Eight Steps of Choreographing a Musical
“Dance without music is like a soul with no emotion.” -Lorianne Barclay, Choreographer, Trueheart Productions
It all begins with a melody; a kaleidoscope of instrumental sounds strung together creating a mood which in turn inspires a dance. But it all begins with the song, without music there is no motivation for dance.
- Immersion: Know the music well enough you hear it in your dreams
- Purpose: Decide the emotion/goal of the dance
- Brainstorm steps: What kind of movement will look best on this particular cast?
- Experiment: Try out choreography in your living room (try not to stub your toe)
- Document: Write out the choreography in detail and diagrams for later reference
- Teach: The introduction of choreography to actor.
- Polish: Refining each movement precisely and uniformly amongst a group
- Perform: The ultimate goal… sharing it with the world!
Choreographer's notes written on full orchestral score.
Two actors learning a dance for the first time
Rehearsal for 'God Bless You' dance
Performing the dance of 'Haman’s Ballade' in Chosen Destiny (2008)
