Making Dance
The Choreographic Process
Sources of Inspiration
Choreographic inspiration comes from an infinite number of sources.
The desire to communicate through motion, the physical and kinetic potential of the human body or the joy of virtuoso dancing may inspire one choreographer. The desire to explore emotional expression through dance may be what motivates another to create.
![“Endangered Species” by Danny Grossman (1981) [Don Dixon]](/upload/dan/dannygrossmanEndangered_full.jpg)
Some choreographers are driven to use dance as a way to speak about social or political issues. A classic example of this approach is Danny Grossman's powerful anti-war statement Endangered Species (1981).
Before they work with dancers in a studio, choreographers usually spend a period of time researching and developing their ideas. They may travel, studying architecture, landscapes or dance forms new to them. They may read, listen to music or look at paintings, absorbing information from other artists or art forms.
- Images from nature may be a source of inspiration and metaphor
- A poem or story may provide a starting point. Images that generate movement ideas may come from mythology, from classic or contemporary narratives and even from the life stories of dancers
- A choreographer may be so moved by a piece of music that he or she decides to create a dance expressing its qualities
- Works of visual art such as paintings or photographs may fire a choreographer's imagination
Choreographers often are, or have been, dancers themselves. Some like to improvise alone in a studio. They may videotape their movement research and then review the material to find key movement ideas that express what they want to say.
