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Gaining Perspective

Choreographic Openings

by Joel Torgeson

"Wait… his foot goes where?"

I return to the computer to rewind the video a few seconds. Hmm, I’m not sure this is going to be the amalgamation for me. I didn’t really like the shaping either. Oh well. I hit play and the camera cuts to another couple for me to foist my scrutiny upon.

Putting together your own open choreography is proving difficult for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a privilege and a joy to be entering the world of minimal-restriction dancing; these are happy problems to have! But they are problems nonetheless. How do we demonstrate shaping and flexibility best? What is going to tell a story? And, the worst, how do we link this one cool thing to that other cool thing?!?

I start with video review. Lots of it. I’ll watch a final round six times through, trying to catch onto the individual style of each couple. What kind of moves do they do? What’s meant to impress, and what’s just filler? Can I tell where their transitions are? Is that something we could have in our routines in a couple months, or is it beyond our reach right now? There’s a lot of questions to ask, and it’s hard to find any hard-and-fast answers.

I’ve also found it effective to just put on a song and mess around with the music for a while. See what positions you get into. Try something crazy. You may not find your next big move here, but it will probably tell you something about what you’re likely to do if–scratch that, when–things go wrong. It’s also how you bring in your personal style. Does foxtrot make you feel like jumping? Incorporate some sort of jump!

To nobody’s great surprise, the third and final piece is coaching. It’s nigh-on impossible to get better at dancing without the helpful guidance of those who went down the road ahead of you. They know what worked for them, and they can help you see what will work for you. You get that third person viewpoint without the warped reality of video or mirrors. When your ideas run out they have a bank for you to borrow from. They are the bonus multiplier that gets your progress going.

It’s a fun process and I’m excited to have choreographies to show for it. Until then, I’ll be in the studio working on them!

Happy Dancing,
Joel T

info@sheerdance.com