Choreographers: What Do They Do?

If you particularly enjoyed the last ballet or musical show you attended, you should thank the choreographer.

A choreographer is the professional responsible for sequencing dance movements so that they express and support the music accompanying it. Choreographers have to be creative and have a great understanding of music, rhythm and body movement.

The word ‘choreography’ literally means dance writing, and for good reason. A choreographer has to create a dance, movement by movement, that is exciting, new and that represents each note of the music being played. Whether the dance is accompanying the latest pop song in the video or a lovely classical sonata, the dance has to be inventive and appropriate from the first note to the last.

There are two basic types of choreography. The first is improvisation, wherein the choreographer will give guidelines and ideas to follow, but then allows the dancers themselves to improvise their movements within those rules. This type of choreography gives a great deal of freedom of expression to the dancers themselves, though it often creates dance sequences that are nearly impossible to duplicate for a second performance.

The second type of choreography is planned, and this is where every step in the dance sequence is specifically written by the choreographer. The ideas of the dancer are nearly always unused in this type of choreography. The dance is as strictly written as a chapter in a book and every word must be followed.

Choreography is used in more than just dancing. It’s involved in any event that includes stylized body movements. Such examples are synchronized swimming, ice skating, cheerleading and gymnastics. Whenever body movements are designed and “written”, choreography is involved. Even marching bands make use of choreography, in order to make sure that every step is in tune to the music they are creating.

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