If you have music in your heart and feet that love to tap out a rhythm, you might be interested in choreographing a hip hop routine! You might use your choreography to blow the roof off the house at your school talent show, or maybe there's a hip hop number in the musical theatre show you've volunteered to help choreograph. In any case, by visualizing your dance, writing it up, and practicing it with your talent, your hip hop routine will soon be choreographed.
Steps
Part 1
Part 1 of 3:
Visualizing Your Hip Hop Dance Routine
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Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of hip hop. Hip hop is a style that first originated in the late '60s and early '70s. This new style was characterized by its beat forward instrumentals and energetic, non-classical dance style. [1] X Research source You may want to research videos online of hip hop moves that were popular in the past, like:
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Choose a song. You might pull a song from the current top hits list, or you might have something else in mind. The primary feature of hip hop music include: high energy, dance-ability, its lyricism, and use of rapped lyrics. To achieve the best effect in your audience, you should look for these features when searching for the hip hop dance song for your routine.Advertisement
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Listen to the story of the music. Find a peaceful place where you won't be bothered by anyone. Then, on some sort of audio playing device, like your phone or a stereo, play your song. Clear your mind of all things, and consider closing your eyes while you listen to your song. Try to:
- Imagine natural movements that accompany features of the song.
- Gain a sense of the deeper meaning of the song.
- See the story in the music that you want to tell.
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Consider how you can express the story you hear in the music. [4] X Research source If the song is about breaking through obstacles, you might want to incorporate a gesture or combination of moves that gives the audience a sense of breaking free. Use how the music makes you feel to generate ideas for your hip hop routine.
- Try to express the story of your music using choreography that is easily interpreted by your audience. Even if the dance has meaning for you, if the audience fails to see it, your routine will have less of an impact.
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Think about people moving to the music on stage. This can help clarify the natural movements you were trying to gain a sense for while listening to your music. You should also take note, at this time, of space limitations. Precisely measure the dance area or stage you will be using before charting out your choreography.
- Try to make use of the entire dance space you have available. Otherwise, it might make your dance seem lacking in fullness or incomplete. [5] X Research source
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Use natural movements as the base of your routine. [6] X Research source By using natural moves as the foundation for the rest of your routine, you'll have an easier time tying different parts of it together. Make moves that you believe will have the greatest effect in your audience the central point of your routine.Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 3:
Creating Your Hip Hop Dance Routine
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Count out the song and your moves. Professional dancers usually count out songs by eight counts to help ensure dancers sync with each other and the choreographed dance syncs with the music. [7] X Research source Feel the pulse of the beat naturally and count from one to eight throughout the song, making a notation in the lyrics where the first, middle, and last counts fall.
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Break your routine into main moves. After you've imagined out your routine and gotten a feel for the music, there are likely a few dominant moves that you feel must be incorporated into your hip hop routine. Use these as a focal point. Distribute these moves throughout your song at appropriate places, and then come up with transitions that work into or out of your main moves. [8] X Research source
- Use the transitions between moves to build or release tension.
- Coordinate your main moves with your counts so that you clearly know where in the song your dancers are performing specific moves.
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Remember to give your dancers a breather. [9] X Research source Dancing is a strenuous activity. It's a lot easier to sit down and write ideas, but at some point your dancers are probably going to need a place in the routine to catch their breath.
- Insert pauses or slower parts of your routine between, before, or after high energy parts of your choreography so your dancers aren't left gasping.
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Write up your moves and counts. Now that you have a fairly full image of the story you're trying to tell through the motions of you choreography, the main choreographic moves you want to hit, and the transitions linking these together, you'll need to write it all down.
- Be sure you include counts so that you can coordinate choreography practice and the moves being practiced more easily.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:
Practicing Your Hip Hop Dance Routine
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Dress for comfort. Tight or constrictive clothing can limit your range of motion, make it difficult for you to engage your whole body while dancing. Loose, baggy clothing is ideal for hip hop dancing. [10] X Expert Source Yolanda Thomas
Dance Instructor Expert Interview. 15 November 2019. Make sure you have practice clothing that is suitably stretchy and comfortable.- Sneakers or high tops are good shoes for hip hop dancing. [11]
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Expert Source
Yolanda Thomas
Dance Instructor Expert Interview. 15 November 2019.
- Sneakers or high tops are good shoes for hip hop dancing. [11]
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Expert Source
Yolanda Thomas
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Stretch to warm up and prevent injury. Stretching has an added bonus for dancers in that it also improves flexibility. Many advanced dance moves, and maybe even some in your choreographed routine, require some measure of flexibility, so be sure you have your dancers warm up before practice. [12] X Research source
- Focus on stretching your calves and quads. [13]
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Expert Source
Yolanda Thomas
Dance Instructor Expert Interview. 15 November 2019.
- Focus on stretching your calves and quads. [13]
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Expert Source
Yolanda Thomas
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Teach your dancers the main moves. If you have multiple groups that will be doing different things, teach each group individually to prevent confusion. Have your dancers start at an individual level; some will take longer than others to master certain moves.
- Once the move is mastered, direct your talent to practice the move together to begin practicing being in sync.
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Split dancers into groups to work on coordinating movement. Many routines require complicated movement among dancers, sometimes at a fast pace, or even at a leap! To keep your dancers from knocking heads, make sure each knows the positions they will occupy on the floor, also known as blocking, before putting the whole routine together.
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Put the whole thing together. Keep a sharp eye the first few times you watch your dancers perform the routine completely. Try to identify weak points, areas the message of your dance is unclear or inexpressive, and moves your dancers are struggling with. Also note ways you might polish the process.
- You should also have a dress rehearsal before the main event. Some costumes, no matter how perfect for you routine, will not be suitable to dance in.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow can I improve my expression in dance?Yolanda Thomas is a Hip Hop Dance Instructor based in Los Angeles, California and Sydney, Australia. Yolanda has taught hip hop at the Sydney Dance Company and is a two-time winner of the LA Music Award for singing and songwriting. She has won Choreographer of the Year by GROOVE, an Australian hip hop dance competition and was hired by Google to choreograph their Sydney Mardi Gras float.It's all about letting go and not caring what other people think. When you're shy and worried about how you look, your dancing can be stiff and boring. Try to switch off your brain and let your guard down.
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QuestionIf I'm the choreographer, is it better to just teach the steps or be one of the performers?Community AnswerBe one of the performers because then the other dancers can visually see what you are doing and follow you better while you're teaching the steps.
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QuestionHow do I combine steps to make choreography better?Anna SekeresCommunity AnswerMake sure the moves flow together. If it feels awkward trying to do the step, change the footing. All the while, make sure you are making sharp movements.
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Tips
- Many colleges and community centers offer entrance level hip hop dance classes or stage production classes where you might learn more about choreography.Thanks
- Keep a notebook handy to write down moves that come to you.Thanks
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References
- ↑ http://www.centralhome.com/hip-hop-dance-history.htm
- ↑ http://www.learntodance.com/hip-hop-dance-moves/
- ↑ http://thecircular.org/10-hip-hop-dance-moves-of-the-past-decade/
- ↑ https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/Choreography.htm
- ↑ https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/Choreography.htm
- ↑ https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/Choreography.htm
- ↑ http://www.farfesha.com/how-to-choreography.html
- ↑ http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/characteristics-of-effective-choreography
- ↑ https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/Choreography.htm
- ↑ Yolanda Thomas. Dance Instructor. Expert Interview. 15 November 2019.
- ↑ Yolanda Thomas. Dance Instructor. Expert Interview. 15 November 2019.
- ↑ http://www.hiphopdanceguide.com/beginners/taking-class
- ↑ Yolanda Thomas. Dance Instructor. Expert Interview. 15 November 2019.
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"I need to impress people, I do not want to be sitting around all day."
"Identifying the weak points so I can fix them accordingly helped."
