Create your What

Translating a concept into a movement is central to the choreographic process, but can be daunting for many students. In a school environment where students are eager to “get it right” and social status is often on the line, showing an idea in an artistic, physical, personal way can feel like a huge risk for young people. Here are some ideas for supporting students through this sometimes challenging step.

For inspiration responding to stimuli, share a few of these videos with your students, in which professional choreographers (including Rambert’s Artistic Director!) try their hand at a GCSE choreography paper.
For some students, limited parameters can be enabling. When facilitating creative projects, it can be helpful to present tasks in do-able steps.

Ways to create parameters for creative work:  

Space
Time
Complexity of prompt
Low stakes

For example…

Instead of

“Express the way you are feeling right now through movement” (few parameters)

try

“If ‘tired’ was a statue, what might it look like?”

Specific prompt (‘tired’)
movement parameters (“statue”)
guided time frame (“3,2,1, go!”)
low stakes (“might”)

Instead of

“Let’s all dance to this music in our own way”

try

“Choose one instrument to listen to. See if you can hear the rhythm it is playing. It might help to gently tap your hand in time with it, like this. Now can you move your hands in a way that is silent, but shows that same rhythm? And as an experiment, can your feet join in?”
Specific prompt (“one instrument”, “rhythm”)
movement parameters (adding hands, then feet)
guided time frame (“now let’s…”)
low stakes (“as an experiment”)
Instead of

“Today’s task is to create a phrase based on your chosen stimulus. I’ll be coming around to check on you and see how you’re doing”

3. Responding intuitively to a chosen or assigned stimulus can feel freeing for some students, but intimidating for others. Creating Movement from Stimuli workflow leads students through different methods for interpeting ideas and concepts through movement, and to identify which methods work best for their creative process.

Below are two worksheets, one for teachers and for one for students, to help with creating original movement, and videos and audio guides on using improvisation to generate movement.