Choreographed Dance Routines

Designing Your Own Choreographed Dance Routines

You don’t have to go to a fancy ballet academy to design your own dance. Plenty of every day dancers, and even those with no training, have had a great time putting together their own choreography for a special event or just for fun.

When you are ready to start choreographing, do a little prep work before hitting the dance floor. Think about the level of difficulty involved with your dance. If you are an elite dancer, you will want to make sure everyone participating in your piece will be able to keep up. If you are a beginner, don’t try to incorporate an unrealistic amount of advanced technique.

If you will be performing your dance, think about the venue. Is it a competition? A gift performance for a birthday party? What type of floor surface will you be dancing on? These are all important things to consider before you start showing off your planned moves.

Music is also a very important element when it comes to choreographed dance routines. You will want to match the mood of wherever it is you are dancing, and the wrong music can bring confusion or even offense to your audience. Consider many different songs before choosing the perfect one, and don’t be afraid to consult your dancers for their opinions as well. You may receive a great suggestion you otherwise never would have thought of.

Steps Toward Completion

The dance steps you put in your dance is obviously as important an element as any of the above mentioned facets. Most choreographers work off of 8-count sequences, which add ease to memorization and also fits the rhythm of most styles of music.

You can stick to one style of dance (ie: ballet, jazz, hip hop), or mix them up for a fun sampler platter of moves guaranteed to grab a crowd’s attention. Whichever style you choose, try to find something that fits well with your dancers. Trained ballerinas probably aren’t the best choice for a street funk routine, and vice versa. Stretching your dancers creatively is a wonderful thing, however pushing them past what they are capable of is often a recipe for disaster.

Putting on a CD and just improvising to the music can also yield some great choreography. You may discover moves you never dreamed of using, and you may capture a feeling or theme you weren’t initially planning on. Let the spirit move when you begin choreographing, and you are sure to create a soulful and genuine piece not easily replicated.

Finding Professional Dances

Building choreographed dance routines isn’t an endeavor for everyone. Some people easily frustrate, preferring to learn and perform pre-made dances. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available for this.

The Internet is obviously a great place to start, as there are endless videos and websites devoted to choreographed dance routines. You Tube is a great place to start. Many studios post their rehearsals and performances, and many have no problem with you using the choreography for your own events. It is always ideal to ask permission, and the majority of You Tube videos have contact information for the video poster.

If you want something a little more professional, check out Music Works, a site designed specifically to get people dancing with their various choreographed dance routines available for purchase.

Lastly, you can hire a choreographer if it is within your budget. Check with local dance studios to see if they hire out their teachers, or know of an advanced student who would be able to get the job done. Many high school and college drill teams get their choreographed competition pieces by bringing in an outside talent.

No matter what avenue you choose, dance choreography is a valuable and creative way to express oneself. It’s a great way to get some exercise by being artistic at the same time!