Dance Instructors
Overview
Introduction
People take dance classes as a first step to becoming a professional dancer, to improve their skills so that they can enter amateur or professional dance competitions, or simply to have fun or to learn basic dance skills for a specific social event such as a high school reunion. Dance instructors teach dance moves and techniques to individuals and groups. They may specialize in one or more dance genres such as ballet, ballroom, tap, jazz, or hip-hop. Dance instructors are also known as dance educators, dance teachers, and
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
In October 2019, full-time dance instructors received average salaries of $35,844, according to PayScale.com. Salaries ranged from $25,000 to $58,000 annually.
Full-time self-enrichment education teachers earned salaries that ranged from $18,620 to $71,170 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Many dance instructors are employed only part time and, as such, they ...
Work Environment
The work environment for dance instructors varies based on their employer. For example, instructors who are employed by private dance studios might be required to work at night and on weekends, when most students have time to take classes. At colleges and universities, dance professors may only teach two or three classes a semester, but spend many hours getting ready for classes, preparing asse...
Outlook
Employment opportunities should continue to be good for dance instructors, but it’s important to remember that many positions are part time and do not provide a lot of job security. The research firm IBISWorld reports that in 2018, the dance studio industry generated $4 billion in revenue. As Americans become more enamored of dance competitions and dance-oriented television, cable, and streamin...