Choreographers put movement to stories, emotions and ideas. "It’s not lost on me that I’m in a career where people clap for me," says Andy Blankenbuehler, the choreographer for the Broadway show "Hamilton."

In other occupations, a job well-done might earn you a pat on the back, a verbal "great job" from an affirming boss or sometimes even a raise. When choreographers really nail the ballet, hip hop, tap and other movement for a show or performance, they get standing ovations.

"There’s a great responsibility to making something out of nothing," Blankenbuehler says. "There’s often a great amount of pressure. Hopefully thousands of people will love it, hopefully it’ll keep the dancers employed for a long time and hopefully it’ll stay open, but sometimes I can’t come up with ideas and I’m laboring it out."

He also says that the sheer physicality of a choreographer’s job can be challenging, but he says it’s really an incredible job. "It’s emotionally rewarding when you get it right ... to see the audience laugh or cry, it’s really, really rewarding."

Interest in dance and choreography is diversifying across other platforms such as television, theme parks and casinos. Dancing is also appealing in pop culture, and this enthusiasm is expected to attract more students to dance schools, who will require the services of choreographers as teachers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5.0% employment growth for choreographers between 2022 and 2032. In that period, an estimated 300 jobs should open up.

"Choreographers most often come up as dancers," says Laura Penn, executive director of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. "You can’t get a graduate degree in stage choreography. There’s no MFAs in musical theater choreography."

However, what you can do is rise through the ranks as a dancer and then apprentice with a choreographer, who can teach you the ropes of the business. Penn says that choreography jobs are an outgrowth of these mentorship and apprenticeship relationships.