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

Along the way, they received feedback and coaching from Song Sun-deuk, BTS’s longtime former choreographer and performance director.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 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

Ascension, in its world premiere at the Nelly Regina Theater, is the stunning debut by choreographer Petra Echevarri, recent graduate of Juilliard and winner of the Princess Grace Award.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

A documentary highlights the Chicago dance company’s efforts to support emerging choreographers and win over untapped audiences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

He worked alongside associate choreographers Comfort Fedoke and Emilio Dosal to adapt the film’s movement for a smaller stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 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