Making Dance
The Choreographic Process
Elements of Creation
![“Juice” by Meredith Monk [V. Sladon, 1969]](/upload/dan/mereditymonk_juice_full.jpg)
Choreographers investigate and experiment, bringing dance to life through processes of description and demonstration, improvisation, direction and revision.
In creating their dances, choreographers draw from a palette of elements, including:
- Shape
- Space
- Timing
- Dynamics
While a choreographer might not identify the use of these elements in an analytical way, they are the basic ingredients for artistic ideas and choices. One choreographer might create a dance that is strong and asymmetrical, with bold movement that cuts through space, suggesting disharmony and struggle. Another might create a work that is lyrical and light, using symmetrical patterns of movement in space and evoking a romantic, harmonious quality.
Sometimes choreographers want their work to be seen in alternative spaces, outside the traditional theatre. They might like the idea of their work being seen in extreme close-up, or from very far away. Others like the idea of their dance enlivening an unusual space such as a warehouse, field or art gallery. Choreographing for non-traditional venues often requires that some if not all of the rehearsals take place in that space.
