The career of a dance performer often flows through the stages of student, dancer, choreographer, teacher. It is usually difficult to tell when one stage stops and another begins. Students perform, occasionally in the same company as professional dancers. Performers often teach. Teachers choreograph new dance works for their students.
Choreographers are often their own dancers, and dancers are often their own choreographers.
One thing common to all dancers at all stages is that all remain students of the dance throughout their careers. Many professional dancers perform in classical ballet, which includes the stylized, traditional repertory, or modern dance, which allows more free movement and self-expression. Others perform in dance adaptations for musical shows in folk, ethnic, and jazz dances, and in other popular kinds of dancing. In addition to being an art form for its own sake, dance also is used to complement opera, musical comedy, and television performances. Choreographers often create original dances, teach them to performers and sometimes direct and stage the productions of their work.