Will AI replace dancers?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 47m (97%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.2% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 1 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 14m of a typical shift. For 10 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Harmonize body movements to rhythm of musical accompaniment. (14m a shift; e.g. Unitree H1 humanoid robot ('Fuxi'), Yang BOT program, in use)

7h 47m of a typical shift, or 97%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness. (1h 48m a shift)
• Study and practice dance moves required in roles. (1h 35m a shift)
• Coordinate dancing with that of partners or dance ensembles. (1h 14m a shift)
• Perform classical, modern, or acrobatic dances in productions, expressing stories, rhythm, and sound with their bodies. (47m a shift)
• Teach dance students. (41m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 100% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 85% are in constant contact with other people
• 83% spend more than half the day on their feet

On Indeed, job postings in the Arts & Entertainment sector are at 87% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 12.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 1,600 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $51,584 a year ($24.80 an hour), 1% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer.

BLS projects growth of 2.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 14,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 1,600 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 8,130 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 691st largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 14,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 45% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Coordination, Active Listening, Critical Thinking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 47m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Adobe Photoshop, Facebook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Actors (38m touched, $60k median pay)
• Musicians and Singers (9m touched, $99k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 13 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.