Behind The Curtain

Behind the Curtain: The Process of Choreographing a Performance
If you have ever gone to a ballet, musical or any sort of live performance, you most likely saw some sort of choreography. The art of choreographing is somewhat like writing. You have to plan and research, write an outline, create multiple drafts, receive edits and critiques from peers, and finally ending with a finished product to share with the public.
Choreography can move the viewer through a storyline, portray different emotions, and artistically interpret a narrative or idea. The process of creating just one piece takes many hours of work, planning, and rehearsals. Without choreography, there would be no seamlessly graceful scenes or clear storylines in ballets. When a choreographer
A motif is a certain gesture, movement or phrase that is used as a main reference for the rest of the choreography to be built upon. This would be somewhat similar to a thesis or topic sentence, where it drives the piece forward.
Next, the motif would be used to create the rest of the piece, with it leading the way to more movements and ideas that layer around it. Occasionally, a choreographer will choreograph on the spot during a rehearsal and will create movements with the dancers’ present. Normally you will only find the most seasoned and experienced choreographers using this on the spot, or improvisation method.
After the movements and main ideas are planned out and organized, a rehearsal will be scheduled to teach the dancers the choreography. Depending on the difficulty and duration of the song, a piece could have only one rehearsal or as many as needed!
A possible step in the choreography process is when an unforeseen problem arises, such as the choreography doesn’t flow the way the choreographer had wanted it to or it is too difficult for the dancers. At this point, the choreographer has to decide whether to change the choreograph or push on and hope the dancers will be able to grasp the choreography after a few