, Dance Theory, Jazz Studio

Skills

  • Soft skills: Flexibility, Agility, Mindfulness, Integrity, Teamwork, Critical Thinking
  • Hard skills: Weight Transfer, Gestures, Pathways, Floor Work, Dynamics, Facial Expressions, Understanding Music 

Certificates

  • Dancer (American Ballet Theatre, 2016)
  • Dance Theory (Secured First Place, 2016)

As you prepare your resume for the dance job you are looking for, be sure to consider the key information listed above.

What’s the Best Choreographer Resume Format?

A strong resume format ensures that the content of your resume is easily readable and visually appealing. 

Firstly, consider what level of experience you have. Unless you’re an expert choreographer with more than a decade of experience, your finished document doesn’t need to be longer than a single page.

Even the most experienced professionals may find that a single page with their most recent qualifications works best; too much information makes a quick read-through of your resume impossible.

It’s possible to be concise while still filling your resume with valuable information. You’ll just need to make use of some of your creative and problem-solving skills!

Most recruiting professionals prefer to see a resume in the reverse chronological format. This ensures that your most recent work experience is listed first, working backward in time.

This organizational style focuses the recruiter’s attention on your most relevant (and likely your top) qualifications quickly and efficiently.

Check out these other important tips you should follow when making your choreographer resume:

  • Stick to a professional font. Choose a clean, professional-looking font like Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, Georgia, etc., and stick to it throughout your resume.
  • Use single-line spacing. It’s best to stick to either single-line or 1.15-line spacing as you draft your resume. This will help keep things readable. 
  • Keep your headings bold. This keeps your resume organized by making it simple for hiring managers to navigate and read it.
  • Send your resume as a PDF. Unless the job description says otherwise, submit your resume as a PDF. This format maintains layout consistency for everyone. 

Once you have learned what content to include, you can review our resume templates to help you make your perfect choreographer’s resume with just a few clicks.

How to Write a Choreographer Resume Summary or Resume Objective

If you’re looking to steal the show, it’s key that you add a well-written resume headline or introduction at the top of your page. You can choose to write either a resume summary or objective to outline your strengths from the word go.

A resume summary could be likened to an “elevator pitch.” When done well, it should give your employer an idea of what the rest of your resume has to offer in a short, digestible few sentences.

If you have a lot of relevant expertise in the industry, you should always choose to write a resume summary. This will showcase specific experiences to highlight your greatest skills and accomplishments.

If you’re a choreographer with less experience or a recent graduate, you might choose to include a resume objective. This emphasizes skills and what you can offer to a potential employer.

💡top tip

You may find it helpful to write your resume headline and summary at the end of the drafting process. Not only does this give you more time to reflect on what you might want to include, but it also gives you a chance to determine how much relevant experience you truly have.

Choreographer Resume Summary Example

Below, we’ve presented examples of a choreographer’s resume professional summary, one of which is weaker and the other of which is strong. 

It’s good to remember that this introduction should reference specific experiences, achievements, and skills that you have gained over the years.

Both of the below examples describe the candidate as a choreographer, but which one do you think would grab a recruiter’s attention?

Wrong ❌

Experienced choreographer with 3 years of experience teaching dance and creating routines at the University. Great at leading, engaging, and motivating groups, even with students and much more.

The above example only partially informs the recruiter about the potential choreographer’s personality, method, and skill set.

Right ✅

Classically-trained and passionate dancer with 3 years of experience. Trained at the Academy of Dance. Worked as a lead dancer at the Cartwright Theater for Performing Arts and performed as Juliet in 10 productions of Romeo and Juliet (2013-2014). Hoping to utilize dancing and performance skills at ABC Theater.

How to Write an Entry-Level Choreographer Resume Objective

As we’ve already discussed, a resume objective is a better choice if you don’t have much work experience.

However, these days, a summary can include experience outside of the workplace, such as stage shows you have performed in, certifications you have gained, extracurricular activities, or volunteer work you have done.

Don’t be afraid to share the experience that you do have, even if it’s not related to the field. 

Entry-Level Choreographer Resume Objective

Here is an example objective from a dancer’s resume that doesn’t do enough to stand out:

Wrong ❌

Learned new choreographies and steps and performed them on stage. Ordered costumes and props for the gigs.

What’s wrong with this? To start with, it doesn’t give potential employers quite enough detail. You want to be as specific as possible when drafting a resume objective.

A better way to put it would be :

Right ✅

Trained classical and modern routines and learned new choreography under John Smith’s supervision. Ordered costumes and props for performances. Worked with my fellow dancers in the troupe to ensure harmony in both movement and collaboration.

How to Describe Your Choreographer Experience

Employers want to know that you will use all of your prior relevant experience as a choreographer to benefit their organization. 

That’s where your work experience section comes into play. This is where you can emphasize your credentials and successes to show you’re the best dancer for the job.

You can position yourself for success if you can link two things—what you have done in your career as a dancer, and what the recruiter wants.

Your experience section is a great time to tailor your resume to each job you’re interested in

When creating your resume, it’s a good idea to refer to a choreographer job description. This will help you understand what your potential employer is looking for in particular. Look carefully at the keywords listed in the job description and make sure you use similar words in your resume.

💡top tip

As you write your dancer resume, action verbs should be your best friend. These are verbs that read as positive and powerful while adding some diversity to your writing. Try using a thesaurus to avoid using the same words over and over. You might use the word “communicated” instead of “talked,” for instance.

Choreographer Resume Examples: Experience

Many of the suggestions and methods we’ve covered up to this point apply to your experience section. 

Below are a few examples of how you may describe your experience as a choreographer.

Again, just because an example is “wrong” doesn’t automatically make it terrible. It just has some room for improvement!

Wrong ❌

Choreographer 

SUNY Westbury, NY

2015-2018

  • Ballerina.
  • National Tours: San Francisco Opera House and Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara.

Right ✅

Choreographer 

SUNY Westbury, NY

Ballerina 

2015 – 2018

  • Performed Jane Eyre, Bliss! and Swan Lake throughout the Fall Season in 25 individual productions.
  • National tours: San Francisco Opera House and Grenada Theatre in Santa Barbara. 
  • International Tours: Marinsky Theatre at St. Petersberg 

Entry-Level Choreographer Resume: Experience Section

Don’t worry if you’re seeking a career as a choreographer but lack experience. You’ll be relieved to learn that building a solid resume for a choreographer job with no experience is absolutely achievable.

Showcase your full skill set by utilizing the knowledge and abilities you’ve picked up along the way, even if they came from a non-paid experience such as an internship, or volunteer position.

Here’s an example of a entry-level experience section from a dancer’s choreography resume:

Wrong ❌

Dancer

2018 – 2022

  • Assisted senior choreographers to reach kids and adults
  • Taught different dance styles four times a week
  • Choreographed university graduation dance and basketball final dance

Right ✅

Entertainment Director

2018 – 2022

  • Assisted senior choreographers in teaching students ranging from 8 to 54 years old..
  • Taught personal classes in hip-hop, contemporary, and jazz four times a week for three different batches.
  • Choreographed graduation ceremony and inter-college basketball final routine in front of an audience of 20,000.

Give Your Education Section the Right Guidance

Even though not all choreographic jobs call for formal schooling such as a degree, this section may help you establish your credentials. The formatting may change based on your level of education.

List your school, the year you graduated, and any related achievements you may have. It’s typically only necessary to list these things for your high school years if it’s the highest level of education you’ve completed.

💡top tip

Only include your GPA in your resume if you’ve got less than a year or two of job experience and if your GPA was higher than a 3.5. This applies to both high school and post-secondary education.

Choreographer Resume Education Section

Below is an example of how to keep your choreographer’s resume’s education section interesting:

Wrong ❌

B.A in Dance Performance

Santa Monica University

2010 – 2013

  • GPA- 2.8
  • Part of the events club. Had fun at the drama club. 
  • Attended dance-related and performance-related seminars.

Right ✅

Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance

Santa Monica University | Santa Monica, CA

2010 – 2013

  • Graduated magna cum laude with a 3.8 GPA
  • Vice President, Events Club, and Dance Club
  • Led a monthly discussion panel with guest speakers. 
  • Relevant Coursework: Music and Theater, Arts and Crafts, Dance Theory, Movements Theory.

The Best Choreographer Skills for a Resume

What are the skills of a good choreographer, and which of them do you excel at? The answers to these questions should be clear and reflect in your skills section.

Your choreography skills section will consist of both soft skills and hard skills

Hard skills are those that are specific to a field and are learned or received through training, whereas soft skills are more generic abilities that can be used in the majority of other professions.

Take a look at these examples that a dancer’s skills section might need to feature to get a job in choreography.

Soft Skills

  • Motivation
  • Discipline
  • Resilience
  • Stamina
  • Flexibility
  • Agility
  • Mental endurance
  • Active learning
  • Attention to detail
  • Communication
  • Teamwork

Hard Skills

  • Movement memory
  • Understanding music
  • Gestures
  • Pathways
  • Weight transfer
  • Stillness
  • Floor work
  • Facial expressions 
  • Rhythmics 
  • Understanding space
  • Dynamics

How to Add Other Sections for an Effective Resume

Finally, adding extra sections to your resume can help yours shoot straight to the top of the pile. 

Whether you’re updating your resume to tailor it for a specific role or starting from scratch, you can add more sections to it beyond the usual suspects that we have already covered.

Think of this part as the cherry on top. It’s a great supplement to your resume that highlights any additional abilities and successes that you’d like to share.

💡top tip

If you have certificates showing you’ve attended and successfully passed dance training or other dance classes, be sure to add these to your resume. These are great bonus certificates to have on your resume.

Choreographer Resume Sample Certification Section

When adding extra information to your choreographer resume, you’ll want to make sure that it’s relevant to the job and describes something truly unique and important about you.

Right ✅

Certificates

  • Contemporary Crash Course 101 (1 MILLION Dance Studio, 2020)
  • Hip-Hop and Hype Certificate (Z-Boyz Dance Academy, 2019)

As a choreographer, there is no harm in going beyond what is in this guide to incorporate sections of your own, as long as you follow the right format and structure and keep it organized, professional, and simple to read.

Key Takeaways

In this guide, we covered all you need to know to take your choreographer resume to the next level, including:

  • Remember that, depending on the varying degrees of expertise, a dancer or choreographer’s resume should feature either a resume objective or a resume summary
  • You must create separate sections for education, professional experience, and skills to compartmentalize and highlight what you bring to the table.
  • How to include any additional “Other” certifications and credentials you may hold to create a unique resume.

We hope we have guided you through the process of making the ideal resume!

If you ever need any extra advice, just use our AI resume builder to access ready-made templates that you can easily customize. It serves as a great choreographer resume maker and can save you hours that would be much better spent on your writing.

Free Resume Templates

Using resume templates that are proven to work will help you to move your career search forward. Start and customize as many resumes as you need with our free resume builder .