For my oldsters...Did you start singing a little Huey Lewis and the News? Could I have just given you something that might be the next routine idea (hehe).
“Winning”, is definitely not everything, but if you are a choreographer being hired to create a competitive piece, for a team that has consecutively placed well, it is something we strive for. Or at the very least, we are working from a place to create a routine that the crowd will remember for a very long time. In either case, these winning and/or memorable routines take more time and effort than most can begin to understand. Let’s talk about what many choreographers go through behind the scenes when it comes to creating these routines.
As mentioned in my Instagram post, here are just a few assumptions vs. realities (which obviously won’t be the case for every choreographer)
Assumptions:
Choreographer goes in for 1 or 2 practices, teaches the routine, and peaces out.
Choreographer sets the routine and never revisits it to make changes.
Choreographer is the only one responsible for the preparation and overall vision.
Choreographer doesn’t spend time communicating with the dancers what the intention is behind the vision, they merely teach the routine.
Choreographer is producing numerous routines like this a season.
Realities:
Choreographer can spend well over 100+ hours communicating, brainstorming, preparing, and teaching for a single routine.
Choreographer will be in constant contact with a team and brought in numerous times in-person and virtually after their initial choreography visit to rework.
Choreographer is working with a coach from the beginning of the season (or far enough in advance) to develop the concept, plan the vision, and understand the dancers strengths and weaknesses.
Choreographer will spend a significant amount of time communicating with the team about the intention, character, mood, and overall effect they envision being conveyed to the audience.
Choreographer is often times limiting the amount of routines they accept during the season as they understand the time, energy, and brain capacity needed to achieve such a routine.
As you can see (if you didn’t already know), the amount of time, energy, and effort that goes into these routines is not for the faint of hearts. It requires not only dedication, but a relentless mindset around attention to detail, consistent and deep communication with your team, and always looking for ways to adapt and improve on the content as the routine comes to life. Not easy, but being pushed outside of our comfort zones can help us grow immensely as choreographers and really allow us to evolve as a creator year after year. This is why we generally take on gigs of this caliber.
"If it was easy, everybody would be doing it"
Initially, after accepting a job, our brains can sometimes think “Mission Impossible”. BAM! Did I just give you another idea for a routine LOL (just having fun friends). What can we possibly come up with next? How do we find a way to take it up a notch? What obstacles are going to come at us while we create and work with a team? The better we get and the better we do, the more pressure we tend to put on ourselves to come up with the “next best thing”. Instead of just letting ourselves be naturally inspired, we sometimes begin to doubt or overthink what we are doing. In my personal experience my creativity then becomes forced and the product isn’t as authentic or close to the work I know I am capable of. The frustration can set in very quickly. However, when I can step back and let go of certain pressures and expectations I can think from a place that is more instinctive. When we can work from a natural state we're going to always produce our best work. Easier said than done, but remember, it is a PROCESS. Great things take time and a lot of hard work. We have to trust ourselves and be open to adapting as needed. Every choreographer can attest that when we really follow our intuitions, the magic happens.
Below are a few phases of the creative process and things to think about as you move through it.
Conceptualizing a routine
During this phase, be open to anything and everything that inspires you. You never know where you’re going to be or what you might see or hear that could set you off in the best possible way. Hopefully as a creative, you are leaving space for this in your daily life. When things come up write down your ideas so you can revisit them later.
Spend some time researching and listening to music. It could be a single word, lyrics from a certain section of a song, movie, lighting, a color, or shape, and the list could go on.
Don't completely write off an "overused" theme or concept. Figuring out your own take by picking unique songs or adding moments using lyrics that haven't been thought of.
Preparing a routine (this is my personal approach)
Understanding a teams goals is imperative. This will help in the creative and teaching process.
Assessing the teams strengths and weaknesses is KEY. You can have the greatest concept and or ideas for movement and skills, but if you don’t have a team that can execute it then you might need to rethink the ideas in which you were visualizing. If you have a team you feel can bring it to life then being able to communicate and connect them to the vision is just, if not more important, than the choreography itself. You want to try to always utilize the dancers to their maximum potential.
Get a solid blueprint of how you want the routine to look. From choreography, forms, maneuvering, and moments.
Teaching the routine
Always take time to understand your dancers to the best of your abilities and communicate the vision for a routine. Being connected to them is just as important as the choreography.
Things aren't going to go as planned, so be ready. No matter how prepared you are it is inevitable that some of your ideas aren’t going to work out when you are physically working with a team or maybe changes have occurred with the team. Being able to trust yourself to work off your cuff a bit when needed or also knowing it is ok to leave a part that is not working out and revisit it while there or even after you leave. It is all normal and part of the process.
Be open to changes, feedback, and accepting that some of your "great" ideas aren't so great. Having the ability to move forward and not get too hung up on the details initially. You can and should revisit them once you get the routine through its initial learning stage.
Following up on the routine and team
Like we said, it is a process. After your first take and the routine starts to get clean and you can see what works and what doesn't be excited and open to making changes. To be honest, I have made changes during a final floor rehearsal, which occurs about 10 minutes prior to when they compete. If something needs to be changed and you have dancers that you know can mentally accept the changes and get it done, it is NEVER TOO LATE.
The more invested you are in staying in contact with a coach and team to help with the details and even giving them motivational talks before competing is going to add that much more to the routine and experience.
When all said and done don't let these routines fool you. You are normally seeing the end product by a team that makes it looks easy. And to think, this is just from a choreographers perspective. We haven't even touched on what the dancers and coaches go through to create a performance like this. I assure you, these winning and memorable routines are far from easy creatively, emotionally, mentally, or physically. You think you got what it takes? You can do anything you set your mind to. If I can do it, trust me, so can you.
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