“Dream Ballet” from Oklahoma!
“Dance at the Gym” from West Side Story.
“I Hope I Get It” from A Chorus Line.
These are some of the most iconic dance numbers in musical history.
But just how did they get to be the memorable masterpieces that they are today?
It started with a choreographer.
Now just what is a choreographer? Well, choreography is any dancing or movement that takes place. So, a choreographer is someone who comes up with the choreography for a show. They collaborate with the director so they can help bring the vision of the show to life, as well as teach the choreography to the cast.
From shows like Cats that are filled with dance, to shows like Sunday in the Park with George that use pedestrian movement, all of them have choreography. Which means choreographers have so many things to consider when they are coming up with the choreography. They must look at the time period of the show, the amount of people they want to cast, what songs require choreography-and that isn’t even everything. Once they have made some of these decisions and done the research, they are ready to start making up the moves. Now of course they want to come up with things that look interesting and impressive, but the job of the choreographer is not only to make up and teach the dance moves, but first and foremost to tell a story!
There are many versions of the statement: If you cannot speak you sing, and if you cannot sing you dance! There are times in a musical where a character feels so deeply that they can’t only say what they are feeling, they have to sing. And if singing isn’t enough, they begin to dance. Dancing and movement are other ways of communicating that is an essential part of many musicals and plays. The goal of a choreographer is to make all of the moves they come up with motivated. Now you may have heard of the famous music and lyrics duo, Rodgers and Hammerstein. They are responsible for Oklahoma!, Cinderella, The Sound of Music, among many others. One of the reasons they are so famous is that they revolutionized musical theatre. When they wrote their songs, they didn’t merely write something that the audience would find entertaining. They wrote something that a specific character had to express and sing because they couldn’t just say it. And just like they motivated the songs from musicals, a choreographer must also find out how to make the dancing important and even necessary for a show. For example, watch this clip of “Cool” from the film West Side Story, choreographed by Jerome Robbins. The Jets are getting antsy with anticipation for the rumble (fight) that’s happening later with their rival gang, the Sharks. Their leader, Riff, attempts to help them keep their cool. In the song, each Jet has an individual moment of explosive movement before they force themselves into an outward calm. As the song builds, the Jets are unable to contain their energy and emotion and fly into fast, big, complicated movement. By the end of the song everyone is moving subtly once again, but the tension and passion remain. Think about how the movement fits the situation of the characters and the world, and why.
That being said, there are obviously shows that use dance and movement in many different ways and for different reasons. And as times change, the way that dance is incorporated into a musical changes as well. Some shows require a big, toe-tapping finale of a number. Others may require a slow and emotional duet. A choreographer can study the world of a particular play and find out why a dance number is motivated and then create movement that tells that story. This image is from the title song of the revival of Anything Goes. Here, Reno Sweeney, a nightclub singer, dances with the sailors on a ship. This is a large and intricate tap number that really demonstrates the style of the 1930’s, the time period of the show as well as when it was written. Take a minute to think about why the style of dancing would matter to the song it is in and the show it’s a part of.
Want to know something crazy? Even plays that aren’t musicals can have a choreographer. You’re probably wondering, how is that possible? Well, there’s been a trend recently of incorporating movement into plays. These plays don’t have music written for it, and they aren’t usually performed with dancing. But even in a regular play, movement can enhance the story that is being told! From shows by Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams and everything in between, directors are hiring choreographers to reinforce the themes of the play and give the audience another perspective. So, next time you read or watch a play, think about how a choreographer might go about adding to that show.
And finally, it’s important to know that being a good dancer isn’t necessarily a requirement to be a good choreographer. Though both relate to dance, they are two different things. A choreographer definitely needs to understand how bodies move and what they are capable of, but being able to tell a story through movement is another skill all together. So, if you haven’t had a lot of dance experience, that doesn’t mean you can’t choreograph. And if you have had a fair amount of practice at dancing, think about how you might be able to get better at storytelling by creating movement.
So, just who is a choreographer? Well, you! If you want to be. Take a look at the suggestions and see how you can start being a choreographer, all on your own.
Suggestions:
- Put on your favorite song and just dance! Then remember your favorite moves you come up with and perform it.
- Think of a story- a fairy tale, a poem, a book- and try telling the story through movement. No talking!
Listen to a few songs that are different from one another, and just dance along to them. Then think about how you are moving during each one. Is it influenced by the speed of the song? By the lyrics? What does the song make you feel? Does it make you want to move a certain way? And if you want to, try and come up with your own choreography that tells the story of the song and think about why that movement tells the specific story.