Choreographed or Freestyle?

MommaBear started this discussion · 5/19/2010

I am having a heck of a time with this May challenge and I really, really want to do it!!! I don't think about or choreograph anything I do, I just do it. However, I run out of steam and ideas and then stand there dumbfounded for a moment until something new hits me; this is obviously not helping to create a flowy, pretty end result. Since I am so new, all I can do at this point is walk around and spin, so you think this wouldn't be so challenging, were not talking about a phenomenal amount of moves here - just walk walk, spin, walk walk the other way, spin, maybe spin again, walk, walk . . . . . . hmmmm, now what . . . . . oh yeah . . . . walk, walk, spin. So what is the deal with the duh moments!!!! Do you use choreography during your routines; do you have a plan of attack? Is that what I am lacking and why I am having brain farts smack dab in the middle of an attempt at a performance of some kind?

14 replies

minicoopergrl · 5/19/2010
for me being a dancer my whole life, I choreograph. I can freestyle when needed but I feel 10x more confident if I choreograph. It helps me avoid the 'wth do I do now?' stare. Sissy had a good idea of writting everything on the mirror so you can see what you want your moves to be and how to get in and out of them. I choregraph mostly by sections. it makes me think better and if I screw up a section, I can go back to the previous and pick up where I left off. I also have those wow moments that I need to put in at particular times.
AnjilsBaby · 5/19/2010
i have a bunch or choreographed routines in my head that i just dont have the physical cabability of doing yet so i freestyle lol, i dance to alot of really depressing rock though, and im big into music, so if i can feel the song then i have no problem just winging it, even though in my head im like "hmm, an extended butterfly would be beautiful here..." for me dancing is almost completely about the music and expressing it with my body. i dont know if maybe you have any favorite songs that make you feel that way or not
polergirl · 5/19/2010
I typically will only choreograph a few moves and freestyle the rest. Sometimes a song just cries out for ABC spin or trick at a certain spot! Otherwise, I'm wingin' it. 😀
mysunshine276 · 5/19/2010
I keep a list of spins and tricks next to my pole. This helps when I draw a blank, which is alot when the camera is rolling 😀
amcut · 5/19/2010
Freestyle all the way. ..... Of course I have a "move quota", I decide maybe.. this freestyle wants a RG, or this freestyle wants a butterfly. Or "I'm totally going to do that combo I learned". And generally if I felt sexy during first take but I fucked up in a way that requires an edit- I'll do a second take and it will look similarish.
tiggertail · 5/19/2010
That's exactly why I didn't make the challenge ...yet 🙁 Seem all i can do is walking ang spining. I know the girls won't judge us for having trouble making a routine, we're not the first to have this problem. I think I will try the few tips girls gave you and give it a try. Veena have a bunch of transition move in the lessons part and i also find fun stuff here: http://www.youtube.com/user/RochesterPoleDance#p/u/2/UtMimMBVFg0 Good luck and i hope to see your video soon
pole-twista · 5/22/2010
yes after 2years have yet to do a routine. always feestyle bc the few times have tried to remeber a routine it just goes out the window a 1/4 way through it. i do write on poster board a few moves in order i know i want to use and than just fill in the rest with floorwork or whatever comes to me. maybe try a mini routine first . like to a very short song and than build into a longer routine off that one as it becomes second nature. good luck and jamilla deville has an amazing routines dvd. maybe that could be a challenge 1 month. dance to a planned routine. that would be a challenge for me! ☀️
Veena · 5/23/2010
I mostly freestyle. When I do choreograph it's very loosely lol. Here's a few suggestions... You can add more or less of course Pick 3 spins Pick 3 or more pole moves...this can include holds, inverts and such 2 floor moves Then pick 4 transitions Write them down and work on mixing them around to fit the song!
Charley · 5/23/2010
FREESTYLE 🥂 Not having any sort of background in dancing besides doing it in my kitchen...the freestyle works best for me but I suppose at this point I tend to do a lot of the same things in the same order. a couple of things I teach my students that I hope you will find helpful: 1. There is no right or wrong in pole dancing only safe and unsafe. only perform moves you are very comfortable with and not moves you are still working on 2. Find a piece of music that really speaks to you, music you can get lost in 3. If you get stuck for what to do and find yourself simply walking around the pole, pull out all those transitions, pirouettes, back bends, slides, kicks, step arounds 4. use the floor, the wall and the open space around you and fill it with you!
pole-twista · 5/23/2010
great advice! i am so bruised up at the moment there is no way i am even looking at the pole, but when i am healed up i am going to try the picking 3 spins ect route and see what i can do. thanks! ☀️
Trena · 5/24/2010
I totally freestyle ALL the time! I've never choreographed a routine! I just don't know how!!! I do what Veena said though! I usually pick a certain amount of spins, tricks and hold that I wanna include. And it's SO SOO important to dance to a song that u know well and that u love!! 😀
JorShi · 5/24/2010
This is a great post. I LOVE to freestyle, I also do what Veena said. I think it still lets you play with the song and not feel like you have to do this or ugh, I messed that up in your head. Plus just remember your the only one who knows anyway so have fun with it. 🥂 MAY CHALLENGE! 👽
AliciaPolerina · 5/31/2010
I like to choreograph, but sometimes the "happy accidents" (by this I mean that you end up doing a trick on accident lol this happenes to me a lot) happen durring freestyle! For the challenge I wrote a list of spins in order that I wanted to do them in and stuck it to my desk so I could see it and wouldn't have a total brain fart moment! Sometimes if I'm trying to choreograph something that I'm eventually going to have to memorize I write it down, and use it to practice by untill I memorize it!
Takeila · 6/1/2010
These are great ideas I will have to try them. I am a music head so I usually freestyle if I am really feeling the music I will good performance but if I don't it will be very noticeable, lol. I usually pick moves I want to do but I think I am going to try choreograph the next one and see how I do. 😁