Great Moves! Successful ideas for contemporary dance educators Student Choreographers
As a teacher you know that choreography is an acquired art form almost separate from learning dance technique. After many years of training, some dancers are enthusiastic about choreographing routines and others don't have a clue how it's done. As a part of the practice of technique, learning how to choreograph simple dances is a valuable experience for dancers as soon as the pre-school years. When started early and presented without too much criticism, young dancers can learn to appreciate the work teachers and choreographers do and the knowledge may help them with their own career choices.
Without it being said aloud, your dancers have probably recognized that the routines you teach them have a certain degree of interpretation built into them. The music obviously influences your movement choices and you might have orchestrated a storyline into the number.
Pre-schoolers have great fun and success dancing like kittens wearing ears on a headband and a furry tail dangling from the back of their leotards. They love the swaying, cat leaps, pas de chats, and licking their "paws" as they dance along to "Alley Cat" or "Pink Panther Theme." Later you play "Night on Bald Mountain" and tell them to "swirl and swoop and fall like leaves from the autumn trees in the wild wind."
Clever choices in music, motivation, and movement allow young dancers to copy your steps or create their own freeform motions according to your direction. This is the first step to implanting the sensation that dance steps tell a story. Blended with music, scenery, and costume, choreography imparts to the dancer and the audience that an idea is being expressed through the structure of the movement. It's never too early to teach the concept of message in dance, and it should be encouraged as dancers mature even if they aren't interested in choreography as a career. Of course, a study in the "plot less" dance number is also a worthwhile exploratory of technique.
As some of your dancers develop, they may express the desire to make up dances for themselves or classmates. A school variety show or local talent competition will spark the idea of creating and performing a dance. This is a sign of student confidence and positive self-esteem. It's also a healthy sign of curiosity and an eagerness to explore dance in more depth. Whether the dancer comes to ask for your assistance or you notice him dancing his own steps in a corner of the studio, providing students with choreographic opportunities builds their technique and understanding of the meaning and purpose of dance.
Choreography is just another word for creative exploration in the dance studio. Dancers will be inspired by a piece of music, another dancer's performance, or possibly even a dream and want to put together a dance to help them share their vision with an audience. Even if you don't teach a class dedicated to choreography, allowing interested senior students the opportunity to choreograph and teach a dance to other students is a valuable learning opportunity. It presents a wide range of problem solving situations that students can learn from.
Students will need the following assistance from you to make the project a success.
1. Guidelines: Provide guidelines for music, costuming, number of dancers in the piece, and time limit. Explain that because students are just learning the process, as the director of the studio you have the final say on everything.
2. Studio Space: To the best of your ability, make studio space available. Set up a schedule that gives everyone the same amount of time and encourage students to meet and practice at home. Caution them to be careful and not try dangerous moves without guidance and spotting.
3. Performance: Set a time for performance that is free from the pressures of the annual recital or a competition. A small gathering of family, friends, and dancers in the studio will ease nerves and present the works in the best, most supportive light.
4. Rules of Respect: Give a list of rules to everyone that clearly defines behavior during the practices. Tell students up front that respect is the first requirement for participation.
5. Evaluation: Evaluate the student choreographer from the start of the project to the end and allow the dancer to write a brief self-evaluation about her experience. Keep copies but return the evaluations to the student. Because of lack of experience, it's best not to ask students to evaluate each other.
Learning to choreograph teaches problem solving skills and is a way for the dancer to get to know themselves on a creative level. It's a chance to exercise technique and travel across movement boundaries that the student is curious about. Having the opportunity to choreograph a dance, teach it to dancers, and see it performed is rewarding and eye opening. Windows into the creative landscape of the choreographer will open for everyone to appreciate.
Exercises in choreography also teach conflict management when arguments or last minute changes occur. Designing choreography helps students empathize with coaches and teachers and be more patient with them. A choreography project shows everyone what's involved in putting on a performance and how to deal with the pressures that come with the responsibilities of a choreographer. Creating dance helps young choreographers understand limits and expectations by highlighting the fact that the goal of making a dance depends on the cooperation of many, many people.
The final product is usually a source of pride and accomplishment for everyone involved, but there will be those student choreographers who feel unsatisfied after the experience. Be as supportive and realistic as possible telling them that choreography, just like dancing, is a learned skill that takes time, experience, and dedication. After all, they've come a long way since kittens and falling leaves.
Joy Held is a dance and yoga instructor and the author of Writer Wellness, A Writer's Path to Health and Creativity from New Leaf Books, 2003. Contact her at yogajoy@charter.net.