Good health and physical stamina also are necessary attributes. Above all, dancers must have flexibility, agility, coordination, grace, a sense of rhythm, a feeling for music, and a creative ability to express oneself through movement. Dancers seldom perform unaccompanied, so they must be able to function as part of a team. They should also be highly motivated and prepared to face the anxiety of intermittent employment and rejections when auditioning for work. For dancers, advancement takes the form of a growing reputation, more frequent work, bigger and better roles, and higher pay.
Choreographers typically are older dancers with years of experience in the theater.
Through their performance as dancers, they develop reputations as skilled artists. Their reputation often leads to opportunities to choreograph productions. The number of applicants will continue to exceed the number of job openings, and only the most talented will find regular employment. Employment of dancers and choreographers is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2008, reflecting the public's continued interest in this form of artistic expression. However, cuts in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and related organizations could adversely affect employment in this field.