I have been creating ladies styling solo choreographies for over a year now and have definitely learned some stuff along the way. I noticed that some of my choreographies were better to look at and dance than others, so I started focusing on creating more of those. Here’s how you can make your choreographies look and feel better too.
Focus on Musicality
We cannot forget that dancing is essentially putting music into a physical form. Therefore in order to make good choreographies, your starting point, inspiration and guide needs to be the music. Listen and sense what is the overall vibe and what kind of moves the music is asking for. Using music just to showcase dance moves is a reversed way of creating and makes dance look disconnected and lifeless.
Tell a Story
Someone dancing with a poker face is pretty bland to watch. In order to make your choreography engaging, it needs to tell a story or express an emotion. If you already know what you want to communicate with your dance, find a suitable song. If there’s a song you’d like to choreograph, you can take hints for your story from the lyrics and the vibes of the music. Your facial expressions will come naturally as you dance with the story in mind and make the audience curious about your message.
Create Different Dynamics
It gets boring to watch a choreography with only fast or only slow moves. Alternate between faster and slower motions to create more interest. Emphasize some parts with delays or pauses and build energy with rapid or big moves. As always, use music as your guide. Switch between dancing to the beat, lyrics and different instruments.
Consider the Lyrics
I recently saw a world famous social dance instructor’s new choreography challenge. She was dancing super cheerfully in the video, however the song was actually talking about a heartbroken woman drinking and crying over a guy who hurt her. The choreography vibe and the lyrics did not match at all and it was very strange to watch. So always check what the singer is talking about, even if the music itself seems upbeat. If lyrics are in a foreign language for you, Google Translate is your friend. Lyricstranslate.com is an even better place for translations.
These were some of my tips for creating more engaging choreographies that are interesting to watch and fun to dance. What are some of your favourite choreographies? Leave them in the comments if you’d like to share!