The Strong Interest Inventory® Assessment is driven by the notion that optimizing career performance hinges on finding the right match between an individual and their workplace environment. Since 1927, this approach has been refined and revised, resulting in a comprehensive two-step system designed to help individuals find their ideal career. The first step is a personal assessment of an individual’s preferred jobs, activities, and subjects. The results of this assessment are then compared to a database of responses from professionals currently working in a number of careers. Based on this analysis, individuals are recommended from one to three of six different Career Theme Code Categories. For instance, a career in Dancing falls into The Strong Interest Inventory® Artistic Career Theme Code Category because of its emphasis on performance and personal expression. Individuals who prefer Artistic Careers are creative and thrive when their self-expression is valued.

Dancers are masters of performing arts, executing dances on stage for live audiences, for video recording, and for on-air broadcasting. While each performance may be just a few minutes or hours long, days and even months of preparation go into each minute spent on stage. In this time, Dancers must train, exercise, and attend dance classes and workshops to attain and maintain high levels of technical ability, physical agility, and fitness. They earn their livelihood based on their physical ability, and spend time developing those skills. They learn and rehearse dance moves and routines, and, if they are performing with other individuals, synchronize their movement not only with the music but also with other performers. Dancers also work closely with choreographers, directors, and other professionals to learn, refine, and modify steps or routines based on their own preferences, or perhaps to the characters they are trying to portray through dance. These modifications may be tweaked over time based on the feedback of other performers or stakeholders. Dancers also attend costume fittings, photography sessions, and other events relating to the promotion or preparation for a performance.

In addition to the “on-the-job” expectations, Dancers also devote significant time to their career development independently. For instance, they need to find and audition for dance roles or membership in dance companies or troupes. They also should remain aware of current trends and innovations in the field, and need to constantly remain aware of their own bodies, including physical abilities and limitations. Some Dancers also double as choreographers and teachers, or even as singers or actors, depending on the requirements of specific roles. All of these additional skills take time and dedication to develop and to market.

Dancers typically do not need to use sophisticated technology, though they may need to record sequences or use music players, and use a cell phone or personal organizer to schedule appearances. However, they use a range of different dance tools, including balance equipment, balance balls, athletic footwear, and more, all of which are essential to honing their performance and appearance. Their knowledge hinges on fine arts and their skills on flexibility, dynamic strength, and body coordination. Dancers need to have an extraordinary degree of control over their physical expression and movements. However, they typically lack extensive formal education, with 47% holding less than a High School Diploma, 35% holding a High School Diploma or equivalent, and just 14% holding a Bachelor’s Degree. On the other hand, the sophisticated skills needed to be a successful Dancer are developed almost entirely through practice and real-world experience outside the classroom.

Dancers’ median salary nationwide is just $13.74 per hour, with annual data unavailable in most of the country. In some states, like Illinois, Dancer’s maximum income can approach $40 per hour. However, these cases are few and far between. In most states, even the top 10% of Dancers are paid between $20 and $30 per hour. The lowest-paid Dancers earn minimum wage. Employment rates for Dancers are projected to rise slightly before 2024, with roughly 600 jobs projected to be added nationwide in the next decade, particularly in fast-growing states like California, New York, Texas, Nevada, and Colorado. On the other hand, much of the Midwest and deep South is more stagnant, and employment statistics in less populated states, such as Kansas and Nebraska, is not available.

Below are some employment trends for Dancers:

• Median Salary: $13.74/hour; no annual information available
• Employment: 13,000 employees
• Projected growth (2014-2024): Average (5% to 8%)
• Projected job openings (2014-2024): 4,800

[Information retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and 2014-2024 employment projections]

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Gain access to your best-fit careers, occupational preferences and interests with these career based Strong Interest Inventory® Assessments:

 

Explore our Strong Interest Inventory® Blog Pages:

• Strong Interest Inventory Realistic Theme Explained 
• Strong Interest Inventory Artistic Theme Explained
• Strong Interest Inventory Investigative Theme Explained 
• Strong Interest Inventory Social Theme Explained 
• Strong Interest Inventory Enterprising Theme Explained 
• Strong Interest Inventory Conventional Theme Explained 

Assessment Categories

References

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and 2012-2022 employment projections Onetonline.org