The master teacher before you is someone you’ve never worked with before but the choreography is hot and the energy in the room is really cool. You’ve spent the last hour trying new things, meeting challenges, and working through the final combination. All roads led here and you think you’ve got it down. Each group explodes into the center of the room as they take their turn in the spotlight. Applause, applause, applause between each round. Another chance. Fixed a mistake from last time, stumbled on something else. It’s okay, there’s just enough time for one more run per group.
The instructor is encouraging,
…he’s throwing out a few last minute reminders,
…and then, he exclaims,
“And this time, make it your own!”
“Wha?”
You have maybe heard this phrase tossed about before but what exactly does it mean?
Essentially, the teacher is letting you know that you now have some freedom to interpret the movement.
In fact, when an instructor or choreographer throws this out at the end of a class, I suspect that the purpose is less an invitation and more a reminder — Up until that point s/he has not seen enough personality in your dancing and, now that you have had time to get comfortable with the movement and practice it a few times with accuracy, s/he wants you to transition from just replicating steps, timing, and even movement quality.
Of course, s/he hasn’t said how s/he’d like to see that done so you are left to decode the statement on your own.
So, how do you take given choreography and make it your own?
There are choices you can make during a combination that make you interesting to watch. These choices give the viewer a sense for who you are or, intrigue the viewer enough to want to find out.
Dancer’s Choice
If you are being encouraged to “make it your own,” some possibilities you might consider:
- How can you use your eyes and face to draw in the viewer?
- How can you emphasize dynamics or play with the timing or energy of the movement?
- How can you create seamless transitions between steps or fill-out the music more?
- Where might you suspend the timing of something to the absolute limit and still make it to the next movement on time?
- Are there moments that can “whisper” and others that can “shout?”
- What is the reason, character, or story behind what you are doing? Make it up!
More of our best secrets to adding personality to performance can be found here.
I know it might seem impossible to come up with ideas and make choices in a split second. Dancers who do this really well have two things going for them that you, thus far, may not.
ONE, they’ve had experience in this situation, having been asked before to make a dance their own.
TWO, (as a result of this experience) they have a bunch of options already in their back pocket which they’ve used and practiced using before.
The good news is that we’ve just given you a short cheatsheet of possibilities. Now, practice them when performing combinations and exercises in your every-day classes where you are more free to take some risks.
Can I go too far in making it my own?
It’s hard to say. Auditions (versus a class or workshop) raises the stake you have in success but when you are competing for a job you may need to take those bigger risks – sometimes it will pay off, sometimes it won’t. The fine line is usually at the point where you can be as dynamic as possible without completely changing the choreography.
Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts.
Excellent post, N! I want to print this out for my students. 🙂 HIGH FIVE.
Thanks, M!
To make a dance your own..
Listen to the music..Release what you are feeling when you dance. Combine rhythmical expression together with rhythimical body action. Change some timings, make use of levels and add change of direction.
Brilliant Article Dance Avantage !
i do street dance but sometimes i run out of choreography and i go bilistic because i cant think of other steps its so dumb i can dance everyone says i can but then i back down and thoughts run through my head, then i get upset i really love street dancing, and never want to give up but sometimes i give up easily im by,myself on weekend cause all my friends dont wanna dance no more i want to make up some great choreography but it never happens i keep trying. eventually ill make somthing up. 🙂 once i have a dance group things are okay but when i dont its so hard. 🙂
erghh! i need help, is thre anyone out there who cares i REALLY REALLY really love street dance and im not a confident in it anymore. there is one dance group i want to meet and that is diversity but they are all the way in britan. it sucks anyway lol i need help i keep backing down on street dance and im close to quiting i really dont want to quit is there anybody out there who can help me. please.;( if you can thanks;)
Hi Jensey,
Sorry about the delay in responding – December has been a busy month! I will try to respond as best I can.
In your first post, you describe a lack of confidence in improvisation. My specialty is modern/contemporary dance, not street dance, but in both improvisation is very important. The thing with improvisation is that you gain confidence through practicing, which means just doing it. If you are “getting stuck” or having trouble knowing or deciding what to do next, you probably need more experience.
And if you really want experience, if you really want to dance, then what your friends do or do not do shouldn’t matter. Get out – take a class, go to clubs, wherever there is dance happening. Watch, participate, absorb all you can. Surround yourself with people who want it too. No matter what style of dance – that’s the only answer for the problem you are describing. People that make it in dance don’t let obstacles get in the way of their dreams or ambitions – they find a way. Dance is not for those who sit back and wait for opportunities to come along, it is for people who seek out opportunities and never give up. That’s a tough answer, but it is the truth. I wish you the best, just keep going and working hard!
hey thanks that really helped and im getting heaps better at it so yeah thanks so much for answering my question!!! 🙂 XD
Thank you so much. i have done a couple of choreographed dances (2) so far n the people i dance with during the final performance seem to b counting steps or thy don’t show the energy, even when the dance routine itself is good. there’s just a struggle with balancing what your supposed to do against how your supposed to do it . But with this information i know what areas to work on. Thank You
Nairobi, Kenya
Africa Can Dance (A.C.D)
Thanks for stopping by Edward. I’m glad you found the information helpful. Confidence to go beyond just counting steps or the bare minimum definitely comes with encouragement, experience, and having the opportunity to take risks in an environment that feels safe (like class). Sometimes it takes the right teacher or choreographer to really draw that out of the dancers as well. Best of luck to you!
hi im from nepal im doin poppin style but nowadayz im feelin like im stuck in own place..i want to be better n better .the most crticalproblem is dat i have no idea abt choregraphy whenever im thinkin abt choreography my mind doesntwork..actually im afreestyler so im weak in choreography so how to make choreography n be confident dancer??
hiii. im from rajasthan(india).. i want to my choreography skill bestest…. i doing tradition and contemporary … but i thing i m able to do more than other…. but hw can…????? sorii my but
English is too week…..
Well I remember having an argument when I was 15 years old with a dance instructor because I did not want to do the giant rolling hip walk off stage at the end of a competitive choreography. (solo) He was furious and never did anything else for me or even acknowledged me in class. Needless to say I think I sailed off stage with a leap. The giant rolling hip walk looks great if you have hips and are petite not for a long stringy 15 year old. I lost a lot of confidence in that experience. Now, I take a masters class where I am told I should not use my arms so much. That’s fine, my arms are still a mile long and if I don’t use them to frame my movements mo matter the dance its not complete. Go with your gut instincts from the inexperienced youngster to the professional today, I know I am right all along. I don’t need to prove it, I just do it. Take your space, your move, feel it, breath and dance.