choreographer

American  

[kawr-ee-og-ruh-fer, kohr-] / ˌkɔr iˈɒg rə fər, ˌkoʊr- /

noun

1. a person who creates dance compositions and plans and arranges dance movements and patterns for dances and especially for ballets.

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Etymology

Origin of choreographer

First recorded in 1885–90; choreograph(y) + -er ¹

Explanation

A choreographer is a person who creates a dance, designing every move that the dancers make. The choreographer of a preschool performance will usually have the little dancers do simple movements, spins, and kicks. Choreographer is from choreography and its Greek roots, khoreia, "dance," and graphein, "to write." Choreographers are like composers, but instead of creating music, they compose movements, writing out notations that symbolize how dancers will move. It was a choreographer's job to plan out the Jets-Sharks fight in West Side Story — and the dance moves in your favorite music videos.

Example Sentences

The two are in the cast of Luail dance company's Trojans, by acclaimed Irish choreographer Philip Connaughton.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Offerman: I used to be a fight choreographer at Chicago Theatre, so I have a lot of history of stage combat and I really love it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

That studio was later used by dancer and choreographer Valerie Bettis, who crafted routines for some of Hollywood and Broadway’s biggest heavyweights, including famed screen siren Rita Hayworth.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

By the time the run concludes, eight of the 17 programs will have featured Lar Lubovitch’s “Othello: A Dance in Three Acts,” originally created by the modern-dance choreographer for ABT in 1997.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Each plant and animal plays its part and Joel Salatin is the choreographer.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan