Monday - Harmony College - Choreo Rap

Damn, I thought I'd already written this session up but I seem to have mislaid it.

Gina talks about various techniques for teaching choreo. She says she teaches the whole visual plan for a song in one night. She has a visual team to support her, with lots of different people. She changes to team regularly so no one feels they 'own' their place on the team. Use people's strengths on the team (but not everyone can teach).

Gina no longer lives close to her chorus, so she only visits each six weeks. While she teaches the visual plan herself the first time, after than the team takes over.



PRESENTING THE INITIAL PLAN
1. Know the choreo plan
2. Focus on the big picture, not the details - gross motor movements, not 'which way do I hold my hand?'. Don't fuss with details. If the chorus is struggling with a move you have to be able to let go of it, no matter how much you like it - or change it, or change the timing. Read the judging book and know what judges are looking for.
3. Land moves on the vowel, not the consonant (Dixie Dahlke) so they're not hitting the consonant so hard. Go with the chorus's strengths, not what you personally like
4. Teach mirror image so you can watch the chorus as you teach. Learn to do this by standing in front of a mirror.
5. Identify the 'goes into' and the 'anchor'for the chorus as this creates unit and energy (eg 'I never' is the goes into, 'knew' is the anchor); and also identify when the recovery happens so that that is purposeful and intentional too.
6. Keep the teaching moving, don't get bogged down because at the initial stage you are just trying it out and they won't remember the detail anyway
7. Compliment individuals by name, then everyone will want their name called. Try to catch them doing something right and recognise it even if it's just a small improvement for some people (eg 'there you go, that's coming along'). Also use video recording for feedback.
8. Concentrate on the character, not the mechanics of the move.

BIG PICTURE
1. Look for unity not precision. You will get helpful people telling you other chorus members are doing it wrong, but it may not be a problem for unity from where you stand out the front. Just make sure your eye is not drawn to someone because they're not part of the unit.
2. Judges see the performance only once, for the first time, and they are evaluating and writing at the same time. Don't worry about the fine detail, it's only a problem if your eye is drawn to it. [But sometimes for particular moves precision and detail does matter.] Chorus members should do the plan as taught, but must not look guilty if they do it wrong.
3. Video your chorus and turn the sound off and watch it.
4. Video the choreo (mirror image) and put it on the website so the chorus can practise; also write choreo instruction sheets for people who learn better this way

WORKING THE CHOREO
1. Gently correct (they're not trying to do it wrong). Run pre-rehearsal choreo sessions initially but stop at some point so they are not leaning on you instead of working on their own
2. Teach by coaching: praise success and then suggest how to do it even better. Gina's chorus has visual evaluations which are done by videoing the chorus and then the visual team grades individuals using a grading sheet - what they did well, what they have to improve ('now work on this ...')
What about people who try to correct others on the risers? Gina says to them 'I will let you know if I see a problem - don't worry')
3. Make 'adjustments' not 'changes' to choreo. Pack the moves in initially, and then the chorus is thrilled when you take some moves out. The choreo instruction sheet is updated and reissued when the choreo changes.
4. Refine premoves (goes into) and anchors
5. Show the wrong way as well as the right way and make the chorus try both so they know the difference. Don't say things like 'more energy' or 'do more' because they interpret that in different ways
6. Do choreo at warp speed to clapping, on fast forward, to find out how well they know it (this is a technique taken from acting). When they do it at normal speed the tempo will be better. It will also break them out of bad habits and get them to think fast.
7. Overdramatise - like cartoon characters- they will almost never go too far
Does Gina get questions from the risers? Almost never. If they start talking among themselves she will say 'Don't worry about it, I will let you know if there's a problem.'

How long is spent teaching choreo? 30 - 45 minutes on the first night with Gina trying it on (not counting the front row, who work separately with their own front row visual team leader), then pre-rehearsal choreo sessions of 30 minutes with the visual team, then less and less. When Gina is teaching the first session, the visual team are on the risers learning. At any one point there is just one teacher out the front.

Pointing moves do require precision.

Pre-rehearsal choreo sessions are not compulsory because people can practise at home with the video if they prefer.

If you teach the 'goes into' and 'anchor' and 'recovery' they will rarely be late with moves.

How do you do a forlorn line without losing energy? Don't call it sad because the face and palate will drop. Find other words that have more energy.

How do you teach new members the choreo? They learn from the video recording.