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Standout Choreography
By Debbie Werbrouck
How to make your students--and
your dances--look
their best
 The auditions are over. You have a select group of
outstanding, dedicated dancers with an equally strong number
of understudies. The musical director is eager to
accommodate your every whim, and your unlimited costume
budget allows you to work with the very best designers who
will make your dancers and therefore your choreography look
even more brilliant. Wake up! You're dreaming!
Now that you've enjoyed your little fantasy, it's time to
get to work making the kind of magic that dance educators do
so well. It's your job to choreograph exciting dances that
show off students of differing abilities within a time
allotment that won't make everyone keep checking their
watches. The dances must challenge the dancers without
showing their weaknesses. The choreography must be simple
but interesting and work well with the music and costumes.
And speaking of music, it must be edited for length and
appropriateness. Easy, right? No, but dance educators across
the country do it every day. Here are some tips to make your
choreography stand out.
Choose appropriate music.
Make sure that the music fits the age of your students. No,
8-yearolds don't "know how to love him"; choose something
with lyrics they can relate to. Using appropriate music doesn't mean you are out of touch or not current; it means
that you are a thoughtful educator who cares about your
students and the image they project. Your dancers don't have
to be familiar with every piece of music you choose. You are
supposed to be introducing them to things that they don't
yet know. You are in charge, so don't be intimidated by
students or parents. If you do your job well, they will end
up liking something new and different.
Consider the style of dance that you're teaching. Going
against the grain and using music that is unexpected, such
as popular music for a
ballet piece, can be stimulating, but it can also easily be
all wrong. The final consideration is the theme (if any) of
the performance. Often this concept can provide momentum for
your choreography and opportunities for creativity.
Choose appropriate movements.
The word "inappropriate" doesn't refer only to suggestive
movements, though of course those shouldn't be given to
students; even hip-hop can be done without them and still be
creative and effective. And shimmies are not "cute" for
preschoolers. But just because the students can do a step doesn't mean that they should do it.
Making them look good is a priority, so tailor your
choreography to them, including only those steps that they
can do correctly and comfortably.
All teachers have experienced seeing their dancers look
completely different onstage than they had imagined they
would. Understand which movements your dancers will be able
to perfect with practice and time and which are beyond their
ability. Don't sacrifice your dancers for the sake of your
choreography. Be prepared to adapt if needed. Yes, a grand
jet� en tournant or a syncopated pickup would be perfect at
that point in the music, but not if it would present the
dancers poorly. As a teacher and choreographer, you have to
balance challenging your students with presenting them at
their best onstage.
Know your music.
Whether you are a choreographer who notates every movement
in advance or one who needs to work hands-on, it is
important to know your musical selection inside and out.
Think about why you are using this piece of music with this
group of dancers. Does it fit the performance's theme as
well as the ages and abilities of your dancers?
Using musical or vocal "cues," like jumping to second
position with arms spread wide on the word "surprise" in
"Teddy Bear's Picnic," makes it easy for younger dancers to
learn the steps and sequences. Don't expect them to know
where they are in the music if it sounds similar all the way
through. With younger dancers, the steps need to be simple
but not dully repetitive. Nothing will confuse dancers more
easily or put an audience to sleep faster than repeating a
shuffle ball change or glissade arabesque when it doesn't
fit the music and the dancers don't know where they are in
the dance. Take advantage of the lyrics, if possible, both
in interpretation and in adding interest to the
choreography--without making the dance a pantomime of the
words.
Pre-teach movements you would like to
use.
When choreographing for students, the more work that is
accomplished in advance of the rehearsal period, the better.
By teaching movements in class that you anticipate using in
your choreography, you will know which
steps you can use; you can then build on or modify them so
that they are fresh for the dancers. Plus, long
before rehearsals
begin, you will know what your dancers can and cannot do.
This is a much better option than
watching your students struggle with the choreography and
then having to choose between making a last-minute change or
having the dancers feel and look uncomfortable.
Think about more than the steps.
Choreography is not just steps. It is also using port de
bras only, or an isolated movement of the head or arm.
It is the use of a canon or the "white space" of no movement
at all. It's also the transitions between steps, or
mime, or dramatic or everyday movements. It encompasses the
interaction or contrast between dancers too.
Remember that "simple" does not have to mean "boring."
Let everyone be seen.
The importance of letting every child be seen can be a
positive factor in devising choreography that suits your
students. Parents don't care if their children are doing
something simple as long as they can see them and
they look good. Instead of regarding it as a constraint, use
the need to let every child shine as an opportunity to
push yourself creatively. For example, have the
less-accomplished students strike a wonderful pose downstage
center while the stronger dancers perform upstage or on
either side of them. Or try having the students moving in
canon into various formations like columns, circles,
V-shapes, and diagonals. If you can make each dancer look
good, everyone will be happy--you, your dancers, and the
parents who pay for the lessons.
Use a variety of patterns, shapes, and
levels.
A simple step or movement done well can include considerable
variety if you work with patterns, shapes, and levels. Be
creative about staging. Instead of having all the dancers
begin onstage or enter together, notice how much more
interesting the dance becomes when one or two dancers begin
onstage and the others enter at various intervals. The
movement does not have to be in unison all the time either.
Could some of the dancers
transition from one pose to another or perform simple
movements while the stronger dancers are highlighted as
they perform more challenging steps? How about having some
of the dancers' steps follow the normal tempo of
the music while others perform at half time, double time, or
stop time? Even mixing some styles can result in an
interesting yet pleasing approach. Try juxtaposing lyrical
movements against percussive movements if that works with
the music and the message.
Choreograph with your audience in mind.
Working with the ability of your dancers, the theme of the
show, and the context of the music in mind is important, but
is there anything else that you need to consider? Yes! You
need to think about your audience.
Many teachers create most of their choreography for an
end-of-the-year performance or recital that will be
seen by the families and friends of the students. Many of
these viewers have little or no experience in dance
and are only interested in seeing the students they know.
Keep your dances short and simple. Use interesting, creative
choreography and staging and always leave them wanting more.
Enhance the dancing with production
elements.
Two visual elements can enhance your dancers and
choreography: costumes and lighting. Choose costumes
that complement the choreography and fit the dancers--all of
them. If one dancer is larger or taller than the
others, be sure that the costume looks good on her as well
as on those with "perfect" dancer bodies. And remember that
very few dancers really look good in midriff-baring
costumes. Depending on the performance
venue, your lighting options may be limited. At the least,
make sure that the dancers (especially their faces)
can be seen. Parents want to see their children, not some
artsy lighting that renders the dancers unidentifiable. If
your options are more extensive than overhead strip lighting
in the local school, you may want to enlist the aid of a
lighting designer to enhance your dancers and your
choreography.
Side lighting is a big plus for dance.
It illuminates and sculpts the entire body, while using only
overhead lighting obscures the lower body. Specials
can effectively highlight a solo or a beginning or ending of
a dance. Gobos (cutout forms that fit over a lighting
instrument and project an image onto the cyc, backdrop, or
floor) come in a wide variety of patterns. Custom
gobos can also be made to meet your performance's needs. If
you keep all of these elements in mind as you choreograph,
you will have happy and excited dancers and satisfied
parents as well as a reputation as a teacher who trains
dancers well.
Photo courtesy Debbie Werbrouck
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