Choreogrophing a Routine- Guidelines, Tips?

Okay so hopefully this is the right forum and right place to discuss this. I searched and couldn't find a thread specifically on the how to's of choreographing a routine.

In the past I really didn't have much interest in a set routine, but after viewing certain routines that, to my view, must have been choreographed, and also looking at the difference between free-form and choreographed movements, I've decided to undertake a choreographed routine. I mean just looking at some of yuta's videos, obviously he's not just a great spinner, but there is a great organization to the movements that you don't see in free-form dancing. Also, part of this inspiration came out of a conversation I had with a gentleman who helps ice skaters choreograph performances (talking olympic level athletes).

Based on the conversation I had which spurred this, what I personally have done is just started a text file on my computer, and just started typing out moves to flow from one to another, thinking about how it would look in my head, and kind of working it out. (This routine is for me solo.) I made a list that I think will take up about 4 minutes or so. I then printed it out, and next time I went outside just put the list in my pocket and started working on move-to-move. I didn't think of a song to do this with, I'm searching for a song that might fit what I'm trying to do. And currently I'm working on getting the routine down, and it's a helluva lot harder than I thought.

However, I think it would be instructional for myself and any others who have absolutely zero dance training, if anyone who knows about choreography would chime in with some tips or guidelines on how to go about choreographing a routine.

So I was wondering: What do those of you who do choreographed routines do, how do create your routines, what is the mindset, how do you organize the routine, how do you practice, etc.?

And any other tips or resources.
Thanks!

try using a song as a starting point, so you have a base.

then you can use different sections of the song to frame different sections of your routine, and just go from there

I've gotta agree start with music and build upon with some free spining just to get a skeletal structure of a routine and then work from there to refine it.

BTW try not to choose your favorite song because you will have to listen to it so many times that you'll get sick of it.

I'll have to agree with darkfyre and simta as well.
I usually choose a song, and start spinning to it with the prop i'm going to use, when i find interesting combos that go along with the music i write them down to have my high points, and then link these up using other moves.
if you have access to a camera film your routine while working on it to get feedback.

We have a choreography workshop at Southern Lights this year. being run by flame oz so that will be interesting to watch.

Uhm, Ive never made a spinning choreograph, but i danced for 14 years, and to make up our dances for shows etc, we started by finding the right music, we thought about what mood or message we anted to convey, whether it was to be lively or slow, and what sort of style (eg, for spinning you kind of need something with a rather steady beat, at a tempo you can keep up for the full song)

Then we would just play the music over and over and when we heard a bit we thought we could do something really good with we'd work that bit out, then put all the bits together and work out how to link it up, just changing the main chunks slightly to make moving from one bit to another easier (eg, if for the chorus you found a really good set of moves, and then for the bridge you found another set of moves, but te didnt link well together, for the chorus after thebridge we'd change the first bar or two of movements of the chrous, or the last bar or two of the bridge so that it would flow easily)

and then we just did it over and over and over

Here's something I posted a while back on choosing the music for a routine - then i've added a bit specifically about choreographing routines:

1) Know your audiance.
Grannies/kiddies aren't going to appreciate thumping psytrance/techno or metal. 20-somethings at a rave probably won't dig on classical and anything with offensive language is an instant "No" for any public show.

2) Follow a theme.
If you're in costume/character, choose a piece of music that matches it.

3) Know the music.
Obviously, with repetitive playing you'll get to know any track, but for choreographing new routines I find it helps if you know the song beforehand.

4) Try and vary things.
Psytrance being a classic example - it's all at the same tempo, same level and has very little variation. Easy to choreo too, easy to stay in time, but very dull for the audiance. Try and choose a piece that has quiet sections, loud sections, slow bits, build-ups etc.

5) Choose the ending
I try and avoid pieces that fade out. A big climax is much easier to finish on.

6) Like the track.
You're going to hear it so much, don't choose something you hate from the start.

7) Get the right length
Either by editing the track, or by choosing one the right length from the start. If your track last 8 minutes with 3 minutes build-up, cut some time out the beginning.

8) Overall length
One person, doing one-prop, no-matter how good they are, will struggle to keep an audiance entertained for more than 5-minutes, maybe 6 if they're really good. Unless you're writing a multi-prop/multi-person routine, i'd try and keep it around 5 minutes.

9) Lyrics.
This is just a personal one - i try to avoid tracks with lyrics in, or at least with english lyrics in. Unless you're "acting out" the song in places, lyrics are quite distracting, but also they might be singing/rapping about something completely at odds with the performance. Comes back to themes...


I tend to work out how long a routine we're doing - then go into WMP/Winamp or whatever and sort my music library by length - if it's a 4-minute show,i'd look from about 3:50 to 4:30 and see which pieces suit the show. Or if there's a track i know will work but is too long, use a program (I reccomend Audacity - simple and free!) to edit it down.

If you're going for a "one show fits all" routine - ensure the music will work at any event. Otherwise you end up having a different routine for different situations - which is fine, but a lot more work

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When it comes to actually choreographing the routine, I play through it a few times with props in hand and see if any moves naturally go with any particular bits of the music.
If there's any set pieces I want to get in, find a section of music that fits with it.

Depends on what you're writing for, but generally try to keep the intro slow and build up. If you come out at full-speed, full energy you're going to have to work really hard to maintain the energy/excitement level. A slow start done well builds suspense (a slow start done badly is just dull however... it's a fine line ).
Be brave - to an audiance, really slow, simple movements, e.g. slow pendulums work really well. Don't feel you have to be doing tricks the whole time, you don't even have to spin the whole time.


There's different kinds of routines which suit different tastes - some try and convey a story, others are very dance/movement based, others are very technical/trick based. Choose what works for you.

The most important thing, which I've now started working out before even thinking about moves, is movement around the stage. Don't get caught writing out a complex series of moves and staying rooted to the spot - work out a series of movements across the stage.

For longevity, try and keep it flexible to, so you can do it on a larger/smaller stage with/without fire.

The above is all written with poi/staff in mind - for something like fans or palms which are much more dance-based you'll need a much stronger dance/movement planning behind it - I find these much harder to write, mostly as mentioned above as you have to really restrict yourself to simple shapes which are dull to you, but look great to an audiance.

Finally, it's worth pointing out, that most of the time you won't be performing to fellow poi/staff/jugglers/hoopers so don't feel pressured into going for the hardest tricks. Even if you are performing to other manipulators - they appreciate a good show just as much as an uber-tech demonstration.

"One person, doing one-prop, no-matter how good they are, will struggle to keep an audiance entertained for more than 5-minutes, maybe 6 if they're really good. Unless you're writing a multi-prop/multi-person routine, i'd try and keep it around 5 minutes"

apart from the above which is nonsense i agree with durbs,
but for the best advice check out flame oz because they have a great track record of many choreographed routines,if they were jugglers their name would sound italian

Oi!
Maybe it's just me - but I don't think i've ever seen someone spin for just poi, or just single staff for more than 5 minutes without them repeating themselves or running out of ideas.
Unless, it's like a street show - in which case there's lots of filler to take it up to 15-20 minutes - but street shows are a completely different kettle of fish.

But agree, FlOz do write very good routines.

As an aside, I also find it much harder to write solo routines than group ones...

to Durbs (with Marston's caviat... I think I entertain people with nothing but poi for 5 mins... but I'll give you, not just anyone can pull attention that long)

Basically reiterating: my method is choosing a song, and spinning to it several times. If you pick a song with good varied beats, you'll find different moves go with different beats. A heavy 1, 2, 1, 2, beat will lend well with moves where the poi are in unison, faster beats will work for alternating moves. Start with a good song. Well, really, just listen to Durbs.

i reckon you should all come to mine, dave knox (Flame Floozie), ros (FNF) Kyle and megs 'routine building' workshop

If it was not on an inconvenient continent....

Chimaera's routine is an example of a story-based performance. There's some vids on YouTube, or if you saw it Play, Southern Lights..,. Though this is more a story through several set pieces rather than within one routine.

Or more simplistically it's character based - contact juggling routines for example often involve heavy characterisation.

I never choreograph if it's only me spinning but routines with others always look good to the audience.

So I think I started making routines by trying to write down all our moves and working it from there, but I decided to go back to basics.

How am I going to start?
Spinning forwards? spinning backwards? complete spins or one spin then stall?

and I usually think of things in 4 or 8s.

So circle in front for four, circle other way for four, circle at hips and shoulders for eight,
turning circles at hips and shoulders for eight...
into weave (and then I'd think of all the weave variations) so back to front weave with over head
the front to back with flowers (remember to repeat because most audience will miss something then say "that was cool, mum, look at that" and you're not going to do it again.
then five beat or whatever...
Then Verse-->chorus. CHANGE IT
So stall/wrap/whatever and do butterfly
So butterfly,, then behind back/over head... then something else


That's how all our basic routines started. and then everyone learnt them and we could improve/change things as we got better. But, we do still go back to this first routine a lot because, we do gig for so many different audiences, no one is gonna see the same thing.

So I think it's great to have routines to fall back on. I also find lots of spinners forget all the moves they can do as soon as the poi are lit. They forget horizontal planes, they forget they can kneel or do things between legs... But if you make a routine like this a practice it, then if you suddenly freeze or freak in a performance, it is likely you'll have muscle memory and will naturally flow onto something new, not continue doing weave cross for 2 minutes.

Good luck!

Durbs, if you have a theme and find a song that fits the theme, then wouldn't the lyrics be included in that?
Personally I find lyrics can help the emotion of the song and to convey the theme with more power.
Same goes for songs with varying beats.

I do agree with your list other than that.

I tend to be more methodic. I do the same, choose the song, listen to the song and I envision moves in my head rather than do them, that way I can get more feel for the song rather than getting lost in the movements.

I also take a technical count of how many beats are in the song and I chart them out. For example:
Intro- 3 cts of 8 slow tempo
bridge- 1+2+3+
Fast tempo- 6 cts 8 +4

This actually helps me see the music too. It lets me know what I'm up against.
Then I fit moves into it, and write it all down and adjust as needed.

This allows me to save them and when I send the video in for copyright, it also allows me to send the paper with it for extra insurance. But that may be a US thing, I don't know.

Good luck!

Some good tips. I agree with starting off slow & building up on moves. I also like to think about my entrance and exit, or start and finish. If there is a sudden ending to the music I finish on stage, and if the music fades out I plan an exit. I suppose I take my dance training for granted, but presentation is important to me so I'd advise people to consider every detail.
Head movements, foot work, poses, turns, jumps, contrasting moves etc.
But most importantly, don't forget to smile! It's nice to see a performer who looks like they're enjoying themselves.x