Definition
A person who designs and arranges the movements and patterns of dances for performers.
Etymology
From Greek 'choros' (dance/choir) plus 'graphia' (writing/notation), originally meaning someone who 'writes down' dances. The term emerged when choreography became a notated art form.
Kelly Says
Choreographers are the only artists who literally have to 'write' a dance using their notation systems before it exists—they're composing movement the way composers write music, but for centuries there was no universal notation system.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
Choreographer
cho-reh-o-gra-fer
ARالعربية
مُحَرِّك الرقص
mu-ḥarriq ar-raqs
BNবাংলা
নৃত্য পরিচালক
nṛtya pari-chālaka
CACatalà
coreògraf
ko-reo-graf
CSČeština
koreograf
ko-reh-o-graf
DADansk
koreograf
ko-reh-o-graf
DEDeutsch
Choreograph
kho-reh-o-graf
ELΕλληνικά
χορογράφος
ho-ro-graf-os
ESEspañol
coreógrafo
kor-ee-oh-grah-foh
FAفارسی
koreograf
ko-reh-o-graf
FISuomi
koreografi
ko-reh-o-gra-fi
FRFrançais
chorégraphe
kor-e-graf
GUGU
નૃત્ય નિર્દેશક
nṛtya ni-dēśaka
HAHA
Choreographer
cho-reh-o-gra-fer
HEעברית
כוריאוגרף
ko-ri-o-graf
HIहिन्दी
नृत्य निर्देशक
nṛtya ni-dēśaka
HUMagyar
koreográfus
ko-reh-o-gra-fus
IDBahasa Indonesia
koreografer
ko-re-o-gra-fer
IGIG
Choreographer
cho-reh-o-gra-fer
ITItaliano
coreografo
ko-reo-gra-fo
KKKK
koreograf
ko-reh-o-graf
KMKM
ប្រព័ន្ធ ប្រាប់
pra-pov-an pra-ap
KO한국어
코레오그래퍼
ko-reo-geo-rae-ppeo
MRMR
नृत्य निर्देशक
nṛtya ni-dēśaka
MSBahasa Melayu
koreografer
ko-reh-o-gra-fer
MYမြန်မာ
ပြကြည့်ရေး တင်
pyi-kya-nyet-hwe tin
NLNederlands
choreograaf
ko-reo-graf
NONorsk
koreograf
ko-reh-o-graf
PAPA
Choreographer
cho-reh-o-gra-fer
PLPolski
koreograf
ko-reh-o-graf
PTPortuguês
coreógrafo
kor-ee-o-gra-fo
RORomână
coreograf
ko-reo-graf
RUРусский
хореограф
kho-ree-o-graf
SVSvenska
koreograf
ko-reh-o-graf
SWKiswahili
mchorayograph
mo-cho-ray-o-graf
TAதமிழ்
நृ choreographer
nir-i-ya-ga-ra-pha
TEతెలుగు
Choreographer
cho-reh-o-gra-fer
THไทย
ผู้กำกับการเต้น
poo-kam-gup-ka-ra-ten
TLTL
koreograpo
ko-reh-o-gra-po
TRTürkçe
koreograf
ko-reh-o-graf
UKУкраїнська
хореограф
kho-ree-o-graf
URاردو
نृتّی کار
nir-ti-kar
VITiếng Việt
choreograffer
kho-re-o-graf-fuh
YOYO
Choreographer
cho-reh-o-gra-fer
ZUZU
Choreographer
cho-reh-o-gra-fer
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
The term 'choreographer' historically referred almost exclusively to male composers of dance (Greek 'choreia' + 'graphia'). Women dominated dance creation across cultures but were systematically uncredited or relegated to 'dancer' roles until 20th-century feminist scholarship and practice reclaimed choreography as women's core creative labor.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'choreographer' neutrally for all genders; it now accurately includes women's foundational contributions. No gendered alternatives needed.
Empowerment Note
Women choreographers like Katherine Dunham, Martha Graham, and Alvin Ailey's successors transformed modern dance; their creative authorship was often attributed to male partners or companies.