choreographer

American  

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

noun

• choreographers
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• choreographers
  plural

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

See Examples For:

choreographer choreographers

After college, she worked as a stunt actor, fight choreographer and action designer specializing in European weapons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

In the nominated scene, choreographer Corey Baker had the exciting challenge of developing the first-ever dance routine for a then-unreleased Lady Gaga track, “The Dead Dance.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Notable performances include the world premieres of a work choreographed by ex-New York City Ballet principal Jock Soto and a piece by contemporary dancer and choreographer Sidra Bell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

George Balanchine, the great modernist choreographer, forbade his male dancers to wear long hair or beards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

It was like being inside an enormous beehive, with a constant buzz and people scurrying everywhere—costumers, stagehands, musicians, the choreographer and his many assistants.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Houston Thomas, for instance, grew up on Chicago’s South Side, was a student in the Joffrey Ballet’s Outreach Program and, as the film explains, is one of the five young choreographers contributing to “Winning Works.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

For their imaginative daring, co-directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch were justly honored as were costume designer Qween Jean and choreographers Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, among the production’s notable awards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

"I remember saying: 'Hey, choreographers, we're the new DJs, trust us, just give us your music, I promise we'll spread it'."

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

After two years of training with acting coaches and choreographers, Jaafar spent three weeks in his late uncle’s house practicing alone, then invited a small group to watch him perform “Billie Jean.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

To this end she recruited Italian dancers, choreographers and a band of violinists, playing on the very instruments she had ordered for her son from Cremona.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall