How much do Taylor Swift dancers make?

How much does a dancer make in Taylor Swift’s music video?

Taylor Swift is among the world’s most popular singers and has been performing in stadiums and arenas around the world on her tours. Another major component of her live performances is her group of outstanding dancers who dance to the backing of choreographed steps during her popular songs. But how much do these dancers earn as a part of Taylor’s team as travelers?

Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018 is at the top of the list of the most successful musical tours in the USA, with 266.1 million dollars in ticket sales. This much would be anticipated given the fact that there is a large production crew of several hundred people, including the dancers, who must also be paid, not forgetting the band.

Through surveys of dancers themselves and requests for information from insiders of the industry, dance insiders and dancers themselves estimate that Taylor pays her dancers roughly $1600 per week when they are on the road. As you might imagine, that’s a far cry from what you’d expect for such a high visibility job, but if you factor in that those numbers are for a full year of travel with often multiple performances each week, the total comes out to about eighty-three thousand dollars.

The technical rehearsal time before a large-scale tour can take up to three or four months, including the time for developing and mastering the choreography and rehearsing with the entire Ensemble. While going through this intensive rehearsal period, the dancers are said to be paid up to about $500 per week.

So therefore, the dancer could anticipate making about $100,000 or more for a full tour with Taylor that may take approximately 8 months and consist of rehearsals as well as performances.

Although dancers have the opportunity to make six figures which can be considered very healthy, some may be shocked that Taylor’s dancers are paid more like standard musical theatre tours or rock/pop stars on the road. But there are a few factors that explain Taylor's dancer salaries: But there are a few factors that explain Taylor's dancer salaries:

No Major Screen Time

Taylor’s dancers are always shot wide to include the band and feel of the whole production and are not as featured as Beyonce’s dancers are with camera close-ups and the dancers performing their solos. Thus, the main focus of the dancers trying to help the show look better visually and not expecting their moments to be emphasized.

Division of the budget over a large touring cast

For instance, Taylor has to come up with a large overall touring budget for the more than 200 people that travel alongside the cast, which includes band members, singers, the costume department, and the camera crew, among others. Such an increase in payment would deter the other members from participating and would reduce the number of viable tours.

Shorter Tours

Large-scale production typically covers the arena and can go on for as long as a year or more or several years in a row. However, Taylor in the recent past has performed mini-tours that have taken 6–8 months, which means more chances of taking a break in contrast to constant touring throughout the year, which, in the process, has lower weekly wages.

No Long-Term Job Security

Music tours are for a limited period, suggesting that dancers cannot be guaranteed regular income each year as they are in cases where that dancer is employed with a dance company. Thus, dancers need to look for ways to make ends meet in between the touring periods by offering commercial choreography, teaching individuals or groups how to dance, officiating dance competitions, and all kinds of dancing or acting available jobs.

Possible Revenue Share

But still, it is unclear whether Taylor supports dancer’s wages, bonuses, or even a share of merchandise and tour’s profit splitting among the cast and crew. In appreciation of their always ensuring that each tour is a monetary success.

Perks and Travel Compensation

While touring, the dancer is expected to move from one place to another; hence, any transport costs are covered by the employer. Meals, some accommodations, transportation, most of the activities, and other incidental expenses are all taken care of by the tour company during the trip. These include t-shirts, jackets, caps, water bottles branded with the sponsors’ logos, and other sponsored equipment and products placed in luxury bags to be handed over to the athletes.

Therefore, how Taylor pays his dancers, although it appears low for an elite position, the possibility of added total compensation plus travel and living costs covered plus bonuses can equal fairly good pay. Still, to be paid in exposure and experience while traveling the world as a backup to the largest pop star in the world is always a bonus, even if no cash is involved.

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