Choreography pt. 2

It's time to get down to the nitty gritty! Finally the second installment to dance your way to a killer piece choreographed by none other than you!

As promised, here is the second part of the choreographing series here on On Point! I hope ya'll got a chance to look at the post previous to this one as it holds a lot of important information on starting to choreography, but it is not required to read. This post will involve the more physical side of choreography that I find most people enjoy more!

Warming Up:

Now you might be familiar with warming your muscles up as a dancer, but for choreographing you will have to engage a whole new muscle: your brain! You won't have to do word searches or anything, but you will need to get your brained geared towards a new type of puzzle. Before setting anything in stone as part of you dance, I highly recommend:

1. Just try sitting in the studio, or where ever you will be dancing, and just listen to your song a few times.

2. After you know the song inside and out, try free-styling to the song to get a feel for where your dance is headed. I recommend experimenting with different things for about 30 min. I know that might seem like a long time, but it's an important step in not narrowing your field of creativity to only one style or idea. *Note: Record yourself while free-styling so that if you do find something you really like than you can know what the heck you did! I cannot tell you how many times I have been playing around and went "Oh man! I really like that! Now what did I just do?!"

Tips and Supplies:

Disclaimer: Now as far as a process goes, there is really no right or wrong way to choreography. Everyone's brain works in a different way and processes differently, so everyone is going to have a different way they feel most comfortable choreographing. This is a generic though process that I have created that works for me and can easily be adapted to fit other choreography styles. Because there are so many different processes, a large part of this post is tips and things to think about while exploring your own style. Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to try new things! Dance is about embracing the world and exploration! Don't be afraid to embark on your own journey!

~Notebook - Lined paper is great for writing down you ideas! Add some pens and pencils in and you are 1/3 of the way there to creating your dance!

~Yourself- Super important! Can't choreography without your beautiful brain! Wear the proper shoes (or in some cases no shoes) for the style of dance you are trying to imitate. Dress in something comfortable, easy to move in, and that makes you feel confident!

~Music and Mirrors- Find yourself an nice un-distracting place to choreograph in. Try to set the 'mood' for where you will be dancing. If doing contemporary, try turning out the lights and instead set up some fairy lights for a softer feel. Atmosphere totally influence your attitude and emotions, which in turn will effect how your dance comes out. Try to replicate, if you can, what you want to project to the audience. Music is pretty obvious :)

---

Alright! I know this was a lot of information to take in, but it's all good stuff that you should at least keep in the back of your mind when starting a new piece! I hope ya'll enjoyed and I'll see ya'll next time with the third installment :)