Boom Tarat Tarat - Basic Choreographic Techniques

By Jared Pacheco

Basic Choreographic Techniques

Throughout my Junior High School years, I had exposure to the dance environment and community here in the Philippines. Having performed numerous choreographies by famous dancers, to choreographing my own routines, techniques are something I realized to be important in order for choreographers to ensure cohesiveness. Even as dancers, it is vital to know these techniques if you don’t want to be called out and shouted at by your coach. Today, I will tackle nine (9) techniques and their importance in this field.

As a student in one of the most well-known dance schools in the Philippines — G-Force, I had to perform in front of hundreds of people in venues I never even dreamt of performing in. However, every single time we do rehearsals before the actual performance, there is this recurring scene, a memory perhaps, of Teacher Georcelle, the founder, with a death stare right in front of the stage. Of course, all the other dance coaches had to scramble and fix the positionings of their students, shouting “Stage Left, Jared,” “You have to run from Upstage Right to Downstage Left when we change blockings!,” simply because they did not want to disappoint TG herself. Stage Directions are important in ensuring that when you are on the stage, when you are dancing, shifting blockings, changing positions, entering through different wings, YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. To be honest, Stage Directions are fairly simple. You have the LEFT, entering through the wing, descending from upstage left, to center-left, to downstage left. Vice versa with the RIGHT and the CENTER. Memorizing these Directions is simple as long as you focus on where you are on the stage, because who wants to be embarrassed in front of the crowd when you were supposed to enter Left Wing, but you mistakenly entered Right, right?

Height, layers, aesthetics, whatever you call it, you simply do not want to perform a boring routine. Even if you have a tight choreography and your dance moves are good, if your entire team just dances uprightly, not even changing where their body is faced, then your performance will not be interesting. This is why Levels and Angles are so important. Five (5) levels: Lowest, Low, Middle, High, and Highest. Sometimes I was forced to almost lie on my stomach just to fulfill my role at the lowest level in the routine, but I did not complain! Because I know that even if I have to be carried to the highest level or even if I have to squat so long my legs would tremble, to make sure that the performance I am giving to the audience is interesting and fun to watch, I make the decision of sacrificing comfort. The same goes with Angles. We can observe this in all performances across all genres, even Zumba uses angles so that the routine is not humdrum. You always hear instructors shouting “move your hands diagonally to the right for 4 counts!” or “move your head up and down until we reach the chorus of the song!” Angles are vital to give perspective to the performance. If for the entire time you only move in one direction, in one angle, then who would care to even be excited in your routine? To pique the interest of the crowd, make sure that your movements, from Angles to Levels, differ.

Another aspect to look at if we were to ensure that the routine piques the audience’s interest is the Dynamics — how fast, moderate, or slow the movements are. In the past few years, it has been a rising trend in the global dance community how quickly switching from slow to fast in between movements create an appealing effect. As compared to the 90’s kind of bouncy hip-hop that strictly follows groove and tempo, recent hip-hop dancers also incorporate other styles and genres to bring in an expounded level of Dynamics to the table.

This is where FORM comes into play. With the incorporation of other genres, famous choreographers have used the techniques of Symmetry and Size in order to bring fulfillment to the routine. Such standards were greatly present in genres such as Ballet or Cheer where picturesque pauses are utilized to create tableaus in the middle of the dance performance. This invokes emotion and creatively exhibits the story that the choreographer wants to convey. Both Symmetrical and Asymmetrical forms are used to present unison. However, in recent trends, asymmetry is usually observed. This may seem illogical for dance forms, but the “imperfection” it creates does not muddle the performance, but rather engages the audience through unorthodox ways. Such movements are also integrated with the use of Size such as big, medium, and small to realize emphasis on the performance. From big movements needed in contemporary dance, to small, technical, exact, knife-cut movements needed in tutting, Size plays a big role to create a variety of emphasis on the movements.

Speaking of emphasis, one important technique to consider is Focus. This comes into play in the modern world, where videographers become vital when we talk about performances, but also in how the current situation limits us from actually dancing in stadiums and on stages. Making sure that focal points are interspersed throughout the performance creates a better visual outline of what both the choreographer and the dancers are aiming to express. From close, to middle, to distant, Focus is what determines the direction as to where the viewers’ eyes go to. In creating stills and formations, the emphasis on where the focus is placed decides whether your performance is messy or has a clear objective to illustrate.

Formations and blockings are a crucial part of the dance as a whole. With the usual shapes that we are accustomed to, the utilization of movements that transition from one shape to another creates an attractive effect. But this is under one condition—that practice will be employed. Perfection may be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve; however, Space Design brings in more than just perfection. It is not only limited to the perception of the audience in front, but such design ensures other techniques are in place. Creativity takes part in the Space Design, as it is in the hands of the choreographer to bend the norms of dancing or to alter the standards of performance through this. I remember that whenever we performed as a team, there was always a large ruler at the edge of the stage. This is to ensure that blockings are measured and that the performers can adhere to them.

This also applies to Unison, Canon, and Succession. These techniques amaze the audience and surprise them with the coordination of the dancers. Such can greatly be observed in Cheer; however, all genres utilize these techniques to grab the attention of viewers. Although, one thing proves to be difficult—accomplishing these techniques successfully takes protracted practice. Coordinating these steps will prove to be a hard aspect, but choreographers are willing to take the risk if it means that first, the dancers will be fulfilled once they execute it; and second, the audience will feel satisfied as they lay their eyes on the performance.

Lastly, Weight Dependency is a significant technique that coheres to a group performance. Usually seen in genres like Modern, Contemporary, and all partner dancing, depending on the weight of other people will help in creating forms and necessary movements for the choreography. Trust is greatly needed to ensure that no performer will be hurt or injured in the process. In creating tableaus or doing lifts, Weight Dependency plays a huge role in ensuring proper execution. Most of the time, choreographers say that your weight must also be the weight of your partner/group. We usually hear that group dancing is reflective of moving as one body, as a collective; and weight dependency takes part in establishing that.

Without these techniques, choreographies will lose their performance value. It is important, as choreographers, to know these techniques by heart and apply them. Dancers must also be of knowledge about such techniques in making sure that synchronicity, as well as beauty, is sustained throughout the entire performance. Standing on top of the stage, in front of hundreds of viewers is but thrilling. With these techniques, you can see that nervousness and bolster that confidence within!