3 Tips to Clean Choreography

Tips for cleaning your choreography will be useful to those who are working on a piece of dance that is almost complete. Before finalising the work you will likely hit a “it’s not quite right” phase, feeling that your work isn’t as perfect as you want it yet. This is completely normal and can be fixed by applying the tips provided. So, from picking out the issues, stepping outside of your role as a choerographer and actually addressing the issues, here are a few tips to clean choreography to help give your work that extra sparkle.

Picking out any issues

Watch the piece in its entirety with pen and paper in hand. Make note of anything that stands out; any bits that the dancers seem uncomfortable with, any bits that look odd (but not in the good way) or any wobbly transitions from pole to floor. Maybe your music isn’t working anymore, don’t be afraid to try a different track and ask your dancers what they think works and what doesn’t. Give attention to everything, including performance as well as actual movement steps because it is just as important, if not more so.

Address the biggest issues first

Now that you have your list of issues you have something to work with. Start by addressing the biggest problem first. Obvious, but you’ll likely find that if you fix one big thing, everything else will just fall into place. For instance, if you made note of adding more movement to one section and rearranging another, you might change one section, making it longer than before, and as a result of this sections new length, you won’t have to add more movement to the other section because it just fits. I hope that makes sense?

Stop seeing yourself as the choreographer

Sometimes you have to step outside of your role as a choreographer and forget about what the work means to you. See the work as somebody in the audience would see it; from a purely objective perspective. You might then ask yourself; where is my focus, is there too much going on at once? What did I enjoy? What didn’t I enjoy? Does it make sense?

Once you have completed the above, do something about it straight away. Don’t leave it until the next rehearsal. Sort it out straight away and then it’s done. Procrastination gets you nowhere. If you’re anything like me you will probably have a few hissy fits with yourself before you get to the point of being 100% happy with your work, but it happens to everyone. Use these tips to clean choreography and it will soon look exactly like how you envisioned it.

Rowena x

For more help with your choreography, don’t forget to check out “Choreography Cards” and “Speaking through Movement”. Also, keep up to date with all things Pole Purpose by finding on Twitter and Instagram