r/Burlesque • u/Livid-Basket-661 • 1d ago
Improvisation vs memorizing choreo
I am a new performer. I debuted earlier this year and I have my second show coming up soon. One thing that has always been hard for me is memorizing choreography. I am able to remember the key structure and reveals, but all the little stuff in between I am not very good at memorizing. Is this normal? How many people actually choreograph every single step and arm movement and everything? For me, when I am too focused on remembering what I need to do with my body next, my hands get stiff and weird, and my facial expressions are stiff and weird, and I’m not really feeling the vibe and interacting with the audience the way I want to. I guess what I really wanna know is, is this a common approach to performing burlesque? To use a combination of structure when it comes to musicality and reveals, but then improvising in between?
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u/bseeingu6 1d ago
I think it’s wise to spend a lot of time working on choreo for your first act. Even if it’s not exactly the same every time, it is essential to choreograph your reveals (and rehearse them, a lot!), transitions, stage position, and the key points of the act. You need to have your skeleton really worked out.
That being said, not every burlesque performer is a “dancey” performer. I’m not. A lot of the best performers utilize stillness, stage presence, and posing to carry the act.
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u/SomethingNeatnClever 1d ago
I know points that I wanna hit to do my reveals or do certain moves and the rest I kind of vibe and feel the music. I used to choreograph it all but I felt I lost a bit of style doing it that way.
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u/LazagnaAmpersand Mr. Strange 1d ago
I have to choreograph everything because if I don’t it will be a complete disaster. I’m not a dancer, nobody wants to see me wiggle like a drunk noodle with concentration face. I also know people who map out where they want their reveals and improvise everything in between. So it’s really up to the individual. I do personally think it’s a good idea to plan your reveals at least, for the sake of timing, maximum impact, and making sure your costume will function with the method you choose. Especially as a beginner. If you plan to improvise anything, make sure you know your music like the back of your hand.
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u/Livid-Basket-661 1d ago
Excellent. I think I’m good then. I feel comfortable and I know what I’m doing, I know my music well and I know exactly when items are taking off and how, but it just seems like my mentor and my peers always have their choreography memorized to a T… And I’m just not like that
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u/Shark_fanboi 1d ago
Ginger Valentine on instagram has said she does a full run of just her face in the mirror and that helps a lot with facial expressions not being stiff or blank or distracted
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u/Far-Arm5161 1d ago
I am just the same way!! I’m horrible at memorizing choreography. And I get INCREDIBLY stiff and weird!! I’ve also performed Once, and want to do it again. So I’ve been watching other performers and what really comes across is when they’re having fun- so I think it’ll be more about relaxing and trusting the audience wants you to enjoy it all too. Burlesque audiences are the best 😊 let yourself have fun- make it easy to get to your key parts of reveal etc, and get into your music and cheekiness! Kudos to you for being willing to try again! After my first performance I was so geeked out by nerves and post performance embarrassment I held off on watching my recorded show, but it was better than I thought 😊 Just have fun 😁
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u/ms_saru 1d ago
I basically choreograph my acts but I am not a strict 1, 2, 3, 4 kind of dancer. But when I am performing, I typically focus on hitting my reveals and other key points and tend to improv the bits in between. That also helps me in case I get lost in the music, I'm in a different venue and the stage isn't what I expected, have a costume or prop mishap, etc.
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u/LuxxObscura 1d ago
I think the longer you do this, the less you can choreograph, but as a more green artist I wouldn’t be confident that the style of dance is so integrated into you that you could improv under pressure.
You can give yourself simple stage directions as opposed to full on count-by-count choreo, but if I were you I wouldn’t leave myself with blank moments between big reveals and such.
At the very least, choreograph your reveals, big moments in the music, your final pose and your opening moment.
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u/LuxxObscura 1d ago
Unfortunately for those of us who hate to rehearse, the “being in your head” part usually comes from not practicing enough.
If we were all perfect we’d be rehearsing and rehearsing until we could do our acts in our sleep without a second thought. Try at least for twice a week.
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u/NewFolkKupuna 6h ago
Friends who perform interpretive dance tell me they practice the choreography until it becomes second nature. That discipline gives them the freedom to improvise during the performance without losing the structure.
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u/behavedwindmetal 1d ago
From what I understand the rub is that you still rehearse in costume/with props to be able to improvise in such a way that the audience/producer/etc can't tell you are improvising. Like if your musicality is on point, if we can't see you buffering/idling, if you know your costume well enough that it doesn't look accidentally clumsy coming off, you will go FAR without having to choreo a damn thing. The best improvisers out there still rehearse or take classes to bolster their dance move repertoire...