How to become a dancer
Official title: Dancer
Also called: Ballet dancer, Contemporary dancer, Performer, Ballroom dancer, Commercial dancer, Jazz dancer, Hip hop dancer
Dancers perform choreographed routines to music using body movements to express ideas and emotions. They may perform in dance recitals, theatre productions, gigs, television shows and films.
Main tasks
- Perform dances
- Learn choreography
- Choreograph new dances
- Rehearse dances
- Audition for roles
- Develop performance concepts
- Train others to dance
- Maintain fitness
How to become one
You need experience to become a dancer and a qualification may be useful. You usually need Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in your relevant dance form. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Dance (Level 4); a New Zealand Diploma in Dance (Level 5 or 6); a Bachelor of Dance Studies.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in dance. TEC links this job to study in performing arts. Qualifications: Dip in Dance Performance, NZ Dip in Dance. Usually 2 to 2.5 years. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $37,000 a year one year after study and $56,000 five years after; 32% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Median pay: $55,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $89,000 a year
- TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $26.44 an hour.
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
- People employed in the group Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers: 1,275 at the 2018 Census and 1,491 at the 2023 Census (+16.9%). Past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- About 150 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers, 48% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers work (2023 Census): Auckland 49.2%, Wellington 13.9%, and Canterbury 9.5%.
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a dancer?
You need experience to become a dancer and a qualification may be useful. You usually need Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in your relevant dance form. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Dance (Level 4); a New Zealand Diploma in Dance (Level 5 or 6); a Bachelor of Dance Studies.
How much does a dancer earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $55,000 a year, before tax.
Has the number of people working as a dancer grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Will AI change the work of a dancer?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026