As dancers, we tend to become vessels for choreographers to express their unique voice and vision. While many spend their entire careers as strictly performers, others may find a fruitful career on the other side of the table as a choreographer.
If you are new to the limitless world of choreography, you may notice getting started is not as easy as creating moves to music. It may take time for you to develop your own process that is uniquely you! We’re here to help. Check out these tools for making a piece of art that tells your story.
- Identify your stimulus. If you’re creating movement strictly for movement’s sake, that’s one thing. However, if you’re striving to develop an idea or storyline, you may need to dig deeper into what you’re aiming to express. When you identify what that thing is, it will help flesh out your ideas and inspire cathartic shapes and choreo to get your point across in your work.
- Go beyond the dance floor. If this work is not just for fun – say, you’re performing it at a choreography showcase, presenting it to a panel or it’s being performed at competition – you may need to take the time outside of a rehearsal room to journal, research and dive deeper into your vision.
- Select music to match your intention. If you have a song selected, that’s great! Sometimes music is all you need to get inspired. However, it can be a bit trickier if your vision came first and music comes later. Create a Spotify playlist of potential songs. Another solid database for the tune hunt? Your network! Your friends may have similar taste in music and introduce you to a variety of songs that would be a solid fit.
- Start with improv. When you’re ready for movement creation, start with a solid improv sesh to get the juices flowing. Make sure you set up a camera just in case you sink into a groove that gets you excited. It’s important to keep record so you can replicate it into choreography.