Dance Instructor Resume Samples & Writing Guide

To learn a routine successfully, you need a strong foundation on which you can build your skills.

This resume guide for a Dance Instructor is very much like the foundation of those skills. Our guide to creating your ultimate Dance Instructor’s resume has all the info, tips, and examples you need to rake in all those interviews! So, let’s get stuck in! and 5, 6, 7, 8… Bounce!

21 Dance Instructor Resume Examples

(Free resume sample downloads are at the bottom of this page)

Dance Instructor Resume Writing Guide

Resume Sections

1. Contact information
2. Profile Summary
3. Work History
4. Achievements
5. Education
6. Skill Section
7. Certification & Licensing
8. Extras: Languages/Awards/Publications/Volunteering/hobbies
9. > Professional information

1. Contact information

• First Name and Last Name
• Email
• Physical Address
• Telephone number
• LinkedIn Profile

What to Highlight in a Dance Instructor Resume

Dance Instructors are, in essence, teachers, educating groups and individual classes in various dance disciplines. It would help if you showed in your resume that you’re capable and know your stuff better than the other applicants. You approach your resume the same way you’d teach a choreographed routine, in steps:

1. Start off with a professional header that exhibits your full name and contact info.
2. Ensure every section in your resume is easy to read, and all your important info is displayed first.  
3. Keep your fonts and designs simple and easy to read.
4. Save your resume as a PDF. This means it is universal.

Then, you must highlight the number of students you’ve taught, places, and disciplines you have taught. This makes it easier for the recruiters to place you. You may also gather some references from current/ past students or students’ parents to help add cred to your resume.

It is not uncommon for dancing to escape difficult situations, so if you have a student or two like that, feel free to mention how it helped them and quantify those statements to add further impact.

Other things to include:

• Your competence in using technology. For instance, do you integrate technology with your teaching/ skillfully create interactive presentations?
• Highlight if you’re ok to teach through platforms like Zoom or Skype.

A top-notch Dance Instructor resume will also communicate the various tasks and duties you did every day, including what you taught, how you taught it, studio upkeep, organizing activities, going with students to their dance shows, etc.

Pay special attention to the dance disciplines you’re able to teach.

Finally, we suggest (and you’ll see, this will be a recurring theme throughout this guide) that you always read through the job advert to see what the employers want from you regarding skills, experience, and education. They will not all be the same, so tailor your resume and skills to what the individual job offers are looking for.

Dance Instructor Resume Summary & Objective

In this industry, the competition is heated. Everyone wants that lucrative job that allows you the freedom to teach and to be able to survive.

We all know how movies like Step Up are dramatized, but let’s be real, it’s based in fact. Schools and institutions get an unreal number of applications every year, so how are you going to stand out from the crowd?

The answer is a killer summary/ objective statement. This paragraph of about 4-6 sentences may make all the difference as it highlights your experience, special skills, and accomplishments which entices the recruiter to want to read your resume further.

The question is, which one do you write, however? It all hinges on your level of experience. If you have tones of it, write a career summary.

If your experience level leaves something to be desired, then an objective statement is the one for you.

An objective statement is laid out the same way as a summary, but instead of experience, you showcase your career ambitions, skills, and what you have to offer if they hire you. We have given you a few pointers to remember:

• In summary, start with your personal details and end with why you want this job so badly.
• Mold your career objectives to the job advert using keywords from the job advert. For example, if the job ad says they’re looking for a detail-orientated work ethic or an energetic personality, copy and paste those exact keywords into your resume only if they apply to you, in any case.
• Have a line that highlights your best qualities. For example, things like outstanding time management skills or problem-solving skills in high-pressure environments are eye-catching to recruiters.
• End the summary with your finished academic degrees/ certifications/ training programs etc.

Examples

Dance Instructor Summary 1

“Skilled and energetic, physically fit, and confident Dance teacher with a prosperous track record of refining a student’s knowledge and understanding of dance. Has renowned teaching qualifications, experience teaching all age groups, and can understand and engage well with students. Has experience in teaching tap, ballet, jazz, ballroom, hip hop, and contemporary dance. Results- orientated and devoted to attaining the best possible standards across every main curriculum stage. Looking for a fitting position with any organization wanting to recruit professionals who can produce high levels of dance teaching.“

Dance Instructor Summary 2

“Driven Dance teacher with 4+ years experience in teaching weekly classes, from beginner to advanced tap, ballet, lyrical, jazz, musical theater, hip hop, and tech/ stretch. Designed weekly, semester, and yearly lessons that culminated in a final performance. I am looking for a position with a well-established theatrical company to combine my proficiency and love of the arts, youth education, and special event planning.“

Dance Instructor Summary 3

“Proficient Dance teacher with seven years experience in training in dance movement and vocals. Brilliant understanding of instructional potential and choreography. Exceptional ability to tackle challenges of a multi-ethnic, urban-rural, multi-racial school district. I am skilled in handling multi-tasking and working under pressure, looking for a position as a Dance Teacher in XYZ school to grow and where my teaching skills can be utilized to their full potential.“

Dance Instructor Summary 4

“Sociable and energetic Dance Instructor with 5+ years’ experience and talent in a broad range of social dances. Solid ability to teach with demonstrations and interactions. Recognized excellence in teaching at the college level; can relate well to people within the academic environment while recording student progress through the midterm and final course grades.“

Employment History

This industry’s range of skills is broad and all-encompassing. In saying that, recruiters do expect to see certain foundational skills in all Dance Instructors’ resumes. Without this info, you may find it hard to get an interview, as the recruiters can’t tell if you have even the most basic skills/ duties under the belt.

Below are some examples of setting this section up and what type of info you should be including.

• As always, use the job advert to tailor your resume to what the employer is looking for.
• Use reverse-chronological order, listing your most recent job positions first and then working your way backward.
• Provide the job titles you’ve held, the institution’s name, and the dates you worked there.
• For every position, including 4-6 bullet points that showcase your duties.
• Utilize solid resume action verbs whenever you can. Examples: provided, developed, assisted, and supported.

Even if your work experience is a little thin, you must list it here to communicate that you’re not entirely green. Below are examples to help you:  

Examples

Dance Instructor at Coventry

(2019 – Present)

Accountable for building a positive classroom setting that supports student learning.

• Trained and developed learners in all types of dances.
• Planned and delivered dance lessons.
• Choreographed full routines of top quality for beginners through to advanced students.
• Delivered structured, enjoyable, and well-planned dance activities.

Dance Instructor at TRUK

(2016 -2019)

Describing and exhibiting methods and dance techniques and teaching the history of dance.

• Choreographed and directed dance performances.
• Controlled groups of learners and, when necessary, disciplined them.
• Taught dance as a recreational activity.
• Showed learners how to exercise and rehearse.
• Monitored pupils’ progression.
• Performed several dance routines throughout the day.
• Abided by all local regulations and safety procedures.

Job Descriptions Examples

Below is a list of duty examples from various types of Dance Instructors:

A Dance Instructor’s role may include:

• Serving as the head Ballet instructor for a private studio with roughly 60 enrolled learners.
• Instructing classes that consist of learners ranging from age 5 to 18 years old.
• Choreographing and coaching modern dance pieces consist of duets, solos, trios, and groups for the studio's competitive dance team.
• Assisting with admin duties supported by Microsoft Office.
• Teaching summer classes to 5th- 12th-grade learners around dance.
• Planning activities, lessons, and assessments for every class.

• Maintaining learner records and submitting weekly progress reports.
• Tutoring learners when performance in the classroom indicates a demand for more in-depth personal instruction.
• Preparing and developing end-of-program routines performed by learners in a concert atmosphere.
• Introducing proper Ballet and Jazz dance techniques and steps.
• Choreographing, demonstrating, and performing the dance routine correctly for the learners to follow.

• Introducing and implementing proper techniques to be observed while dancing, involving stretching and warm-ups before dancing.
• Planning the end-of-term dance performance for every school.
• Accountable for class scheduling, planning, choreography, publicity, and AP/AR.
• Managing studio full-time, which includes two semesters with closing performances and summer programs for all ages.
• Working together with local businesses for charity events and fundraising.

• Expanding studio programs to incorporate tap, ballet, modern, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, creative movement, Cultural Dance, Christian Dance, Dance Company, Musical Theatre, and Private Lessons.
• Managing the development of the fully-functioning Theatre Department in 2012, including full-scale concerts, theatrical productions, and performance/ theater history classes.
• Working with Hobart & William Smith College, offering intern opportunities for local learners.

• Designing and leading dance performances.
• Managing groups of learners and, when necessary, disciplining them.
• Teaching dance as a recreation activity.
• Exhibiting how learners may exercise and rehearse.
• Evaluating all learners’ progress.
• Teaching numerous dancing styles and presenting arts to at-risk youth.

• Conceptualizing, explaining, demonstrating dance choreographies, formations, and techniques.
• Implementing dance courses aimed at promoting leadership, team building, and enhancing self-esteem.
• Using dance to motivate, educate, and enrich the quality of life of learners.

Accomplishments

We understand the temptation to copy and paste this section from one resume to the next, truly we do. The problem with that is it highlights your laziness, and the recruiter will know you’ve done this if your accomplishment section doesn’t line up with the job advert, which you should have taken the trouble to read. The whole point is to have you standing out like that soloist in the spotlight amongst all the other dancers you’re competing against.

Don’t simply add your daily duties down here, either. Instead, try to think of what you have done using your skills to achieve your latest/ prior role positively.

Quantify your accomplishments:

This is the key to a professional-sounding resume, and especially in this section. You have your accomplishments written down. Fantastic. Now you must quantify them. This is the process of proving your statements by adding numerical values. This is better to read and provides the recruiters with an objective way to measure your value and proficiencies. If you can answer questions like “How much?” or “How many?” about your statements, you’re A for away. For example:

• By what percentage did the average grade score improve under your teaching?
• How many levels have you taught throughout your tenure?
• How well did your students place at events and championships?

Examples of statements that have not been quantified:  

• Built studio for performing arts with the base of many students, which grew bigger over a few years.   
• Oversaw annual registration that produced many students.
• The raised annual profit of the business.

Now, these are the same examples as above, but these have been quantified:

• Built a studio for performing arts with the base of 40 active students, which grew to over 250 in 2 years (students from the age of 4 to adult, male & female).
• Oversaw annual registration that produced 176 students.
• Raised annual profits of the business of $36,000.00

It is obvious the effect quantification has on the statements used above. The first bunch was boring as anything you can imagine. The second bunch had more oomph to them, and that’s what you want to impress the recruiters.

Education

This is a vital section. Please make sure to take the time to ensure it is done well and easy to read. Put your most impressive qualification first to grab the recruiters’ attention. As we said earlier, Dance Instructors are found in all sorts of environments; therefore, you must be very specific and list all your accreditations to showcase how qualified you are and in what you’re qualified.

We suggest you lay out your education list as such: start and end dates, the full name of the qualification, the full name of the institute, the city/ state abbreviation where the institute is located. If it is only a course/ certificate, just the end date will suffice.

If you haven’t acquired a degree yet, you may add your school details with relevant coursework and GPA if it’s above 3.5.

Examples:

2018-2019 Master of Arts – Dance/ Movement Therapy & Counseling. Pinegrove University of Performance, STA.

2013-2015 Bachelor’s Degree in Dance History, Texas State University, TX.

• Majors: Literature, Reading, Pedagogy.
• Minors: Curriculum Design, Instruction Design Instructional Technology.

2015 – ADAPT Certified Functional Dance Coach, Primal Health Coach Program Online.

2017 – Advanced First Aid Diploma, National CPR Foundation, Maclean, VA.

2011 – Red Cross CPR and AED First Aid Certification, Miami, FL.

2014- 2016 Dance Teaching Degree. Aston College, online.  
Course Curriculum:

• Jazz/ Hip hop
• Documentation & Reporting
• Mexican Folkloric
• Polynesian
• Standards-based instruction
• Country Swing
• Cha-Cha Rumba Swing
• Waltz/ Foxtrot
• Basic tap
• Assessments & evaluations

Dance Instructor Resume Skills

Don’t get carried away with throwing down all your technical skills! These are crucial, yes, but so are your soft skills. These are your personality traits and interpersonal skills that determine your capabilities for working together with people. Recruiters value soft skills as much as they do hard skills. Without soft skills, you can’t hope to be a great dance instructor, and you’ll end up resembling that Blake guy in one of the Steps Up movies no one liked.

Soft skills

Hard skills

Action Verbs

Associated Qualifications/ Certifications with Dance Instructors

Optional Extras for Dance Instructor Resumes

This section is used to set yourself apart from your competition out there. If you want to beef up your resume a bit, or you have some outrageously capturing info you want to display, do it here. It also helps the recruiter see your true colors as a person and be the right fit for their studio.

Below are options for your extras section:

• Hobbies/ interests
• Membership/ Associations
• Conferences
• Achievements/ awards
• Language skills
• Workshops
• Volunteer experience

Professional information of Dance Instructors

Sectors: Various
Career Type: Teacher, Trainer, Counsellor, Supervisor
Person type:  Leader, Motivator, Coach, Trainer, Helper
Education levels: Post School an upwards
Salary indication: $ 41 871 per annum (Salary.com)
Labor market: 15% growth between 2019 – 2029 (BLS)
Organizations: Various

Download Dance Instructor Templates in PDF

Dance Instructor – Resume (20).pdf