Choreographing is really fun, but just starting out can be really scary! I mean, what do you DO with
a blank time slot? Because I know so many people who are in that predicament, I've put together a guide to choreographing.
I hope it helps!
Before you start: Find out everything you can about the production. How long should your dance
be? What kind of music are you allowed to have? What forms do you have to fill out? Once you’ve covered all the important
information, you can get started choreographing.
If you have over 5 weeks till your recital/competition/performance:
Week 1- Choose your music. Pick something that's exciting to you and that you can imagine dancing to. Be sure that it
fits the given time and content limits. Once you’ve done this, just listen to your song. Imagine yourself on a stage
dancing to it. Do this over. Count out the beats on a sheet of paper. Write down the mood, and verbs that come to mind when
you listen to it. Also pay attention to the title; if you’re dancing to the “Blue Danube”, think of a river.
Really get to know your music.
Week 2- Start actually dancing to your music. At first, just dance. Let the music move
you. After you’ve done this for a while, certain moves will associate with parts of the music. For instance, a flute
trill may remind you of a series of chaineé turns. Do it! Blending in with the music makes your dance meaningful, both to
you and the audience. Once you’ve those distinct steps that go with the music, it’s time to sort out all the jumble
in between. Choose steps that you know well and that go with the tempo and mood of the music. Use plenty of connecting steps,
more than you do in a combination in class. Make the distinct steps (like the turns mentioned above) the highlights of your
dance, but put mood and energy into all of them
Week 3- It’s time to write it down. Unless you know Labonotation,
just plain words will do well. Write each step on a new line in a notebook, using commas before and after connecting steps.
Don’t get too attached to this original choreography; it’s going to change! Don’t be tempted to change it
as you write it down, though. Writing it down on paper is much different than actually having to dance it! If you want to
change your choreography, get up and work it out actively with your music.
Week 4- Now, hopefully, you have a pretty
good idea about what your dance is going to look like. Practice it daily, and if you start to get bored of it, stop and change
something. You never, ever want a dance to be boring. When you go to class, keep your dance in mind. When you learn new steps,
think about including them in your choreography to keep it up to date. Also when you’re in class, practice your stage
personality. Pretend that the mirror is the audience and you’re on stage dancing.
This is also about the right time
to start thinking about your costume. The production studio you’re in may offer some, but not always, and they usually
don’t have a great selection. You might send off for some catalogs- Discount Dance Supply and Capezio have pretty good
selections of dresses, etc. You can also look online-
www.onstagedancewear.co . . . lets you choose your design, color, and fabric of costume at pretty good prices. If you know someone who can make you a costume,
go for it! Ask them first, of course, then draw a picture of what you would like as a model for it. Keep the music and your
steps in mind when you shop for costumes. If you plan to do grand jetes or splits in your dance, you’ll want either
a VERY stretchy fabric or a wide skirt. Again, think of the title of your song. “The Blue Danube” is obvious.
Something like “The Wedding Variation” would probably require a white dress. If the song doesn’t have a
subject, like Mozart‘s, etc., go with the mood of the music. Happy = bright, light colors, Sad = darker, duller colors.
You get the picture.
Week 5- Spend this week practicing, practicing, and practicing. Try to practice at least twice
with all your costume on- that includes shoes and hairstyle. Though it may sound silly, a hairstyle different than the one
you usually wear can throw off your balance. Perfect the steps and pay special attention to your arms- the audience sees your
arms more than your feet!
If you have 3 or 4 weeks:
Combine weeks 1, 2 & 3 from above into 1 week.
Combine
weeks 4 & 5 from above into 1 week.
If you have 2 weeks or less:
Perhaps your teacher asked you at the last minute
to perform. Perhaps you’ve been putting it off. But you only have 2 weeks left. Here’s the plan:
You need
inspiration, and you can’t take 2 weeks getting it. Here are ways to jump start your creativity:
Choose music that
you love and have already tried dancing to.
Find a costume that you really like and make your dance inspired after it.
Make
up a dance and then find music to fit it.
Once you have an idea, work it. You don’t have time to start over,
so just go with what you’ve got. Write it down (see above) and practice it A LOT. If you haven’t had time to find
a costume, you might try all black- black leo, black skirt, black tights, black shoes. Or ask your teacher if the studio owns
some costumes you can borrow.
Also consider improvising. Although it can seem really scary, just dancing from your
heart onstage can actually look very nice and very natural. This is usually a last-minute approach, but try to do it a couple
of times before you actually perform if you use this, and try not to repeat things too often as they come into your head.
Whatever
your dance is, read this:
Before the performance- DON’T go over the dance in your head! Without the music and your
muscle memory, you’ll just forget and really scare yourself. Take deep breaths. Doing yoga helps, as does jumping rope
and chewing gum (just don’t forget to throw it out before you go on!) Since this is a guide to choreography, I won’t
go into all the details of getting rid of stage fright. Just believe in yourself, and you’ll do fine.
When you
dance, think about everything you put into your choreography. Let the music move you and guide you. Most importantly, put
your whole self into it, and dance from your heart.
