Make Money

How to Make Money as a Dancer (20 Ways & Companies That Pay)

September 18, 2022

Dancing is one of the oldest professions and one of the most enjoyable for many.

When the music takes control it’s hard not to move to a friendly beat.

However, if your passion leaves you broke, it’s time to change your strategy.

In this comprehensive and helpful article, you will learn how to keep the beat while also keeping some cash.

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Why Make Money as a Dancer?

Dancing is something that everyone loves. There are over thirty different genres to choose from.

Whether you like ballet, jazz, ballroom, or folklore, there’s an audience to show your skills to.

Learning a dance is the easy part but getting paid for it can be difficult.

Keep reading to learn of the best ways and tips to get your rhythm flowing, body moving, and pay checks rolling in.

20 Best Ways to Make Money as a Dancer

1. Show Off Your Choreographer Skills

Being a professional dancer isn’t easy and it’s likely that your skills took years of practice to learn.

If the gigs that you are landing aren’t enough to keep you afloat, why not get paid to show others the ropes?

By moonlighting as a choreographer, you can teach others what you know and book jobs like music videos, special events or even movie scenes.

See how much it pays to show Off Your Choreographer Skills

2. Consider A Group Collaboration

Some of the best dancers are still widely unknown because they haven’t built up the proper audience yet.

This can change in a matter of hours with a chance collaboration with a well-known artist.

All it takes is a chance meetup or the right audition for a group and you could get discovered or hired out as an extra on the latest videos or an add on to a world famous dance troupe.

3. Create A Video Tutorial

YouTube is the number one social media platform for showing off fresh talent.

Some of the top performers earn millions of dollars per year from hundreds of thousands of fans.

By creating some online dance tutorials, you can help aspiring dancers learn everything from how to pose, the latest moves, and the best tips all from the comfort of your home or studio.

The brand sponsorships and private lesson offers you will receive won’t hurt your pockets either.

4. Offer Private Dance Lessons

Private dance lessons are a really convenient way to boost your income. The best dancers in the world have needed help from time to time.

You can also offer these in flexible locations and with price ranges based on the level of help that you need to provide.

Setup costs can stay low by using some basic marketing ideas like the following:

Print neighborhood flyers
Pass out business cards
Advertise in local classifieds
Pitch people on your Facebook group

Also See: How to Earn Money and Get Paid to Write Slogans.

5. Join The Juilliard School

Julliard is one of the most, if not the most prestigious schools in the world.

With an acceptance rate of less than 7% they have been training future actors, dancers, actresses, and Broadway stars for generations.

Dance Teachers or Professors can earn an average annual salary of $72,000.

You even take your passion for teaching dance abroad by applying for a position in the Tianjin region of China.

Their alumni and previously accepted students include celebrities like:

Lady Gaga
Tito Puente
Lisa Gay Hamilton
Elizabeth Sung
Lar Lubavitch
Daniel Lewis

Click here to check out Juilliard School

6. Join The American Ballet Theatre

American Ballet Theatre is a classical company known for producing some of the most talented and decorated ballerinas in the entire world.

The institution has been churning out Prima Ballerinas for close to a century now.

Notable dancers who have been with the company include:

Ivan Allen
Misty Copeland
Vladimir Malakhov
Sarah Lane

As a ballet dancer you can earn between $14,000 per year up to $256,000 depending on your level of training and expertise.

Click here to check out American Ballet Theatre

7. Write About Dance

Many professional or up and coming dancers are starting to give the world a glimpse into what it’s like to truly be one.

One of the best ways to tell your story is to put it in writing.

By blogging about dance life, you can reach a massive audience and talk about everything from tips, to struggles, to clothing or anything else that comes with the world of dancing.

Check out the following dance bloggers who are making up to five figures:

8. Perform At Dance Competitions

Dance competitions are a hugely popular way to get discovered and potentially catch your next break.

They are also known for paying out hefty prizes as long as you can place in the top three.

Most of the best competitions are put on in the big city areas due to the number of contestants that are usually involved.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t do street or neighborhood contests if you live in rural areas.

Some of the most well-known competitions like Nuvo can earn you up to $200,000 in instant prize money.

Also See: Tips for Making Money as a Music Producer & Making Money Selling Song Lyrics.

9. Join Need Dancers

Need Dancers is a site that aims to take dancers from across the continent and connect them with employers seeking raw talent to join their team.

You can sign up with their company and get instant access to production companies, ballet theatres, dance troupes and more.

As a freelancer you can enjoy part-time or full-time work to fit your schedule.

Although all types of dancers are welcome, offering for the following types of dance are currently featured:

Modern
Hip Hop
Ballet
Ballroom
Musical Theatre
Tap
Jazz
Character

Visit this link to check out Need Dancers

10. Join the Dance Fitness Movement

Athletes, fitness instructors, and dancers are some of the healthiest and toned people in the country.

Combining the two provides a double dose of benefits.

You may already be familiar with brands like Dance Body, Zumba, or Buti Yoga, which have become pretty mainstream.

So how about creating or taking part in your own?

Becoming a dance fitness instructor allows you to stay fit, develop a following, and become part of a movement.

Click here to check out Dance Fitness Movement

Also See: How to Get Paid and Make Money Writing Erotica & How to Make Money Shoveling Snow.

11. Become a Dance Circuit Judge

Many dancers travel the dance circuit and enter a string of competitions while winning cash and prizes along the way.

Again, this company has paid $25+ million to members:

Lots of those competitions have judges that accompany them from one city or state to another.

By becoming a dance circuit judge yourself, you can critique and inspire up and coming talent in a variety of genres.

If you have an outgoing personality, you may even be sponsored to judge on famous show competitions like “Dancing with the Stars”, or “America’s Got Talent”.

Top salaries are in the range of $150,000 to $300,000 per year in some cases.

Check out how to Become a Dance Circuit Judge

12. Try Your Hands at Videography

Some of the coolest videos ever produced are carefully curated by a team of production crew, videographers, and of course dancers.

However, it’s the videographers that are the glue to pulling together a brilliant performance in just the right light to highlight the perfect moves.

Trying out videography may be just the step that you need to take your love of the art to the next level.

Click here to check out Hands at Videography

13. Try out for A Sports Team

The Rockettes aren’t the only regimented and nationally recognized dancers around.

If you enjoy checking out sports and don’t mind dancing for a crowd while traveling throughout the year, then a sports team may be for you.

The NBA currently has at least 30 teams to choose from and many come with their own set of cheerleaders and dancers.

You can put on a show as a Lakers Girl, Brooklynette, or any of the following:

A-Town Dancers
Celtics Dancers
Charlotte Honey Bees
Chicago Luvabulls
Cavs PowerHouse Dance Team
Nuggets Dancers
Grizz Girls
Pace Mates
Suns Dancers
Sixers Dancers
Thunder Girls
Wizards Dancers
Jazz Dancers
Energee
Heat Dancers
Magic dancers

Click here to check out A Sports Team

14. Join Dance Icons

Dance Icons or the International Consortium for Advancement in Choreography Inc is an agency that provides a network full of opportunities for celebrities, artists, choreographers, and dancers for three decades.

Although they don’t hire you directly in many cases, they do connect you with lots of mainstream companies in the entertainment world.

A quick sign up could have you earning thousands and on tour with access to industry powerhouses like IMG Artists, Lotus Arts Entertainment, and KMP Artists.

Click here to check out Dance Icons

15. Be Flexible in Your Dance Style

There are many dance programs that cater to a wide range of dancers and audiences.

Some of these offer a variety of opportunities to dancers in different genres.

Sites like Dancing Opportunities provide dancers with a list of auditions, open castings, work opportunities and more.

You can even participate in their online training sessions and apply to enter one of their easy dance programs.

Click here to check out Dancing Opportunities

16. Join Entertainers Worldwide

Entertainers Worldwide is a company that aggregates jobs from across the world.

They have thousands of auditions and short term or long term gigs from every industry that you can imagine.

You can earn up to $25,000 each month with some of their gigs in addition to commissions.

This may be your chance to break into the cruise ship industry, world touring, or theme parks.

Click here to check out Entertainers Worldwide

17. Book Freelance Events

Sometimes people have all different types of celebrations.

On occasion they will book a celebrity, dancer or other types of entertainment for their guests.

By booking freelance events, you can perform at different places and possibly gain word of mouth referrals too.

You may even be able to require a higher payment for an impromptu performance.

18. Be A Music Video Extra

Many times, when producers are shooting music videos, they may hire additional performers, extra models for certain scenes and set directors.

They also hire backup dancers, which gives a huge amount of potential exposure.

As a highly sought-after backup dancer you can make as much as $250,000 per year or more.

Click here to Be A Music Video Extra

Talking about modeling, check out the following for more ways to earn as a model:

19. Shine As a Show Girl

Vegas is the land of lights, action, money and the rich -n- famous. They say, “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”.

Luckily not what happens on the stage.

Not when it comes to your performances in some of the most expensive hotels.

Being a showgirl allows you to dance on the Vegas Strip, travel the country, and earn more than $2,000 per show.

Check this out for more on how to Shine As a Show Girl

20. Join NY Castings

NY Castings is actually a Nevada based company that offers auditions or castings to some of the hottest theatres in Las Vegas, New York, or any other state.

They offer a variety of jobs ranging from promotional models to voice over actors.

If you have great speaking or singing skills, then you can take advantage of twice the opportunity.

As a perk they allow you to sign up for memberships ranging from $14 to $300 for the highest benefit level.

Click here to check out NY Castings

Making Money Dancing FAQs

How Many Styles of Dance Are There?

There are countless different styles of dance.

As traditional ones are mastered, and re-invented new sub-genres are being created with different collaborations.

Lately many people have even begun choreographing them with viral popularity on social media and elsewhere.

How Can I Make Money Dancing Online?

You can make money from the different ways revealed in this article, such as teaching students, giving tutorials or blogging about dancing online.

Once you have an audience then you can try out for live competitions, perform at events, travel with dance crews or music artists.

Can You Get Paid as a Dancer?

Yes, you can get paid as a dancer, as revealed in the above ways to make money.

You can make lots of money as a dancer, but it will take years of practice or the right opportunity to get there.

Many of the best dancers in videos, Broadway performances, or worldwide competitions have been in the industry for a while and command high salaries.

Conclusion

Dancing is a way of life for people all across the world and it’s also one of the most popular career choices for creative artists.

This article revealed some of the very best ways to capitalize on your dance skills to make money.

Again, this company has paid $25+ million to members: