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Careers for Dance Majors & Minors

What can you do with a degree in Dance? 

Common Alumni Job Titles

Alumni Employers 

Alumni Employers: Dance Companies

  • Dancer
  • Choreographer
  • Communications Manager
  • Artistic Director
  • Stage Manager
  • Dance Teacher
  • Pilates/ Yoga/ Fitness Instructor 
  • Physical Therapist
  • Arts Administrator
  • Dance Videographer/ Photographer
  • 5th Avenue Theater
  • ATI Physical Therapy
  • Atlas Pilates
  • City of Seattle Arts & Culture
  • Coyote Central
  • Dance Fremont
  • eXit SPACE
  • Enchant Vertical
  • Massive Monkees Studio: The Beacon
  • MixxedFit
  • NorthWest Village Theatre
  • Pacific Northwest Ballet School 
  • University of Washington
  • Velocity Dance Center
  • Westlake Dance Center
  • Seattle Opera
  • AU Collective
  • Dani Tirrell & the Congregation
  • Coalescence Dance Company
  • EL SUEÑO 
  • The Gray 
  • The Guild Dance Company
  • Hope Mohr Dance Company
  • Karin Stevens Dance
  • Khambatta Dance Company
  • Oakland Ballet Theater
  • Pat Graney Company
  • PRICEArts N.E.W
  • RAWdance
  • Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
  • Spectrum Dance Theater
  • Splinter Dance Company
  • Studio 3 Company
  • The Three Yells
  • 3rd Shift Dance

Alumni Profiles 

With 80% of the dance majors graduating with a double major, our Alumni work in a diverse range of fields. From show business, to arts education, to dance medicine, our program helps students mold their education to fit their individual career interests. 

  • UW LinkedIn — See career trajectories of UW graduates who studied dance as well as other fields.
  • Alumni News — See what alumni from our department have been up to

There's a Job for That! - Take a quick quiz (only three questions!) to learn what College of Arts & Sciences alumni with similar interests have done since graduating.

Courses for Career Planning: 

  • Dance 480: Career Explorations for Dance Majors -- In this class, majors will explore their strengths and interests in real world career options. Assignments are geared toward organization and presentation of the knowledge and skills a student has gained while pursuing a major or minor in dance at the University of Washington. Course activities include: preparing specialized materials for job applications, internships and/or graduate school; creating a personal and/or artist website; understanding the process of grant applications; job shadowing; and, researching and formulating a strategy for pursuing goals. 
  • Dance 494: Dance Teaching Methodologies. -- This course is for students interested in teaching dance. It introduces students to dance pedagogy, including educational theory, motor learning and biomechanical principles and music as it relates to the teaching of dance. Students will have the opportunity to apply course material by practicing teaching dance both on campus and in the community.

Internships: 

Participating in internships during your undergraduate education is an excellent way to gain experience, build a resume, and to find the job responsibilities and working environments that are going to be the right fit. If you have an off-campus internship opportunity working in dance or in other areas of interest it is very possible that you can receive credit under Dance 450 or under General Studies 350. Students can receive up to 6 credits of General Studies 350 per quarter and count a maximum of 18 of those credits toward the 180 needed for graduation. Internship opportunities specific to dance are sent out through the listserv and students are also encouraged to investigate and research additional options and areas of interest.

Dance 450 Internship Contract (PDF)

Univeristy Career & Job Resources

C21: Center for 21st Century Liberal Learning 

Offers immersive learning experiences, partnerships both on campus and in the community, and a network of mentors to help guide students in the College of Arts & Sciences on the pathway toward selecting a major and preparing for a career after college.

Career & Internship Center

Educates and supports students as they explore and choose academic majors and career options, obtain and reflect upon career-related experiences, and develop professional presence and essential skills for workplace success.

Arts/Media/Marketing Interest Community

Informational and career-planning resources for students interested in a career in the arts. 

Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center

Coordinates and connects students to community-based experiences in and around Seattle.

Additional Career & Job Resources

Shunpike 

Empowers artists through equitable access to vital expertise, opportunities, and business services.

 4Culture 

Provides funding and support for the cultural work that makes King County vibrant

Fractured Atlas 

Helps individual artists and arts organizations at every level of the cultural ecosystem, in every creative medium, through several programs: Fiscal Sponsorship, Artful.ly, and SpaceFinder for example.

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