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Dancer & Choreographer

Creative

Create new dance routines. Rehearse performance of routines. May direct and stage presentations.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Creative Arts & Media

In Malaysia

Malaysia has few commercial dance companies, so steady dance jobs are largely in government cultural troupes. JKKN, Istana Budaya and city halls such as DBKL hire dancers as 'Artis Budaya' on the civil-service Bakat dan Seni scheme. Beyond these troupes, most dancers freelance, choreograph for events, TV and theme parks, or teach at dance studios and schools.

How people get into it here
Entry is by audition. With SPM and proven talent you can apply for Artis Budaya Grade B1, or take a diploma or degree in dance (ASWARA's Faculty of Dance offers Choreography and Performance) and enter at Grade B5 or work freelance and in companies.

Sources:aswara.edu.myspa.gov.mydocs.jpa.gov.mydbkl.gov.my

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in dance steps and in techniques to achieve desired effects.
  2. 2Advise dancers on standing and moving properly, teaching correct dance techniques to help prevent injuries.
  3. 3Teach students, dancers, and other performers about rhythm and interpretive movement.
  4. 4Direct and stage dance presentations for various forms of entertainment.
  5. 5Record dance movements and their technical aspects, using a technical understanding of the patterns and formations of choreography.
  6. 6Choose the music, sound effects, or spoken narrative to accompany a dance.
  7. 7Experiment with different types of dancers, steps, dances, and placements, testing ideas informally to get feedback from dancers.
  8. 8Seek influences from other art forms, such as theatre, the visual arts, and architecture.
  9. 9Develop ideas for creating dances, keeping notes and sketches to record influences.
  10. 10Coordinate production music with music directors.
  11. 11Design dances for individual dancers, dance companies, musical theatre, opera, fashion shows, film, television productions, and special events, and for dancers ranging from beginners to professionals.
  12. 12Audition performers for one or more dance parts.
  13. 13Assess students' dancing abilities to determine where improvement or change is needed.
  14. 14Design sets, lighting, costumes, and other artistic elements of productions, in collaboration with cast members.
  15. 15Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness.
  16. 16Read and study story lines and musical scores to determine how to translate ideas and moods into dance movements.
  17. 17Manage dance schools, or assist in their management.
  18. 18Restage traditional dances and works in dance companies' repertoires, developing new interpretations.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Dance Maker
  • Dance Master
  • Choreographer
  • Choreographers
  • Dance Director
  • Dancing Master
  • Ballet Director
  • Dance Instructor
  • Dance Choreographer
  • Opera Choreographer

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. Typical entry

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Visual Art (PSV)Draws directly on Fine Arts — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BusinessDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Fine Arts90%

    Visual Art (PSV)

  • Education and Training66%
  • Production and Processing65%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Administration and Management65%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Design62%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • Communications and Media62%

    EnglishBahasa Melayu

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicHigh
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherRarely
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent sittingA little

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Plan and direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in dance steps and in techniques to achieve desired effects.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

14%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Broadcast Journalist / Media Producer

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Choreographers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org