By the time I was doing “In The Heights” on Broadway, I’d worked with the two choreographers that inspired, changed, and influenced my life forever: Sergio Trujillo and Andy Blankenbuehler. I was fortunate to be involved with their creative process, learning from these great minds, and this has inspired and influenced my creative process to this day.
When I was asked to choreograph my first musical in NYC without my mentors, I had an abundance of creative ideas but had not done the step-by-step process on my own. I look back 15 years later on that first show and think about what I’ve learned since then. What I wish I’d known and what I can share from the growth and journey I’ve had since.
Here are my top five essential tips for a new choreographer to keep in mind before you embark on your first job.
1. Get a good assistant.
Or rather a great one! Surrounding yourself with people you trust and who trust you is essential to the flow and progression of the work. No one is an island and this is the art of teamwork and ensemble. Running a room is not an easy task and often you have to be able to break into meetings with the director, stage management, and other creatives who need your guidance.
I often have people who balance my creative juices and human realities. If I’m good in a style I want for the show I need someone who can do that but can also bring a different flavor or perspective to my process so there is more objectivity and possibility in the space. I tend to move fast and speak fast. To balance that I look for someone who can speak slower and move slower. I work with metaphors and I could go into poetic descriptions of the purpose of what the step wants to accomplish, so a perfect assistant to me is also someone who can understand my language and metaphors and communicate them in simple ways to the cast. A great assistant knows when to give you the space you need in order to evolve your own thoughts and when to step up as needed.
2. Invest in pre-production.
Being able to exercise your ideas in a room prior to the rehearsal work is key. I’ve learned to make a side budget for this. Maybe at first it was from my own pocket, but eventually, I learned to ask for the funds for this first step in the creative process. We create in layers, build upon those layers, and without the pre-production process, those layers don’t evolve the same way. Letting my first impulses come out in a safe room is the first step toward a good healthy rehearsal process.
4 Tips for Booking a Choreography Job 3. Develop a good eye for casting.
Now that you’ve done pre-production, you know what you want and need so you can be specific in what you’re looking for in the audition room but also be open to what the room brings. Casting is a major step. Developing the instinct and clarity for the proper selection and balancing act of what the work needs are essential.
Break the mold, be surprised by the talent in the room, and then let it inform your original idea.
4. Spend time with the music and lyrics.
Discover the music, be the music, and challenge the music. Work with the lyric and against the lyric. Provoke your mind with tons of ideas, then analyze them. Don’t get stuck on one idea, be flexible. I tend to explore the work looking in a few directions. Again, no human is an island, so my truth is never absolute or inflexible. I study and search for the truth and the authenticity of the piece as much as possible until I’m seduced by a choice that supports the concept of the director and the impulses of my interpretation of the piece. Discovering the music and lyrics is as important as exploring going away from it. What is the counteraction of the lyric? Play with juxtaposition, this is a key to learning and building the sequence, story, and conflict.
Mary Overlie’s viewpoints is “a technique of dance composition that acts as a medium for thinking about and acting upon movement, gesture, and creative space.” I fell in love with it studying at SITI Company and I’ve used this tool ever since. It gives me the chance to play, discover and create with not only the music, lyrics, character, and the beauty and the conflict potential of it all, but I also have space, time, shapes, and many other tools to explore with this idea of viewpoints. Find a technique or practice that is special for you, that makes you make discoveries, and bring that to the room, to the cast, and to your creative partners.
5. Communication is key.
As I write this I realize that the reason why I love art so much is because of the daily adventure that keeps my soul in the space of my most “innocent” and creative child. I strive for this, and if you can bring a balance between this and the professionalism of communicating it all then you are built for the room where it happens. So my final piece of advice is that communication is key. How do you talk to the director and stage manager? How do you partner with the composers and/or music director? How do you uplift the cast, your dancers, and/or actors? How do you clearly and simply communicate with your lighting designer, costume designer, sound designer, etc?
So often, with the excitement of it all, we jump into action, start the work, and forget that people do not live inside our minds. I have to remind myself of this often. Communicate your expectations with clarity to your team and the cast. Create a space that is open to listening, exploring, and playing. That way learning and applying your vision won’t feel intimidating. I like to think of my cast as my community. I’m big on building ensembles. They’re the main storytellers often and when you nurture them well everyone gives their best to bring life to the story, the choreography, the conflict, and beyond. Invest in your ensemble and remember, you’re not only creating dance steps but relationships, energy, and life.
As you approach your first choreography job, remember to have a clear plan and set timelines for the process. Encourage the search for clarity, know how to articulate your ideas, and remember movement is a language, a universal one. Exercise its power and potential every day you show up to work.
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and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
