Making Dance
From Studio to Stage
![Dancers in “Ma” (2004), Choreographer: Akram Khan [Giannina Urmeneta Ottiker]](/upload/dan/akramkhan_ma_full.jpg)
Creating the Work
Early in the creation stage, a choreographer will usually engage in various kinds of preliminary research and development. They will examine their initial idea from many different perspectives.
Some choreographers start working in the studio right away doing movement exploration. Paul-André Fortier developed the movement material for Lumière (2004), through experimentation and improvisation with the dancers.
Other choreographers prefer to develop their themes and ideas outside the studio first. They might read, write, travel and look at the work of other artists and other art forms. For the creation of Severe Clear (2000), Christopher House travelled to the Yukon Territory in northern Canada to gather images and references.
Choreographers might also consult with experts or specialists to learn more about a particular subject. Ginette Laurin worked with an astrophysicist to develop the concepts and formats she used to build her work Passare, or Another Shape for Infinity (2004).
Once they have clarified their ideas, rehearsals begin in earnest. Choreographers will build movement material with the dancers, or on themselves if they are making a solo. Some choreographers are very specific about setting the particular movements they want. Others draw on the creativity of the dancers to develop the choreography, sometimes through improvisation.
![Jennifer Founier rehearsing “Swan Lake” (1998) [Bruce Zinger]](/upload/dan/4_4_aSw4Reh11_full.jpg)
For a dancer, such as Jennifer Fournier, the creative process is a very different experience from performing. Stopping and starting, experimenting with the movement, repeating things over and over, reworking various sections and then doing run-throughs can be exciting, but also exhausting. Dancers also use the rehearsal period to develop their interpretations, practicing their technical execution and honing their expressivity.
Choreographers don't always create a work in order from start to finish. Often, steps, phrases and motifs develop more randomly. Later, they are linked together and shaped into a whole, along with music, sets, costumes and lighting.
