Choreography: developing a series of movements and phrases that create cohesive and thematic unity, which in turn, produce a dance with a beginning, a middle, and an end
Phrase: a short series of movements that connect
Theme: a series of movements or phrases that the dance is based on
Choreographic Design: the body shape and line in space and in relation to other persons and objects in the space (can be symmetrical-balanced on each side or asymmetrical-unbalanced)
Visual Design: the overall pictures created through the use of choreographic elements that include dancers' body shapes, pathways, and group formations
Group Formations: can be a square, triangle, 2 parallel lines, a straight line, a circle or a part of a circle, a V, or inverted V
Transition: the way in which a movement phrase connects to the next (growing out of one movement into the next seamlessly)
Unison: involves all dancers in the group executing the same movements at the same time
Sequential Movement: a wavelike pattern in which all dancers do the same movements in a successive order rather than all at the same time (a "ripple" effect)
Opposition: movement that opposes or contrasts the original movement or the movement of another dancer (under/over, together/away, mirrored/moving toward or through, up/down, forward/backward)
Complementary Movement: another person performing the same movement with the opposite side of the body as the other person
If you have an idea of a dance or movements that you would like to do:
A.
Write down your ideas on paper such as any combinations, movements/phrases or floor work/partner work you want to do
B.
Video Tape yourself performing your ideas or some ideas that might be hard to remember
C.
Record your ideas on a video camera or iphone

If you have an idea of music that you want to use:
A.
Write down your ideas on paper such as what kind of time measures are being used (e.g. ¾ time or 4/4 time; Most top 40 music is in 4/4 time)
B.
Write out the counts of beats on paper (Mapping the music phrases with eight counts and by certain musical sections in the song)
C.
Visualize formations and/or floor movements you would like to do that go along with the music, the words of the song, the upbeats or downbeats of the song, or a combination of all of these elements
*When you choreograph, you can follow these guidelines:
1.
Pick a theme or dance form that you would like to perform or feel confident at performing
2.
Pick music that inspires you and that has distinct beats
3.
Continue to evaluate what you have made up to see if it flows together and if you are stuck on choreography, use the four main categories of movement to help create more variety
4.
Continue to make changes for either the performing space or the performers’ abilities
5.
Utilize your floor space, direction changes, levels, canons and ripples, partner/floor work, and changing formations
6.
Listen for climaxes, crescendos and decrescendos in the music
7.
Repeat movements or combinations if it makes sense in the choreography
8.
Have a beginning that sets the tone of your dance and helps identify your theme and a strong ending that allows the audience to know the dance is over
*When you choreograph, you can do one or some of the following (Possibilities are endless):
1.
Choreograph from beginning to end of the dance (Using sequential order)
2.
Choreograph Climaxes or other explosive parts in the music first, then go from beginning to end
3.
Choreograph from the end to beginning, section by section
4.
Choreograph the middle section first, then from beginning to end
5.
Choreograph to the beats of the music, the words, the upbeats, the downbeats, or to all of these
6.
Continue to evaluate choreography and make changes when needed
7.
Practice, Practice, Practice and Practice again!
8.
Watch dance videos, dance performances, or use other dance resources to help get ideas
9.
Ask for help
10.
Don’t always reinvent the wheel!