How can you create and rehearse complex choreography for a musical or dance production?

1 Choose your style and theme

The first step in creating choreography is to decide what kind of style and theme you want to convey with your movement. Do you want to use classical ballet, modern jazz, hip hop, or a mix of genres? Do you want to tell a story, express an emotion, or create a mood? How does your choreography fit with the music, the lyrics, the characters, and the plot of your production? These questions will help you narrow down your options and find inspiration for your choreography.

3 Break down your steps and sequences

The third step is to break down your steps and sequences into manageable chunks. How will you divide your choreography into counts, beats, and bars? How will you name and describe your steps and movements? How will you teach and demonstrate them to your dancers? How will you correct and refine them? How will you mark and memorize them? These questions will help you simplify and communicate your choreography.

4 Use repetition and variation

The fourth step is to use repetition and variation to make your choreography interesting and memorable. How will you repeat certain steps, sequences, or motifs throughout your choreography? How will you vary them by changing the direction, speed, energy, or quality of the movement? How will you contrast them by using different steps, sequences, or motifs? How will you create dynamics, rhythm, and harmony with your repetition and variation? These questions will help you enhance and enrich your choreography.

5 Incorporate feedback and collaboration

The fifth step is to incorporate feedback and collaboration into your choreography process. How will you ask for and receive feedback from your dancers, your director, your musical director, or your audience? How will you implement and adjust your choreography based on the feedback? How will you collaborate with your dancers, your director, your musical director, or your other choreographers? How will you respect and acknowledge their input and contributions? These questions will help you improve and adapt your choreography.

6 Schedule and conduct rehearsals

The final step is to schedule and conduct rehearsals for your choreography. How often and how long will you rehearse your choreography? How will you warm up, stretch, and cool down your dancers? How will you review, drill, and polish your choreography? How will you run through, troubleshoot, and finalize your choreography? How will you evaluate, praise, and motivate your dancers? These questions will help you prepare and perform your choreography.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?