Strategize Your First Dance
by Julliene Bondoc
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Have you ever wondered how your favorite artists develop their dance steps for their music? Or have you thought about how theater actors choreographed their dance steps during performances? In the past years, have you been amazed by how beautiful the execution of steps is during cheer dance competitions in UAAP? Well, these dancers strategized their dance steps through the basic choreographic techniques.
What is Choreography?
Choreography is the art of creating and arranging dances. It is the skill of putting together and organizing various dance steps into sequences and patterns which may be performed to specific music, beat, or melody to form a dance routine.
The word “choreography” came from the Greek word khoreia, which means “dance,” and graphien, which means “to write.”
Who are choreographers?
Choreographers are dancers who have mastered the art of choreography. They are regarded as the pioneers of dance. It is always the goal of choreographers to arrange various dance moves to highlight the elegance of the dance. When dancing for a particular song or event, the emotions and feelings they are trying to portray via their movements may alter. Choreographers can also use a variety of different styles to suit their preferences.
Although any dancer may learn to choreograph, mastering this discipline requires time, ingenuity, and a lot of observation.
The Basic Choreographic Techniques
To create your first dance, you must be aware of the basic choreographic techniques to execute the emotion and the ideas you have in mind. Moreover, here are the 9 Basic Choreographic Techniques for you!
1. Stage / Space Directions
Stage or Space Directions are instructions for technical aspects of the production like lighting, sound, costume, scenery or props, and, significantly, the movement of dancers on stage. These instructions tell you where you should travel in space and what it looks and sounds like. These instructions give vital information for the action and relationships between the dancers and things onstage. Choreographers use these to provide instructions that all dancers need to understand, so they have one idea of it.
2. Levels and Angles
Levels and angles suggest different purposes. One of these is to create visual interest to see every action the dancer does. Another aim is to tell status when the choreography demands it. Especially when the music shows power, levels and angles are helpful to pass the idea to the audience. Lastly, levels and angles also suggest the audience may interpret different locations, such as standing on the platform as standing on a mountain, while standing on the ground level may be standing on the flat road.
Levels refer to the distance from the floor.
Lowest - The half portion of the body or the whole body touches the floor (e.g., lying down).
Low - The knee is touching the floor.
Middle - The knees are bent.
High - The feet are flat on the floor.
Highest - The dancer tiptoe-ing, whole body not touching the floor (e.g., partner lifts).
Angles (PP) refer to where the chest is facing.
Front
Right
Diagonal-Right
Left
Diagonal-Left
Back
Back diagonal-Right
Back Diagonal-Left,
Up (chest facing the ceiling)
Down (chest facing the floor)
3. Symmetrical and Asymmetrical
Symmetrical actions mean both sides, left and right sides of your body, have the same action. This allows you to draw attention to all areas of the dancer equally. Note that this can also apply to group and partner dances.
Any action you do in your right should complement your left action (e.g., right and left hands doing the same pose at shoulder level).
Asymmetrical actions mean two sides of your body can have different actions. These actions are more modern than symmetrical actions.
Your body does not need to complement each side (e.g., right arm up, left arm down).
4. Size
The size of your dance movements refers to your movement effort.
Big -Movements are executed 100%.
Medium - Movements are not too big and not too small.
Small - Movements are executed with minimal effort.
5. Dynamics
Dynamics in dance refers to the different ways on how a dancer executes their movements. These create different textures and showcase your musicality.
Slow - smooth and flowy movements
Moderate - normal speed
Fast - sharp movements
6. Focus
Focus refers to the performer’s distance from an object/person. It also refers to the dancer’s line of sight.
Close - The focus is within a body part; attached to your body.
Middle - The focused object/person is within a space.
Distant - The focused object/person is far from the dancer.
7. Space Design
Space design or, in other words, dance formations. Space design may mostly apply to group performances. And the most common dance formations are usually in shapes.
8. Unison, Canon, and Succession
Space design or, in other words, dance formations. Space design may mostly apply to group performances. And the most common dance formations are usually in shapes.
Unison is a dance movement that takes place at the same time in a group performance.
Canon is a dance movement wherein movements are done while overlapping one another’s action quickly.
Succession is a dance movement wherein movements are done in succession.
Unison - 4:57 - 5:01
Canon - 5:02 - 5:04
Succession - 3:21 - 3:25
9. Weight Dependency
Weight dependency is also called counterbalance, wherein dancers depend on a particular person or object to maintain balance.
For a duet, you can depend your weight on your partner.
For a group, you can depend your weight on each other.
For solo, you depend your weight on objects (e.g., chair, table).
Now that you have learned about the 9 Basic Choreographic Techniques, it is your turn to choreograph your first dance. Using the given techniques will help you be creative and unleash the emotions you want to portray for the song you are dancing to. We can’t wait to see your first choreography!
References
choreography | dance composition | Britannica. (2021). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/choreography
choreography | Origin and meaning of choreography by Online Etymology Dictionary. (2021). Etymonline.com. https://www.etymonline.com/word/choreography
Cullen, P. (2020, August 31). Stage Directions (An Actor’s Guide). StageMilk. https://www.stagemilk.com/stage-directions/
DANCE VOCABULARY. (n.d.). https://a.s.kqed.net/pdf/arts/programs/spark/dancevocab.pdf
Forsey, C. (2018, June 20). Design 101: Asymmetrical and Symmetrical Balance. Hubspot.com. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/asymmetrical-balance
STEEZY. (2019). What are Dynamics? | Dance Dictionary | STEEZY.CO [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2FRKFCKHOU
What is Choreography? (2019). Soulonewyork.com. https://www.soulonewyork.com/blog-posts/what-is-choreography
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