Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Saturday 5th May
Junior contemporary performance at Hereford River Carnival:

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Different types of choreographic methodology

When choreographing for the dance performance, we used a range of different choreographic techniques. Each of these techniques have both strengths and weaknesses. 

The first choreographing methodology that I used this year was choreographing a dance to a song and then keeping the same choreography but changing the song. I did this at the start of the year when I choreographed a routine to the song ‘Like I can’ by Sam Smith and then when it came to choreographing ‘A thousand years’, we just changed the song and kept the choreography the same. This is a good method of choreographing because if you really like the material that you have choreographed but the song doesn’t fit your theme anymore, you can just change the song. On the other hand, the choreography may not fit the timing of the new song and you may have to change the timing of the new routine which may confuse your students. 

Another good way of choreographing is to carry out some research into the style that you are choreographing for. Dance styles are always changing and it is good to keep up to date on the latest performance of these styles of dance. Watching videos of people performing these styles is a great way to pick up new ideas for choreography. It is always good to watch what everyone else is doing but don’t copy everything because this could cause it to become boring. I carried out this method quite a lot when I was choreographing the hiplet routine because I had never done this style of dance before and so I took some of the moves from the routines which I had seen online. 

Splitting the routine up into different sections is another way to choreograph a routine. Most songs have a pattern in them which means that the same part of the song is sung more than once or the same tune occurs more than once. To make it easier to choreograph, you can split it into sections, then sections can be repeated several times throughout the routine. It also makes it easier to choreograph a section at a time rather than choreographing to a random point. Just be sure not to repeat the same choreography too much because the audience could get bored. 

Another choreographic methodology is mapping out a journey. For Aurora in Faeriland, we marked out where we wanted the piece to travel to when we were choreographing it. The idea is to do this with chalk if possible but you can always do it in your head if you don’t have anything to mark the floor with. Making a journey on the floor will allow the piece to tell more of a story and will focus on movement before the choreography. However, this method of choreography is not always applicable and probably wouldn’t be applicable if you were choreographing a tap routine for example. 

Lastly, improvisation is another style of choreography. This is a great method to use if you are unsure of what moves to do for the routine. The best way to do improvisation is to improvise with the music on but also film what you are doing so that if you create a nice sequence of moves whilst you are improvising, you will be able to look back on what you did and not have to try and think back to what you did. On the other hand, some people may struggle to improvise if they haven’t had a lot of dance training and therefore this type of choreography may not be for everyone. 

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Friday 18^th May

Today was the day of the dance performance, ‘Maleficent’. Here is a link to a video of the full performance:

https://vimeo.com/272117833

As you can see from the video, there were lots of different styles of dance performed throughout the show.

The show started with the song ‘A thousand years’ which was a contemporary dance piece. This routine involved 6 dancers – Anna, Aidan, Eve, Toby, Luke and I. The reason why we picked this dance to be contemporary is because the song is quite slow and not many other dance styles would have fitted with this type of music. We could have used ballet but I think that I was the only one in the cast who has had ballet training and it would be extremely difficult to teach the whole of the cast ballet as well as the routine in time for the show. This would require a lot more time which is not something we had. Although the routine was contemporary, it did have some ballet elements in it such as the pas de chat in mine and Luke’s duet. Contemporary is such a great style of dance because it has a really big range and covers a lot of different moves and also combines other dance styles. I choreographed most of this routine myself and then went into the primary school to teach Eve, Toby, Anna and Aidan their parts. 

The next routine in the show was ‘Happy’. We said from the beginning that we wanted to put some tap into the show somewhere but we weren’t quite sure where. When we were deciding what the storyline was going to be and what the message behind each song was going to be, we thought that using tap to show how happy Maleficent was, was perfect. During rehearsals, I really struggled to make this routine look happy because I was so focused on making sure that I remembered all of the steps and didn’t miss any beats. However during the show, I managed to stay looking happy all the way through the routine. The reason why we thought tap would be good for this song is because it has a really good rhythm to it which made it quite easy to choreograph to. 

Molly’s solo was the next dance in the show. This dance was more of a movement piece than a specific dance style. This is because it was more of a piece to act out part of the story rather than a specific dance style. I helped Molly to choreograph this piece. I found it quite hard to do this because Molly is completely blind which meant that I had to explain every movement to her instead of her just copying me although it did allow me to improve my teaching techniques and become more aware of the movements that I was doing. 

The next dance in the show was ‘Beautiful trauma’ and this was the first dance that we choreographed for the show. This dance was contemporary but was mixed slightly with a bit of street/modern. The reason why we chose this style of dance is because this part of the story is quite fierce and needed some anger so we got this by mixing the 2 styles together. It also went with the style of the music because part of it was slow but then other parts of the song sped up.

Aurora in Faeriland came next. This was another movement piece which showed Aurora playing in the woods. This was quite similar to Molly’s movement piece in regards to telling a part of the story. The aim of the piece was to show the audience how playful Aurora was. The movement piece carried on into ‘The curse won’t reverse’, also a movement piece where Aurora pricks her finger.

The next song ‘Rise’ was in the style of hiplet. Hiplet is a fusion of ballet and hip hop. It took us quite a bit of time to choreograph this routine because there was so much to consider. The moves for this type of dance have to be contrasting but at the same time, they have to work together. I did a lot of research into this style of dance to make sure that I had got the hang of the style before we started to choreograph anything. This dance style was completely new to me at the start of this year and I didn’t think that I would be able to choreograph in the style when I first saw it but I did. 

The last song in the show was ‘This is me’ and was a street/jazz routine. Most of the routine was street based although, there were a few jazz elements to the routine such as a leap and the moved at the very beginning of the song. The reason why we chose for this routine to be street/jazz is because some of the moves in the routine had been taken from the film ‘The Greatest Showman’ which the song is from. The song is very upbeat and well suited to the street/jazz style. However, when the song slows down, this is where the jazz elements come in. 

As you can see, I have used lots of different dance styles throughout the performance ranging from contemporary/ballet to street/jazz. I think that all of the routines and their styles contributed perfectly to helping us tell the story of Maleficent. Also, using these different styles of dance helped me to show my different emotions throughout the whole show. For example, to show anger, using hiplet was perfect because the choreography involves a lot of sharp and edgy movements. This is in contrast to when we used contemporary/ballet at the very start of the show because the emotion here was happiness and playfulness which we were able to reflect in the choreography. If we were to keep the style of choreography the same the whole way through the show, it would be extremely difficult to show the emotions that the characters were feeling - especially Maleficent because she goes through a lot of different emotions throughout the story. 
The variation of styles would help to draw the audience in. It is very important to keep the audience drawn in to the whole performance and by showing them a variety of styles, this enabled them to see a variation. 
Using all of these different styles in the show has enabled me to revisit some dance styled which I haven't done for a while but also discover new style of dance. Before this unit I had never heard of hiplet but now I have performed this style of dance in the show. Learning and choreographing in this style of dance has enabled me to develop my skills as a dancer and add to the list of styles that I know. 

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Friday 11^th May

Today I was learning the last bit of choreography before the show next week. All that was left to choreograph was the final dance in show which is to ‘This is me’ from The Greatest Showman. The style of this dance is street/jazz.

To start the session, I did some stretching to make sure that all my muscles were warm before we started doing any choreography.

The dance has been split into 3 sections – the chorus phrase, the verse phrase and then a small filler phrase. There are also some other little pieces of choreography throughout the piece which fill in the gaps between phrases. Separating the dance into phrases will make it easier for me to learn due to some of the phrases being repeated throughout the routine.

I am normally quite good at learning choreography but for some reason, I really struggled with learning this choreography. I think this is because it was a style that I am not really used to and is still quite new to me compared to all of the other styles of dance which I have been doing for many years. However, I have been able to take some classes in this style of dance this year which have helped me to improve on my technique and become a better all-round dancer.

After learning the 2 main phrases, we thought about how the dance is going to start. This needed to be carefully considered because we need to take into consideration when I will have a costume change and how much time I will need. After much deliberation we decided that I would start the dance on stage sitting on a block. I should have enough time to get onto stage in blackout if we make sure that there is enough narration/music. We will consider this when recording the voiceover. If I don’t end up having enough time, this will be easily changeable After sitting on the block for a while, I will stand up and then go into the choreography.

I will have to practice this routine every time that I have a spare few minutes to make sure that it is ready for the show next week. Once I have got the choreography in my head, I will then be able to add some emotion and power into it to make it more dynamic when performing it.

Here are some notes from the choreography:

·      Start sitting on the bloc – head down and hunched into knees

·      Stand up and go into phrase 1 which then moves straight into phrase 2 and then straight back into phrase 1 again

·      At the end of phrase 1 the second time round, end on the floor in a lunge and squeeze up to standing then go into the travelling forward (marching with singles and doubles)

·      Into phrase 3

·      Into phrase 2

·      Travel over towards the block to leap off it and travel diagonally to stage right

·      Move back to centre stage to start phrase 2 again

·      Finish standing centre stage

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Contrasting professional pieces

Over the past year, I have seen many different dance pieces and styles. In particular my favourites have been seeing ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘The Hiplet Ballerinas’. 

I went to see ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The performance was a rendition of ‘The Nutcracker’ performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet. I have wanted to see this show for a very long time and when I found out that I was going to see it, I was very excited to see my first ever ballet. Here is a trailer for 'The Nutcracker':

I have been interested in ballet since an early age and have been taking ballet classes since I was about 7 years old. 

The performance was very sleek and eloquent. All of the moves were in the correct places and fitted with the music perfectly. The play was full of traditional ballet moves as well as some character dances in the second half of the show. Classical ballet is far from a contemporary dance style as it originated in the 15^thcentury in Russia. All of the music used within ballet has quite a slow pace to it and speeds up occasionally but is soft throughout. 

Hiplet on the other hand is a similar but very different performance to a classical ballet. Hiplet is a fusion of classical ballet and hip hop and therefore uses both of these types of moves within the choreography which is a clever skill to master. There is a massive contrast between both of these styles as ballet is very sleek and precise whereas hip hop is more free moving and random. Here is a link to the performance of ‘The Hiplet Ballerinas’:

As you can see from this video, this style of dance has got a much more contemporary feel to it than a performance of classical ballet. Although the moves are sleek and well performed, the choreography involves a lot more harsher movements than would be involved in classical ballet. Unlike classical ballet, hiplet is a very new genre of dance as it was created in 2015 in North America. The music that is used for hiplet can vary quite dramatically but normally has a strong beat to it and is quite modern. 

In conclusion, the main contrast between these 2 professional dance pieces is that classical ballet is very precise, sleek and soft whereas hiplet, on the other hand is much more free moving, modern and harsh. Although both routines can be performed en pointe, a different type of strength is required as different moves are being carried out for the different styles of dance. For example, in classical ballet your legs are always straight when you stand en pointe but for hiplet, your legs can either be straight or bent. 

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Wednesday 9^th May

Today we were working on bringing everything together for the dance performance next week.

To begin the morning session, I carried out a warmup which involved a series of stretches so that I was able to dance all the routines to their fullest.

After the warmup, I tried on 2 of my costumes which arrived yesterday. Both of the costumes fit and then I was able to practice some of the dances in these costumes so that I could get used to how they feel. Trying on the costumes also enabled me to try some of the costume changes that I will have throughout the show. We have worked the order of the show strategically so that I have enough time to get changed in between routines.

We then went for a full run through of the show. I am now becoming familiar with the order of the show.

There were a few places throughout the show where there are little bits of choreography that have to be filled in. There are 2 parts in the song ‘A thousand years’ that need to be filled in. I worked with my teacher, Laura to fill in these bits to make sure that the whole routine flows into the different parts. Once we had choreographed these 2 parts, the whole routine was now finished and I just have to teach a little bit more to Luke in our next rehearsal. Here are a few photos from the rehearsal today:

A couple of weeks ago we did some photos and videoing for the advertising of the show. Below is a copy of the poster and the trailer for the performance:

I am very happy with how these advertisements have turned out and will now publicise these on social media to invite people to come and watch the show.

In the afternoon, we went into the primary school for the final time. We were going over the choreography which I created quite a while back which will come at the very start of the show. Unfortunately, we were unable to have Eve in the rehearsal today but we did work with her last week on her solo and her part in the duet. She will be in the dress/tech rehearsal next week and will also be here for the show. The session in the rpaimry school went really well. Toby managed to remember all of the choreography and I think that he is ready to perform his part in the show. There are a few more rehearsals which we have organised for the children to attend. Here is a copy of the letter which I have written to the parents of the children which are participating in the showcase:

After today, I am feeling a lot more confident for the performance. There are still quite a few things to do and get sorted in time for the show but I think that we will be able to get everything done in time. The only problem that we are facing slightly facing is getting everyone into rehearsals together. However, everyone should be able to attend the dress/tech rehearsal next Thursday.

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Wednesday 2nd May

Today we were working on a lot of different things in preparation for the show.

Morning

The main aim of our morning session was to choreograph Aurora’s solo. This solo will come before the battle for the wings because it will lead into Aurora pricking her finger.

To start with, we mapped out the space so we knew where the dance was going to travel to. We did this by setting up some blocks randomly in the space and then worked around them. Aurora’s solo will involve Aurora dancing playfully around the space as if she is running through the fields and playing in the Moors. We took this into consideration when choreographing the dance because we want the audience to imagine that there are small creatures flying around her whilst she is playing/dancing. I worked with my teacher to choreograph the routine.

Aurora will start backstage right with Knotgrass (fairy). Knotgrass is telling Aurora to be careful when she is playing. Knotgrass then disappears and leaves Aurora to play in the Moors.

The routine starts by running around the back of the blocks and imagining as if she is putting her hand through long grass and flowers. Once she reaches stage left, she will then do 2 big sweeps taking the arms with it - one with the right and one with the left. Then, she runs over to the first block, where she kicks her leg over, sits down and looks up to the sky. She then crouches in front of the block and sweeps the floor with her hand looking at all the amazing creatures on the floor. Taking the arm up, she stand up to act as if she is following a butterfly which then leads into a hop and movement to the other block with is stage right. She’s stands up on the block and watches out over the audience. She then hops down and runs to the final block where she kneels as if she is at a ponds edge. She swishes the water with her right hand, left hand and then splashes her face with the water. She then sets off the block and runs down stage after doing 2 playful turns. She looks out into the audience and then crouches down to the floor to where she picks a flower. She sniffs it and then blows it. This choreography makes up Aurora’s solo. At this point, the music will change and Aurora will stand up slowly to and face towards the spinning wheel which will be downstage right. As Aurora walks over to the spinning wheel in a trance, Maleficent follows her trying to stop the curse but it’s too late as Aurora pricks her finger and falls into a deep sleep. As Aurora falls back, Maleficent catches her.

I will be teaching this choreography to Sienna who will be playing the part of Aurora in the dance performance.

For the rest of the morning, we sorted out some times and dates of which I was going to be choreographing, teaching and rehearsing. We discussed about ordering costumes as soon as possible to make sure that they have all arrived in time for the show.

Afternoon

This afternoon we went back into the primary school to go over the choreography which I taught to the children before Christmas. We were meant to be working with both Eve and Toby but unfortunately Toby was on a school trip so was unable to make the rehearsal. Therefore we just worked with Eve to go over her solo and her part with Toby. I was very pleased with how much choreography Eve had remembered. It didn’t take us much time to go over the choreography.

After visiting the primary school, we headed back to college ready to teach Sienna her solo. We were also able to catch up with the making of the wings because these are being made by Sienna’s mum, Sadie.

We explained the story of Maleficent to Sienna and her mum because they are yet to see the film. We then went on to tell them which part of the story Sienna’s dance would come in and what we wanted her to perform like. We then moved on to teaching her the choreography. She was able to pick up the choreography really easily and moved really well with the choreography that we gave her. There were even some points of the choreography that she did so well , we asked her to repeat. She took on board the character and the situation really well and is perfect for the role of Aurora.

Looking back on the sessions that I have had today, we managed to get a lot done in preparation for the show. The date of the show is fast approaching and we still have quite a lot to do. However, if we can work like we have today, there should be no problem in getting all of the work down in time.

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Saturday 28^th April

Today I was teaching a junior contemporary dance class. A few months ago, I was asked to take the class for the first 2 sessions but because I liked teaching the class so much, I have been teaching it since.

Because we are now in a new term, I have begun to choreograph and teach a new dance. This dance is to the song ‘A million dreams’. I started choreographing the dance last week and will carry on with the choreography this week. Last night, I went into the studio to choreograph some more for the class. I needed to make sure that I got to a certain point in the music because the class will be performing next week at Hereford River Carnival. This means that they will be performing 2 dances – ‘I lived’ which they learnt before Easter and ‘A million dreams’ which they are learning now. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to finish the routines because there hasn’t been enough time but I should be able to finish these in time for the main show at The Courtyard at the end of June.

To start the class, I had a talk with the group about what was going to be happening at the carnival next week. Unfortunately I am unable to make it to the event so I will video the dance later on in the class and send them to Laura so that she can lead the dances next week.

We then carried out a full warmup starting with a pulse raiser which led into some all body stretches including side stretches, lunges and straddle. We then moved on to going over the routine which the class had started to learn last week.

Before teaching the class new choreography, I went over what I had taught them last week. They remembered all of the choreography that I taught them and therefore I was able to start teaching them new choreography. I had choreographed up to 1:05 and this what they will be performing at the carnival next week. I will carry on to work on this routine before they perform at The Courtyard so when it comes to the big show, they will be able to perform the whole of the routine. Once I had finished teaching them the new choreography for this dance, we went through the dance a few times with the music and I filmed it so I could send it to my dance teacher, Laura.

We then moved on to the other song, ‘I lived’. I started teaching this routine to the class before Easter so it had been quite a while since we had gone over it. However, the class remembered most of the choreography. We then went over this dance a few times and then I filmed it.

To finish off the lesson, I took the class through a quick cool down to make sure that all of their muscles were relaxed because they had worked really hard today.

After the junior contemporary class, I stayed behind so I could teach Anna and Aidan some choreography for the dance show in a few weeks time. Anna and Aidan will be playing the young versions of Maleficent and Stefan.

At the start of their section, Anna will start on stage and will carry out the same moves which both Eve and I will be doing at the start of our solos. Once Anna has finished doing her little solo, Aidan will enter and they will carry out some playful dance moves around the stage together. I didn’t have a chance to choreograph all of the section that I needed to but I got the majority of it done.

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Monday 23^rdApril

2 faced dance company, which is a professional dance company based in Hereford, came into college to gather some ideas about how to make their new production more accessible to blind and partially sighted children. The main focus of the session was to explore the idea of audio description and a touch tour but it also gave us a chance to talk to them about their show and learn more about what they do.

To start with, we had a discussion with Tamsin who is the artistic director of the company. She gave us a bit of background about the dance company and also a bit of information about their production that they are currently working on. This production is called ‘Moon’ and is about a young boy and a moon. The production is told through contemporary dance and is aimed at children. 

After the discussion, we were given a chance to hold some of the props which are used throughout the show. We even got to try some of the props on. Some of the props that we got to touch were a chimney sweeps hat, the moons hat, the dragon head and tail. Here is a picture of me with the dragon wings on:

After having a discussion about how to present the touch tour, the group showed us a piece from the show. There were 3 male dancers making the cast of the performance. Here are some pictures of the scene which they performed to us:

The scene was a contemporary dance scene which showed the young boy meeting a dragon. The scene was very well choreographed so that when the tension built up in the music, the story also built up as we were watching it. The music and choreography really suited both their target audience and their storyline. They have incorporated a lot of different components into the show which meet the needs of the target audience and the storyline. For example, they have a trapeze artist who will symbolise the moon throughout the show and the use of lots of different props and costumes which have been very cleverly put together to draw the audience in. I feel that the use of these props and costumes really added a dynamic to the performance and makes it more interesting. It will certainly make it interesting for their target audience as the children will be amazed by the movement with the props and costumes. 
After watching the scene, we worked with the audio describer to create some speech which could go over the soundtrack.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the extract. It was very different to anything that I had seen before and gave me some good ideas for my own choreography which I could use in my pieces in the future. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the session. I hope that I get to see this production when it is finished. 

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Monday 26^th March

Today I went to The Courtyard which is the local theatre in Hereford with my dance teacher Laura to observe a tech and dress rehearsal for a show which will be performed tomorrow night. The show consists of lots of different pupils from primary schools from all over Herefordshire which all come together to put on a show. Laura has been working with some of the primary schools over the past term to teach them a dance which they will then perform on the main stage at The Courtyard. This is all because of the project ‘Moving Targets’. The aim of the project is to bring together classes of children from local primary schools. The performance helps the children to unite and appreciate the other children in their class. The routines have been chosen and choreographed specifically to fit this message. 

The first school that we were working with was St James Primary School. The children who were performing were in year 5 and they were dancing a street jazz routine to the song ‘This one’s for you’. Before the children could get up onto the stage, they had a health and safety talk. They then went backstage and were ready to begin to practice their routine. They ran the routine once and then it was time to make some alternations. I was sat in the auditorium so that I could look at the spacing throughout the routine. I communicated with Laura when I thought some people needed to be moved slightly. This worked really well and by the end of their session, the routine was looking really good. This did take quite a bit of time because the children weren’t used to having such a big space to dance in. 

After lunch, we were working with another school – Trinity Primary School. The pupils from this school were a mixture between year 4 and year 5. Their rehearsal slot had a very similar structure to the first school. However they were performing a different routine. Their routine was to the song ‘Came here for love’ and was also a street jazz style routine. I again, sat in the auditorium and watched out for any spacing issues throughout the routine.
Both of the songs that the children have been dancing to reflects what the project is all about. The tracks send out a positive message and will give positive vibes to the audience. Both of the routines were choreographed in a specific way. All of the children started off as individuals and as the song progressed, they moved into pairs, small groups and then ended as one large group at the end. This is a really nice method of choreography and I could possibly use it in the future when I am choreographing routines. 

This trip to The Courtyard has been great experience as it has shown me what it is like to work with children in moving a routine from the school hall, to a big stage. I found it really interesting and enjoyed the experience. 

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Saturday 17th March

Today was the second week that I was teaching the junior contemporary dance class. 

I started the class with a warmup which involved a pulse raiser, stretches standing up and stretches sitting on the floor.  I added some small moves into the warmup so that the class can get used to them before I put them in there routine. The warmup was then followed by some technique - travelling from the corner which involved leaps, chasses and turns. Technique is very important in any dance class and I think that it is very important to spend some time on technique whenever you can especially when the class is new and the children are getting used to the style of dance. The reason why I chose to do these moves today in this class is because they will be in the routine so it gives the children a chance to learn and get used to the steps before it is put into a routine. 

We then went through the choreography that I taught the class last week. The dance that I have choreographed for the class is to the song 'I Lived' by OneRepublic. The routine is a contemporary style dance which starts off quite slow at the beginning but then speeds up when it gets to the chorus. I was really impressed with how much the class remembered and I was then able to teach them some more. However, we did have to go over the choreography that they learnt last week because we had a new person in the class. 

Once we had gone over the choreography and taught them some more, I ended the lesson with a cool down. 

From now until July, I will be teaching this dance class every week. We will be working towards a showcase at the start of the July where the class will perform a few routines on the main stage at the local theatre. I will spend time on a Friday night to choreograph for this class. 

Unit 26 - Choreographing dance

Wednesday 14^th March

Today we were working on choreographing a new routine. This routine will come towards the end of the show and will symbolise Maleficent fighting for her wings back. The routine will be to the song ‘Rise’ by Katy Perry.

We started the session with a warmup which I led. This involved several different stretches which involved almost all of the muscles in the body. We then moved on to working on the routine.

Before we could begin choreographing, we needed to separate the music into different parts so that it makes it easier to choreograph. We sat down and listened to the music a few times round to get the counts into the right sections. It took us a while to get the right counts but we got there eventually. The counts and sections are as follows:

Section 1 – 4 sets of 8 counts in blackout

Section 2 – 4 sets of 8 counts as a slow part

Section 3 – 4 sets of 8 counts leading up to the chorus

Section 4 – 8 sets of 8 counts chorus

Section 5 – 4 sets of 8 counts as a slow part

Section 6 – 4 sets of 8 counts leading up to the chorus

Section 7 – 8 sets of 8 counts chorus

Section 8 – 4 sets of 8 counts to finish song

Once we had the sections and the counts, we needed to think about the story that this piece will be telling. The start of the piece will represent when Aurora pricks her finger. It will then go into the routine from there which will then symbolise the battle for the wings. We then thought about incorporating some props into the piece. We will be using 4 blocks which will all be pushed together. This therefore means that we can add some levels in the dance to make the piece more interesting and dynamic.

Before we started the choreography, we mapped out on the floor, the path which I am going to be taking during the routine. I have never done this style of choreography before and was unfamiliar of how it works. I worked with Laura to walk around the space and to create a journey of which we will then choreograph moves to. Once we had worked out this journey, we were able to start choreographing.

The style of this routine is hiplet which is a combination of hip hop and ballet. I have never done this style of dance before but I have watched a lot of videos of this style of dance and have carried out a lot of research and I now have a good understanding of the dance style and have an idea of some moves for the routine. I am unsure of whether I will be performing this routine in soft ballet shoes or pointe shoes. I will trial out both sets of shoes and see which ones look better later on in the rehearsal process.

The routine will start in blackout and will be in blackout for the first 4 sets of 8 counts (section 1). This part will be after Aurora has pricked her finger and the 5 beats at the start of the music will represent Maleficent’s heartbeat after she realises what she has done. There will then be some movement whilst I am kneeling on the floor and I will then stand up and move towards the blocks just before section 3 starts. In section 3, I will move behind the blocks, onto the blocks and then in front of the blocks. This then moves into section 4 (chorus). Currently, this is the section which we have choreographed the most for but this week was more about working out the direction of the piece and not the choreography.

Next week, we will carry on working on this routine and start to build up more choreography.