Helpful Hints for Learning Your Choreography

Some of my fondest memories of EL1 to EL4 would have been the choreography. There’s something very satisfying in being able to put together all the steps you’ve learned throughout the term into a “dance”. As you progress through the levels, you’ll find the choreography gets a lot more “dancier”.

The great thing about the teachers at Elance is, not only are they fabulous at ballet, they are wonderful teachers. Each class is thoughtfully planned to adequately challenge students but never to overwhelm anyone.
One of my favourite things to do after a ballet class is to note down the sequence of the choreography while I stretch and warm down after a class (foam rolling your calves after a double class will mean you don’t have to walk around in pain the next day). Sometimes, I even compare notes with my fellow classmates.

In the middle of the week, I take my notes out and mark the sequence out at home. It’s a little me-time I cherish because it breaks the week and I know I have an actual ballet class coming up.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I don’t always get the sequence right. Sometimes, when I’m marking the steps at home, the feet and the arms make absolutely no sense. That’s when I send a desperate email to Kate who’s very patient with my endless questions.

One of my classmates did mention she struggles to write any notes down because she struggles with the terminology and spellin

g. I find the ballet dictionary very handy. Failing that, Kate is my go-to person to ask the silliest questions and they often go:

“Hi Kate, would you be able to please tell me the actual term for the arabesque jump  (pose temp leve in arabesque) we did in choreography on Saturday?”
I love being able to get the sequence of the steps right just to allow myself to focus more on technique and feet and arm placement during class. I perform best from muscle memory and being able to execute the choreography without having to remember what-comes-next means I can focus on “dancing” it.

The little bonus extras we keep getting reminded to include. Where we do the head turn towards, where does the eyeline go, the little bit of extra stretch in an arabesque, being able to balance while doing a pas de bourree in the center – these are all the little bonus extras that make the choreography performance-ready.

But, I suppose, most of all, being a perfectionist, being able to perform the choreography flawlessly brings me the biggest satisfaction.

I’ll admit this may not be for everyone but if you’re keen to improve your choreography and make it a little “dancier”, give this a go!