Choreography

[bonpon]

I just complete beginner Quickstep. I am very comfortable with all the steps and timing.

I took a little challenge: create a chreography to a song.

Right now, what I did is that I pick certain part of the song that has a good highlight, and I paired it with certain elements that I "felt" it fits well. And then I attempt to fill in the blanks with other steps.

To recond the cherography, I wrote the music out along with the beat counts, and I litterally fill in each beat with each step count and elements names:

For example:

1 2 3 4, S S QQ S, Quarter turns

And I found to be very time consuming. Right now, I got 3 bars of music down and took me about 30 mins. It works great. But I am having trouble to fill in the rest and join different music bars because different steps doesn't always connect and direction of travel also dictates what steps you can do.

So I am wondering how do you guys create a chreography with good musicality to it? It's dead easy to just dance along with the music, but to end certain music melody with certain elements at the right time, I found it is difficult.

[drejenpha]

I took a little challenge: create a chreography to a song.

Right now, what I did is that I pick certain part of the song that has a good highlight, and I paired it with certain elements that I "felt" it fits well. And then I attempt to fill in the blanks with other steps.


So I am wondering how do you guys create a chreography with good musicality to it? It's dead easy to just dance along with the music, but to end certain music melody with certain elements at the right time, I found it is difficult.

I'm probably not the best one to answer this as I've only dabbled with choreographing to songs, but here's my take on it:

You're already moving in the right direction going with feeling... Don't be afraid to play with the timing on your figures, when the music stretches a beat go with it rather than through it. A Quick Quick might become a Slow & over swung eighths, you might not take a slow step as a delayed quick to match a strong backbeat, or you might stretch a quick into a slow leading into a syncopated line.

As far as connecting steps/changing direction goes, slow forwards are a good option, you can curve them to go whichever way you need to go and then have whichever foot you need free for your next figure.

When choreographing one song you'll want to make sure that your dance meshes with the phrasing of that song, when doing general choreography you'll probably be most successful with 8 or 16 bar phrases.

I'll pretend I haven't seen everyone already welcome you in the other threads... Welcome to DF.

[Terpsichorean Clod]

Right now, what I did is that I pick certain part of the song that has a good highlight, and I paired it with certain elements that I "felt" it fits well.
What elements/figures did you use to express highlights in the music?

bonpon and drejenpha, would you care to share some of the songs you have been working on? :)

[drejenpha]

Before I moved my focus towards Smooth I was working on Happiness is a Warm Gun from the Across the Universe soundtrack... Fox/Viennese/Tango/Fox(with some triplets that support Viennese should I choose to do some). I might go back now and try at it again with more open elements.

Incidentally, trying to work this song was the first point I ever found the limit to my range of motion (and consequently found the floor). I was using a rather large floor and was just seeing how far I could move the line I was working and ended up hitting a slippy spot on the floor taking my slow into a split and falling over sideways.

[Angel HI]

Probably not wha tyou want to hear, but choreo is a learned skill. It is more than just putting together steps that work well with one another. The chore has to make good "dance sense"; it must have float, it must compliment beats, bars, phrasing, it must have balance, it must have audience appeal, and if it is for a performance, then it must have entertainment value.

It is not my intention to steer you from it... quite the opposite. If you would like to learn it/try it, these are the tools that you will need. Bonne chance.

[Terpsichorean Clod]

Before I moved my focus towards Smooth I was working on Happiness is a Warm Gun from the Across the Universe soundtrack... Fox/Viennese/Tango/Fox(with some triplets that support Viennese should I choose to do some). I might go back now and try at it again with more open elements.
Ooh, I just listened to it. Love it! I'm sure it must be quite fun to work with a song that contains multiple dances. Hmmm, Beethoven's 6th might be interesting to play with...excerpted of course...wouldn't expect anyone to keep dancing for 40 minutes straight!

[contracheck]

So I am wondering how do you guys create a chreography with good musicality to it? It's dead easy to just dance along with the music, but to end certain music melody with certain elements at the right time, I found it is difficult.

I've found that Chapter 4 of Luca & Loraine Baricchi's DVD "The Dance Bible" particularly valuable in understanding the principles and methods of choreography and expression of music. Evidently, they learned their sound principles and methods from Hans Laxome, Richard & Janet Gleave, Doreen Frieman, etc. This DVD has helped me expressing the music my own way but based on time-tested principles. In addition, if you study all of the four chapters, I think it is not too difficult to dance like them because their way is the natural way of move, like water flowing from high to low.

[Josh]

In addition, if you study all of the four chapters, I think it is not too difficult to dance like them because their way is the natural way of move, like water flowing from high to low.

"Natural movement" rarely equates to "not too difficult" :-) (especially when we're talking about dancing like Luca and Lorraine!). That's the misconception of watching videos and learning--because there's no feedback, they just aren't very helpful and don't really do a whole lot (except sometimes convince us that we think we're doing what's on the video when in reality we're not!).

[contracheck]

"Natural movement" rarely equates to "not too difficult" :-) (especially when we're talking about dancing like Luca and Lorraine!). That's the misconception of watching videos and learning--because there's no feedback, they just aren't very helpful and don't really do a whole lot (except sometimes convince us that we think we're doing what's on the video when in reality we're not!).

What si wrong with the basic concept of not fighting the direction of energy flow. I think that we achieve such fluidity like theirs by not fighting the flow of energy and the law of naure such as gravity and inertia. At any rate, this is my understanding of their instruction. I am going to practice in their way every day.

[Josh]

What si wrong with the basic concept of not fighting the direction of energy flow. I think that we achieve such fluidity like theirs by not fighting the flow of energy and the law of naure such as gravity and inertia. At any rate, this is my understanding of their instruction. I am going to practice in their way every day.

Nothing is wrong with it... my point was regarding picking that up from a video, that's all.

[contracheck]

Nothing is wrong with it... my point was regarding picking that up from a video, that's all.

DVD: Poor prople's personal instruction.

Some people dissolve dance book in carbon tetrachlroide and inhale the fume. I wath these DVDs three times a day, hoping that I dance like him one day. Is this a sound idea, or waste of time?

[Mengu]

Trying to learn to dance from videos is like trying to discern a pot pie recipe by looking at the crust. Good luck.

I'm a "learn by feel" kind of guy though. I'm usually like, "okay it looks nice when you do it, now make me feel it." I even have my instructors lead me so I can better understand what they are talking about. YMMV.

[contracheck]

I even have my instructors lead me so I can better understand what they are talking about. YMMV.

Few people can come up with Baricchi's lesson fee. I've hired one of his top students as a coach. She is as good as he is and looks very like Loraine. So, I catch two birds with one stone. I don't even have mone to buy The Dance Bible DVD. My coach loaned them to me.

[and123]

maybe spend less money on rhinestones and more on lessons? :cool:

[contracheck]

maybe spend less money on rhinestones and more on lessons? :cool:


How do you know i buy rhinestones? Do you have a spy on me who reports my every move to you?

[Joe]

You outed yourself.