Choreopoem

What is a Choreopoem?

A choreopoem is a newer form of theater, with its name only being fully associated to the art in 1975, by Ntozake Shange a writer who described her worker as For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf

A choreopoem is set up and expressed through a mixture of poetry, dance, and song. All of these aspects come together to tell a story with every aspect, each conveying their own special part of the story and when witnessed together can convey a message you wouldn't get when missing a piece.

Example of Choreopoems:

A Photograph: Lovers in Motion by Ntozake Shange
Boogie Woogie Landscapes by Ntozake Shange
I Am A Black American by Peter Shaffer
XX Chromosome Genome Project by S. Ann Jonhson

Below you can find some examples of choreopoems as well as articles about their rehearsals and productions

Black Feminist Collectivity in Ntozake Shange’s <em>for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf</em>“dark phrases,” the first poem in for colored girls, introduces an imperative—“somebody/ anybody / sing a black girl’s song”—as it establishes a context for the absence of the black girl’s story. Lady in brown laments, “dark phrases of womanhood / of never havin been a girl” in order to introduce “the predominant perceptions of black […]

Black Plays Are Knocking on Broadway’s Door. Will It Open?Calls for diversity grow louder, and there are shows in the pipeline. But many are being shepherded by newcomers, not the powerful industry regulars.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse