When you work with younger dancers who do not have the technical knowledge necessary to perform complicated moves, choreography can get pretty simple. This doesn’t mean that it has to be dull or boring! Every dancer starts working with simple moves and combinations. Don’t you remember having fun with those moves? Your dancers will too.
Change Your Perspective
When you know complicated maneuvers, looking down on the basics is easy. You might be letting your position as an advanced dancer hold back your ability to see simple combinations as fun and exciting. Take a step back and look at the moves through your dancer’s eyes. How do they feel when they perform these moves? Embody that excitement when you teach them simple choreography.
Spice It Up
Even students that have limited technical skills can perform dynamic and exciting choreography. To make this choreography look more complicated than it is, add layers. This can mean grouping different students into different move sets or adding simple prop work to the choreography. Even with simple moves, layering creates multiple places that draw the audience so they will be less likely to focus on one dancer for the entire performance.
Music is Key
If you resign yourself and your dancers to music that makes your movements seem slow or uninspired to you, your audience will feel that as well. Pick music that makes your dancers want to get up and dance. This will make them have more fun during rehearsals and performance, and this energy will transfer to your audience whether it’s parents or judges or just you during practice.
Don’t let your dancers’ performance level hold you back! Look at the lower levels as a challenge to create something dynamic out of something simple not “what could have been” choreography.
