Routine Choreography?

[uggymnast]

how do you find dance movements to "fill" a routine with. All the little movements that many of the elite athletes have r their signature moves, i guess, like nastia on beam ect. how do i come up with these and stuff to put between the skills in my level 7 routine? thanks

[gymfreak4ever]

For floor, listen to your music and just dance. Ideas will start flowing and you will come up with something that me seem stupid at first but will really be unique and become your own.

On beam, you should really concentrate on your strengths. If your flexible like Nastia do maybe, a unique kick or something. If your more of a powerhouse then, well I don't really know what to do.

[gracefulone]

Watch as many routines as possible. Even go on youtube and dig up old routines (I'm talking Olga here) and find some cool stuff to do. I went to Y nats and watched a ton of routines. Also, take a look at the code of points. There are some sweet skills in there, a lot of cool things that are A's and B's

[Gym-Nice-tics]

I do the choreography for my gym. I watch loads of routines, just like graceful one suggests. However, I also try to do them (minus the tricks). If I see something I like I imitate it, replaying the video until I have it. Then you can tweak things and make them yours. You can really get some good ideas flowing that way.

[KBT]

You can also try watching other forms of dance - ballet, hip hop, jazz - for unique ideas.

[Jojogymgirl]

Like everyone is saying, YOUTUBE!!! This will get ideas flowing. If you prefer a type of dance (lyrical versus swing versus hip-hop...) make sure you get music that fits that style that is 1. unique, 2. not overplayed, 3. fast or slow to your liking (if you have no endurance, it's not fun doing a fast routine for 2-3 seasons), 4. something you like, and 5. it describes you and you can dance to it.

Many people forget magazines. They have great photographers that capture cool dance poses in routines. Take a look through ALL of the magazines you have and post-it cool poses. If you don't want to do exactly what they are doing, tweak it a little bit to make it your own. Pictures will be especially helpful for beam.

FLOOR: Make sure your dance goes with the music. Make sure to put a tumbling pass and then a leap or jump and then mix it up, so it is not quite as predictable. Make sure you have parts to sell to the crowd, to catch your breathe, and to have fun. If you run out of ideas, don't just walk into the corner and do something with your arms, people can tell you ran out of ideas. Do something on the floor and something on your knee...change your level occasionally throughout the routine. Not only do poses and steps with your arms OR your feet, incorporate both. Don't make it all poses. A posey routine is not fun. Dance, flow, try steps, have one move go into the next and the next... Don't forget to have an original move (like something flexible on the ground or an interesting pose)! Like someone said, go to the Code of Points. Have a good time and don't forget ARTISTRY and PERSONALITY!!! *don't do anything you are uncomfortable doing or feel stupid doing, people can tell and it looks bad.

BEAM: Think of your beam routine in parts. Parts where you are: hop, hop, pose or fast fast slow or down up flow or low step high step sharp or arm head flick or kick up down... I think you get the picture. Make sure the poses are original and that you change levels occasionally. Look at OLD VIDEOS. These will help you so much (there was more artistry). Make sure to do something creative that only you do. Don't forget to have it fit your style. If you can't think of anything, pay a proffessional dance or gymnastics choreographer, tell them your likes and dislikes, what you are and aren't comfortable with, what you like and what you don't, what your signature move is, when you want breathing time, etc.

I HOPE THIS HELPED YOU!

[Shawn]

I agree about watching the old routines. They did some really cool, sometimes pretty crazy stuff that no one does anymore. You could also watch tv shows like "So you Think You Can Dance" to get ideas. There are also plenty of movies to try also. Go back and watch "Grease" or "Dirty Dancing" and see if you get some inspiration. Originality is a great tool to getting noticed and impressing the judges