This Is How Much Hip Hop Dancers Make

Hip hop dancers always look like they're having so much fun, but is it a lucrative career- how much do hip hop dancers make? We see them in music videos, live performances, movies, and shows. They work hard to get hired and have to go through rigorous training and auditions to gain success.

Because Hip Hop dancing is such a competitive job market, the wages of Hip Hop Dancers vary. They can make a little more than minimum wage or make up to $30 an hour or more. Based on recent information, the average wage is about $18 an hour.

There is a lot to consider when being hired as a dancer. Read on for more on building a career as a hip hop dancer and how much hip hop dancers make.

How Much Does A Hip Hop Dancer Make?

Being a Hip Hop Dancer can be a lucrative business if you market yourself right and know how to make connections. Some performers can average about $2,000 a week depending on their contract and what they do as a performer.

Based on what type of performance, your salary and paycheck will vary. Here are the different types of performances that you as a dancer can partake in and what they payout:

Type Of Performance

Payout

Live Performance (Music)

$30 to $80 per show.

Other Live Performances

$1,653 a week minimum (based on Actor Equity Association union contract)

Music Videos

$200 to $500 a day, depending on rehearsal and hours put in.

Theater Performance

Depends on the theater, the show, and the role or hours put in.

Film

Depends on the role and hours put in.


When starting as a hip-hop dancer, you may not get a great paycheck and may even find yourself doing the work for free while you start making connections. This can be disheartening, but there are ways to improve your marketing and to increase the list of clients on your resume.

Making a Career as a Hip Hop Dancer

There are many ways to become a better Hip Hop Dancer. But here are some of the best tips that you can follow to improve your skills:

  • Be passionate
  • Keep your head up
  • Practice
  • Give yourself time
  • Research

Be Passionate

If you find yourself not enjoying your work as a dancer, people can see this, especially those with a trained eye for dancers. If you aren't loving what you're doing, you may need to take a step back and find that love again.

It's okay to take a break and reevaluate what brought you to dancing and why you are doing it. You may need some time to rediscover that passion and love once again. Sometimes the rejections and competitiveness of this industry can be disheartening and cause that passion to dwindle.

Keep Your Head Up

If this is what you love and are passionate about, don't let the rejections or people tell you to stop. This is a process, and with each rejection, you will learn more and be better. This is what you love, and be proud of it!

Practice

This seems like a given, but practice does make it better. But don't practice so much that you lose that passion for the dance. Find your groove, and learn new skills. This will help you widen your horizons and challenge you. Who knows, you may find yourself incorporating new styles in unique ways.

Give Yourself Time

Everyone learns at different paces. Don't automatically think you will master a style overnight. Just because one person may have mastered it a little quicker than you doesn't mean you will never get better at it. And when it comes to auditions, play to your strengths.

Research

This is not only important to research those that will be at the auditions but also with other famous dancers. Look those dancers up and learn about their style. Dancing is about finding your voice, and sometimes you need guidance from the big leagues to learn what fits and what doesn't fit for you.

Learning different styles will only expand your opportunities. The more versatile you can make it easier for you to find more job opportunities. It also looks good on the dancing resume that you can dance to different rhythms.

How to Increase Your Pay as a Hip Hop Dancer

To get better jobs or better pay, improving your skills will help you with this. You can show your improvement and see that you have the capabilities to grow as a performer. This shows the producers that you are an asset to the project and take criticism well.

There are so many things to do to help you market yourself. Here are some things you can do:

  • Change your outlook
  • Be genuine
  • Be professional
  • Know your clients

Change Your Outlook

If you aren't good at bragging about yourself, you will need to change your outlook on self-promoting. Don't think of it as bragging about how good you are but why you are the perfect fit for the opportunity.

The more people can see how well you are at dancing, the more likely you will get job offers and job opportunities. Think of it as if you are sharing your resume with the world. When writing a resume, you're not bragging about yourself. You are just promoting the skills you have to show you are right for the part.

If you have unique dance skills or have noticeable connections or friends, use them. Clients and employers are more likely to hire you when they like someone you know or are friends with. 

Be Genuine

No one likes when people lie, especially when you are trying to make a partnership or are working with people for long periods. Be your genuine self. You will make stronger work connections this way. 

Your coworkers and bosses will see when you aren't being genuine or trying to put on a facade. The Hip Hop dancing community can become quite small for you if word gets around that you aren't pleasant to work with or that you might put on a show.

Be Professional

Always be professional. There is a time and place to act like friends or be casual, but you always want to start professional. This shows respect to them, and it will help you start on the right foot.

This also means being professional in other settings besides work and auditions. Your social media and interactions with others can damage your dancing profile. No one wants to hire someone who gets into dramatic and angry arguments on Twitter. Be careful because people are always watching.

Know Your Clients

Knowing your clients or those that will be at auditions judging you can give you an upper hand. If you research your judges, you will understand what they will be focussing on for the audition. You can work on those areas to make sure you are ready for that audition.

If you have similar acquaintances or friends, slip them into the conversation. This will help them remember you when discussing who will make the cut. This goes the same for interesting information. 

Provide a little fact about yourself that they will be interested in or connect with. If they love vacationing in Hawaii, you can tell them about how you are from there. This opens a door between you and those that are looking to hire you. People like to work with those they get along with.

These are all great points to consider when you are trying to market yourself. Remember, social media is a wonderful way to get your name out there, and if you can put these tips on your social media, you can find yourself getting a following and increasing your chances of finding more reputable jobs.

Final Thoughts 

Being a Hip Hop Dancer is quite a competitive profession, but with great self-promotion and dancing skills, you can find yourself getting higher-paid jobs that put you on the higher end of earnings. If this is your passion, you might as well make money doing what you love.

Sources

5 Tips To Become A Better Hip Hop Dancer

Average Salary Of A Hip Hop Dancer


Posted 
Mar 15, 2021
 in 
Encourage
 category

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