November 9, 2009

No, Your Other Left Foot

How to choreograph school musicals with
dance-challenged kids
By Larry Sousa

Character-driven upper-body movements draw the audience away from the feet to the faces of Alex
Norton (Mark) and Katie Writer (Joanne). (Photo by George Lucozzi/ASA Photographic)
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I cant dance.

I get that disclaimer all the time, from nervous actors and singers trying
their best to discourage me from putting them into dance sequences. It
is, itself, a little dance. I enjoy it, but it doesnt work on me. Theyll be
dancing soon.
I direct and choreograph musicals of all kinds, on every level from
professional to college, high school, and childrens theater. When Im
working with students, I often have very few (if any) trained dancers in
the cast. Nevertheless, Im determined to stage professional-quality
production numbers, somehow. To me (a colossal musical-theater geek),
its All Broadway, All the Time.
As a dance teacher, you know that most of your students would eagerly
perform a 20-minute contemporary solo to a packed house, but are
scared to death of singing a note in public. It goes both ways: The
theater is full of actors and singers whod rather pull out their own
toenails than dance. If youve been hired to choreograph a school
musical, I bet youve already learned that the hard way. Gone is your
studio full of fearless, trained dancers who can read your mind. Now
you have a stage full of actors sweating before the rehearsal even
starts.
And you may get that in even the most ideal environment. One of my
favorite places to work as a guest artist is at Westford Academy in
Westford, Massachusetts, where I directed and choreographed the
musical Rent in May 2008. The drama students there are talented and
well-trained actor/singers. Yet most have no experience with dance,
and their fears indeed bubble up. Dancing makes me extremely
nervous because I am not naturally graceful or, frankly, all that
coordinated, says Alex Norton, who played Mark in Rent. I have no
formal dance training.
But what Alex and his cast-mates do have is a willingness to set aside
their fears and try anything. That attitude is crucial to the success of the
choreography, and its not automatic it takes work to cultivate. As the
choreographer, its you who has to create it. If you do, youll have a
better chance to make better dances. Here are some approaches that

help my performers and me get there. Hopefully they can inspire you
too.

Forget what you know

Somebody decided that you should stage the local musical because you
have years of experience as a dance educator. Huzzah! Now, throw
most of that experience out. You are not setting choreography on
trained dancers (for the most part). Youre not even there to teach
technique (though if that occurs, kudos). You are there to create stories
that will entertain the audience and help the musical make sense.
Dance scares actors. You need to make them feel comfortable with it.
So dont alienate them by spouting off coup jet en tournant and
battement sur le cou-de-pied, or your cast might chan right out the
door. Choose your words carefully. Of course, the issue is bigger than
words.

Focus on character
A chorus stands frozen and sings. Then a line of dancers comes out and
does some moves. And then you have actors seemingly caught in their
own world, trying to shove the story forward with little help. The three
groups seem to have no connection with each other. The result: The
audience is confused and the story has come to a grinding halt. Sound
familiar?
Yep, thats your average school musical. But a big discussion about
character can fix all of that. Be sure the entire cast knows that theyre
all in one big sandbox. Avoid compartmentalizing the performers as
actors, singers, or dancers. When theyre all character performers,
everyone is essential to the story.
You need them to come together as one, and you need energetic
movement from all of them. So create basic-but-unique steps that arent
likely to show up in your normal technique class also known as
character movement.
Character is a magic word. It is often the key that unlocks a world of
movement for the non-dancer. I feel confident pulling off a dance-

heavy role once Ive gained a command of the character Im playing,

says Kim Sollows, who played Mimi in Rent. I have no dance training,
but there are people whove told me they dont believe that. Ha!
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Create vivid movements to draw the eye away from the

feet. Your actors might not have a lot of experience with
dance, but they can certainly pose and gesture.
------------------------------Keep in mind that you, like the director and the authors, are an
important member of the storytelling team. So once youve begun the
conversation about character, dont stop; your performers need
constant reminders of who they are and what motivates them. Youll find
that many of them will agree with Katie Wright (Joanne in Rent), who
says, As I continue to develop my character work, the dancing
becomes more and more natural. Gaining ownership of my characters
personality helps me figure out how and why she would dance.

Breaking free with new inspirations

If youre finding it hard to break out of your usual dance vocabulary,
break out the DVDs. Movie musicals are a great source of inspiration
because theyre filled with interesting characters doing interesting things
and much of the movement is simple, technically speaking. Thats the
key.
In particular, study social dance, like in Hairspray and Footloose. Lots
of the choreography is fairly pedestrian (in a good way), based on the
kinds of moves youd see on a dance floor, not a dance class. Thats
good for the untrained dancer.
But pick your inspiration carefully. We are all easily intoxicated by the
dancing in West Side Story and A Chorus Line, but most of it is based
on advanced ballet and jazz technique. Thats what youre trying to get
away from, because your cast doesnt possess that level of experience.

Forget the feet

If your choreography isnt working, maybe its the feets fault. Many
dance numbers in school musicals flop due to overly ambitious
footwork. Its probably fair to say that untrained dancers struggle the
most with controlling their feet. So why would you give the hardest task
to those who are least equipped to execute it? A big part of the job is to
feature your performers strengths and hide their weaknesses.
Intricate footwork tends to send actors into a panic. Its nervewracking. It takes me much longer to learn those steps than people
whove had dance training, says John Manning (Benny in Rent). That
makes me regret not taking dance when I was younger.
In my experience, musical-theater audiences dont generally spend lots
of time looking specifically at feet. So given the circumstances, creating
two hours worth of complicated footwork may be time not-so-well
spent. Its a musicalthe audience is looking for story, which is found
most often in faces and upper bodies.
So with that in mind, create vivid, character-driven upper-body and arm
movements to draw the eye away from the feet. Your actors might not
have a lot of experience with dance, but they can certainly pose and
gesture. Lots of good choreography can happen with the upper body.
And by the way, you dont have to do it all yourself...

Ask for input

Like most of the school musicals I stage, Rent had one choreographer
and about 50 assistants the performers, who always have great
ideas. They love taking a bit of direction and developing it into
something bigger and more wonderful than I could think of. With their
contributions, we always end up with a show that overflows with
interesting layers and details.
Dig for sections in your production numbers that dont require strict
unison movement. Then give your actors some room to create and some
clear, story-based direction (as opposed to choreography). If you edit
their contributions well, theyll make you look pretty darn clever.

Freezing up
Every once in a while, I find myself standing in front of my cast with a
blank page and no steps in my head. Not one. Its a scary moment. All I
want to do is panic and begin teaching choreography from my last
dance class. Big mistake.
Remember the golden rule: Musicals are about storytelling; the story
and lyrics can always get you out of jams. Go back to the text. Youll
be much more likely to avoid arbitrary dancing that has nothing to do
with the drama at hand.
Also, this is a good time to remember that youre in a room full of eager
assistants who have all read the script (and might know it even better
than you do).

Say yes to clumps

For some mysterious reason, a clump equals instant choreography.
Clumps can be very flattering to non-dancers, so look for opportunities
to organize your performers into groups onstage. Add levels, shapes,
and unique movements that match and dont match.
You can travel a clump tightly in lockstep, let it explode all over the
stage, then make it come back together again. You can rotate it, freeze
it, and reveal a hidden actor from within it. Youre only limited by your
imagination. Hey, clumps worked for Fossethey can work for you too.

Limit the lectures

Sometimes its best to shut your trap. I was reminded of that the hard
way during rehearsals for Rent. In La Vie Boheme, the Act 1 finale, I
had the cast doing a kind of stylized march: legs and arms bent to an
extreme with loud stepping to the beat (basically walking, but cooler).
Everyone had it down flawlessly on the first try. Bliss.
But then I got the dreaded question that always comes when the
choreography is based on walking: Which arm goes with which foot?
I should have kept my mouth shut. Instead I launched into a speech
about opposition arms. Oops. About half of the performers went into
panic/fix-it mode, and who could blame them? From then on, I had lots

of same-arm/same-leg marching, which is always very hard to undo. So

when you talk, remember whos listening.

Boost their confidence

One of your biggest goals is to make all the performers understand that
they can indeed dance and deserve to be doing so. With that in mind,
avoid constantly singling out your only two advanced dancers with
comments like I want it just like that! You could inadvertently alienate
them while intimidating everyone else. And just like that, everyone is
scared again.
Whenever its appropriate, find the person whod never expect to be
complimented on his dancing the kid who has probably never been
singled out as an example of whats right and say I want it just like
that. I bet youll raise the confidence level, and the spirits, of your
entire company.

Razzle-dazzle em
Forgive me for this, but if theres a moment in your show that can
support a kick line, do it. Its a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Even if it
doesnt go perfectly, technical mishaps tend to be forgiven and
forgotten instantly. And a simple kick is one of the easiest things to
make happen.
Of course you should strive for good technique and precision, but
forgive yourself when some of those basketball players in your cast
have floppy feet. Hey, you got them up there doing a kick line!
What non-dancers may lack in dance technique and training, they more
than make up for in enthusiasm, personality, and creativity. Invite them
into your process, let them thrive, and dont forget to have fun along the
way. After all, its called a play for a reason.

Larry Sousa is an award-winning director, choreographer, and

educator. He has directed musicals from coast to coast, and
performed on Broadway, TV, films and commercials.