How to become a choreographer?

Question:

How to become a choreographer?

what training do you need to become a choreographer?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: To become a choreograher one must dance. Take as many and as varied dance classes that you can take and with as many different teachers. Attend as many different kinds of performances that you can attend. Study the styles of various dancers and choreohraphers. There is much available on CDs and videos today. Listen to all kinds of music. Know your terminology and dance, dance, dance.

If you are old enough, study some anatomy so you understand how your body works. Then pick a piece of music that moves you and create a dance - first for yourself. Once you have it set in your mind, notate it, then try to teach it to someone else. Do the steps work as well when someone else does them? Do they look as good as they felt as YOU did them? Do the moments create the feeling, the story, and visual picture that you are trying to express? Do the movements work with the music or fight it? As an ex dance teacher / choreographer I worked with many a young dancer teaching the art of choreography. It is not enough to want to create dance, but it is a good start. If you are thinking of college, they have classes where notation, etc. is taught, but you can create dance at any age. Just do it. There are books that give you guidence, but dance is an art of which we, the dancer, ourselves are made, so you must just do it. Don't let anyone tell you that there is a right way or a wrong way to dance or choreograph. There are some things, however, that visually work better than others. As a young choreographer, just try whatever moves your body and your heart tell you to try. That is how you discover what works and what doesn't work. Then listen to those you are choreographing for. Listen to your teachers. And listen to your heart.

I have choregraphed pieces that I thought would be brillant and had to re-write them a dozen times before they were actually performed. One solo, for myself, written when I was young, I felt so deeply in my heart, yet when another choreographer viewed it he pointed out how my movements actually fought the music. I was angry at him, but when I reworked the piece it was so much better.

The key to a good choreographer is being able to teach it to others. That is why you MUST know your terminology. If a young dance student yourself, ask your teacher if you can help student teach classes. Later write a piece for the younger children and ask if you can teach it to them. Don't try to start with a full length ballet. Begin small and easy and work your way up. I loved it when my students did pieces for me.

Learn to notate your works...so many of my earlier pieces were lost because I was lazy. It is important that you, as well as others, can understand your notation for the future. Notating the part that takes so much time, but is so necessary.

Good luck my dancer - and never give up - you will be wonderful!