Finding Inspiration to Choreograph a Memorable Dance

What makes a choreographer want to create a particular dance? What inspires you? Most say that they are usually inspired by music. It's a great starting point. When you hear a certain piece of music, do you visualize colors, shapes and movements? If so, that music is a good candiidate for choreography.

A basic rule of choreography is that gestures should somehow reflect the music. What sets the successful choreographers apart is that their gestures embody the music beautifully, as if each musical phrase had been written just for them. An example is the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker. Although different choreographers may have set different steps to this music,nearly all of them have tried to create something appropriately delicate.

Another form of inspiration is the need to tell a story. Dance has always been an excellent vehicle for this. If you want to tell a tale, first decide whether you want to create a complete narrative from beginning to end, or something more complex.

Say, for example, that your theme is the story of Hansel and Gretel. Think of all the ways you could tell that story. You could opt for the linear approach, showing Hansel and Gretel wandering through the forest, dropping bread cumbs, etc. Or you could start at the end of the story, with the 2 kids leaping breathlessly onstage to tell you what they just experienced.

Or your dance could simply focus on character at one point in the story. How does the wicked witch feel when the kids bake her alive? Maybe she could do an interpretive dance to let the audience know.

Using Your Imagination as Inspiration

Choreographers almost always talk about their "vision" of their work, imagining what they would like to see.  A choreographer literally creates an image of the dance in his/her mind before attacking the details. The overall "look" of the dance is set, then from there, steps are chosen that best fit that vision. Choreographers then write down their ideas using dance notation or simply dance it and put it on videotape.

Martin Luther King’s famous speech "I have a Dream" could  be interpreted through  by phrases from the speech, the rhythm, phrasing of the words, emotional content and the time it which the speech was made.

Using Props - Think about the Texture, Shape, Size, Movement, Meaning, Mood, Character, Sound

Suitcase
Umbrella
Overcoat
Hat
Broom
Chair
Scarf
Ball
Cane

The chair in British choreographer Christopher Bruce's Swansong has many uses. It represents a shield, a weapon, a safe haven, a burden, prison bars and shackles. The prisoners relationship to the chair changes throughout the dance, giving the audience an idea of his state of mind as the dance progresses.

An Everyday Activity, Current or Historic Event - Think about Human behavior, Groupings, Formations, Interactions, Mood

People at work, rest or play
Places where people gather
Routines or rituals
News Items
Conflicts
Events that changed the world

Christopher Bruce  has frequently stated that he uses a number of sources for any work he creates. He has stated that there are two basic inspirations from which Swansong sprung. The first influence revolved from Amnesty International where Bruce felt compelled to say something about the situation of the prisoner of conscience. The other main inspiration was a more personal message. Bruce has stated that he felt the need to say good-bye to something and to him; it was saying good-bye to dancing.

The first section of Falaci’s A Man describes the torture of the hero, Alexander Panagoulis, condemned to death in 1968 for the attempted assassination of the Greek dictator George Papadopoulos. Saved from death he spends three and a half years in a cell with almost invisible windows. In the novel Falaci describes the process of torture and interrogation as if it was a theatrical production.

The title, Swansong, is highly appropriate for the dance and has two meanings.

A person’s last work or act before death or retirement.
A song like that fabled to be sung by a dying swan.

The importance of a swan’s song is the belief that a swan sings only at the point of death. In this sense Christopher Bruce’s Swansong has a parallel theme to Michel Fokine’s famous and more literal solo, popularised by Anna Pavlova, The Dying Swan (originally called The Swan). It is an image that has attracted artists in numerous disciplines.

Many teachers of dance in education use Swansong as an inspiration for choreographies, performances and greater dance understanding. It is clear that although Swansong can be easily watched and understood by many there is a dark undertone to the work that must be explored. Swansong has an ambiguity to its content and topic and has proved to be still relevant today.

Developing a Vocabulary for the Dance

The same basic step can be danced in many different ways. When you choreograph a dance, you have a nearly infinite number of steps to choose from. The vocabulary of the dance refers to the particular gestures and movements that you choose to use - the ones that seem to reflect your own character and make up your own personal style.

The order in which you put the steps is important. The steps should flow from one to the next. After you experiment with various sequences, you're likely to find some that feel just right for you. You then can repeat those sequences again and again, creating a vocabulary that is your own. George Balanchine, for example, was famous for following an arabesque with a jete. that was his trademark, just as Bob Fosse made a name for himself with bowler hats and turned-in legs.

Using Your Full Space

Another rule for choreography is to use the full amount of space that's available. By the end of the dance, every area of the stage should have been stepped on at least once.

Consider using non traditional areas - Staircases, hallways, even puddles(as Gene Kelly discovered) The unexpeted is often where the most inspiration lies.

In covering space, try vaying the shape of your dance. If you begin with a move on a diagonal, try using adding a circular pattern later or vice versa. Stretch your imagination and keep your audience on their toes.

Ending As You Began

One way to make a dance feel atistically whole is to "come full circle." And one way to accomplish this is by starting and ending the dance with the very same pose.

A more advanced version of this technique is to end in a slightly "evolved" version of the starting position. For example, if the dance is a duet, try switching the parts at the end, so that one person ends where the other began and vice versa. This gives the dance a feeling of completion, and it can often be very poignant and moving.

Learning from Others

All choreographers have been inspired and influenced by certain favorites of theirs. There's no better ay than to learn by example. However, your aim should be to learn, not imitate. For you to become known, you have to find your own style, your own voice. Eventually, you'll be heard.