Similarities of the Choreographer and web designer

A choreographer needs to have a creative eye to think outside the box and come up with a masterpiece routine that will create a great visual pattern of the dancers. A good choreographer takes the time to study the music and create a routine that will display the passion behind the piece by making use of space, energy, time and shape.

Similarly, a web designer needs to be creative to develop a functional website that will generate traffic and backlinks. The website needs to be consistent, have easy navigation, simplicity and great readability. A casino, for instance, might need to focus on ensuring the games are accessible on their site, the payment system is well integrated and the customer support is available.

Beauty of great choreography and website

Most people appreciate and value things that are memorable to them, such as a casino that is completely Swedish. This also applies to design. Unique choreography involves taking time to create a piece that will invoke the audience’s emotion. The dancers need to move as one and show perfection in their solo acts with a balance between authenticity and theatrical effects.

A website fulfills a purpose, whether it is to convey information or provide entertainment, such as gaming or gambling. If it’s entertainment, how easily can users access and play the games? Are your web visitors interested in a casino that is completely Swedish? Make the website compatible with all devices to allow your visitors convenience of accessing the games anytime.

Alexander Ekman

First on the list is Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman. A very young talent, Ekman was born in 1984 but has already made an impressive mark upon the industry. Trained at the Royal Swedish Ballet School he danced for a number of prestigious operas and theatres within the country. It wasn’t until he danced for Cullberg Ballet in 2005 to 2006 that he finally started to pursue choreography. Since then Ekman’s work has been performed by many companies across the globe. Notable companies include Boston Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Wiener Staatsballet and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo to name a few. A man of many talents, he also designs costumes and even set design as well as composing some of the music he choreographs for.

Jirí Kylián

Kylián is a Czech born dancer cum choreographer. Born in 1947, he started his career in a circus performing feats of daring and acrobatics. It wasn’t until later that he pursued a dance career and trained in the School of National Ballet Prague at just 9 years old. In 1962 he gained a place at Prague conservatory where he met his mentor Zora Semberova who was integral in Kylián’s continued development in the arts. His first steps into choreography were at this school and was a dance to jazz music. Kylián was able to travel to other notable institutions for his learning, gaining knowledge along the way. His most notable works include Forgotten Land, Petite Mort and Falling Angels.

Juan Ignacio Duato Bárcia

From Spain, Bárcia, affectionately known as Nacho Duato was born in 1957. Another dancer originally, he was a modern ballet dancer before turning his hand to choreography. Nacho Duato studied in the Rambert School of London, Mudra School Brussels and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater enabling him to gain a wide knowledge and learn numerous techniques standing him in good stead for his choreography. At one point he even studied under Jirí Kylián when he joined the Nederlands Dans Theater for ten years. In 1983 he choreographed the Jardi tancat and instantly won an award for it. His choreographies have been performed by numerous companies around the globe including the San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet. Director of a number of schools over his career, he is currently director of the Berlin State Ballet until 2019.

Choreography is an ever changing, ever growing art form. With new dancers appearing all the time, new music to follow and new dance styles to incorporate, it looks like we will continue seeing new and exciting things coming out of Europe.

Matthew Bourne

First up is Bourne, an artist known for his contemporary dance style, something that he made popular over the time he has been working. Early on he founded the company New Adventures through which a lot of his work is produced. In addition to this, the company also offers out a higher number of performances for any touring British dance company both in the UK and across the world. Bourne has received a number of prestigious awards for his work including Olivier Awards for his work on Swan Lake, Play Without Words and Cinderella. Swan Lake also won him a number of Tonys as well. His productions tend to look rather like a musical with one key difference, there is no singing. However his contemporary style and highly commercial appeal is what keeps him in the limelight.

Aletta Collins

Once a member of the Royal Opera, Collins is a star on the rise. Her staging and choreography of Bend It Like Beckham fused both Asian and contemporary dance into an exquisite display. In addition to a number of other stage productions such as The Wind in the Willows, she also does choreography with a number of pop stars Will Young being one of them and has won best choreographer awards for her choreography on the Losing Myself music video.

Alistair David

David burst onto the scene with his productions of My fair Lady, Anything Goes, Show Boat and Oliver!. Focusing on musicals, he has also done work on Annie Get your Gun and a Regent’s Par Open Air theatre performance of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Bill Deamer

Last on the list but by no means lowest in the rankings, Deamer won an Olivier award for his choreography on 2013’s Top Hat. A long-time member of theatre, he also does work on the yearly Guildhall musicals. Involved in a plethora of events he has done tours of Evita and the Sound of Music. A specialist in period dance, he was choreographer for one of the year’s National Theatre productions and is also regularly on Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC.             

These are just a few of many excellent British choreographers. Other notable names include Peter Darling, Drew McOnie, Stephen Mear and Lee Proud just to mention a few.

Over the years we have been blessed by some of the most graceful choreography, like Peter Darling and Lynne Page’s, whose routines saw Billy Elliot’s lead Jamie Bell, dance his way into a classic perfect film.
Dance in films has launched multiple careers like Jennifer Beals, in the now infamous scene in Flashdance in 1983, as she gracefully performed the Jeff Hornaday’s routine.
Even the new dance crazes get their time to shine.

During the years the 70’s have been portrayed through the likes of Boogie Nights, with Mark Walhberg and Heather Graham, and even Tom Cruise choreographing his own dance routine for Risky business, yes the one with the pants!

Now though it’s not only the old styles of dance getting to make their mark on the film world, with high powered choreography taking a new style of approach with films like Step Up, showing powerful street dance can amaze just the same. Films like Magic Mike showing choreographers Alison Faulk and Teresa Espinoza, can get a powerful routine worthy of Channing Tatum and even a former WWE star Kevin Nash, when they both showed of their skills with Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and Adam Rodiguez.
Though it’s not all street dance that has had us buzzing over the past few years, Mandy Moore and Keith Kuhl brought us all to tears when they put together a routine that would be played to perfection. It saw Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence beautifully capture the old nostalgia of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, in the beautiful film, The silver Linings Playbook.

So whether you are fan of Grease, love to let your ‘FootLoose’, or you just want to ‘save the last dance’, and take ‘Fame’ in ‘Chicago’, choreography of dance in film will forever be timeless from its humble roots to the multi-millions it makes today. Whether it be a simple dance, or a whole movie of jiving and foxtrots, dance will always have a place in movies, and the talent of choreographers will always be in high demand, not just from the studios of Hollywood, but from the paying public aswell.

Cirque du Soleil

Other than casinos, the Cirque du Soleil is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Las Vegas. There are in fact a whopping eight different shows on offer each spectacular in its own way. Each features death-defying acrobatics; jaw dropping stunts and insane choreography. Each show has its own themes with some of the popular shows being O and Michael Jackson One, the latter focusing on MJ’s songs in a high energy and electrifying performance.

Le Reve – the Dream

Created by Franco Dragone, this takes place at Wynn Las Vegas. The show, meaning the dream, is a showcase of an underwater fantasy with strange characters. The unique setting of the show makes all viewers feel like they are part of the show with no obvious line between the stage and the audience. Full of gymnasts, aerial acrobatics and even synchronised swimming, the dancers will appear from all angles of the stage sometimes emerging from the water or flying down from the ceiling. All the various acts join together seamlessly courtesy of the excellent choreography work. This makes the show fast paced and exciting with each act improving on the previous one. The signature act is a show stopping tango performed by dancers on stage simultaneously with a group of synchronized swimmers in the pool. Le Reve proves without doubt how important good choreography is within a show; the whole performance would not be nearly as mesmerising if the dancers and acrobats were not in sync with each other, all complimenting their individual talents.

Having heard so much about these shows, it is highly tempting to go and visit this vibrant and city. And I must admit, whilst I wouldn’t venture to Las Vegas with the sole purpose of visiting a casino, I might make a cheeky visit to one once I am actually there.

About Broadway Musicals

There are many musicals that have been made famous by Broadway but equally there are many shows that have been famous in other mediums and still made a successful transition to musical. Disney movies for example, already full of song have been adapted to fit the setting of the stage. The songs were there already and in some cases there were animated dance routines that could be reimagined. Others, for example, The Lion King, the choreography were developed from scratch, whole dance numbers created to capture the feel of the African rhythm and environment. The Lion King, as a prime example became a mesmerising display of dance and spectacle. Likewise, Beauty and the Beast too recaptured and in some ways even improved upon the original animation.

The Importance of Choreography

Whether we realise it or not, choreography is an integral part of a musical. Bad dancing will jar and remove the audience from being as immersed into the story. Brilliant choreography adds to the storyline and draws theatregoers right into the action. Garth Fagan, The Lion King’s choreographer not only had to contend with people but also puppets when creating the dance numbers. So challenging was this task that initially he didn’t even want the job! Fagan’s already Afro-Caribbean style of choreography won him the part and as history attests was a resounding success. In the end he incorporated not only these forms of dance but also ballet and modern dance as well all in an effort to create realistic animal movements through dance.

The true spectacle of a Broadway show is something to behold. Unmatched by anything on screen it has to be seen live to truly be appreciated. With the ability to record everything, choreographers are finally getting the recognition they so richly deserve.

Alvin Ailey

Born in 1931, this African American dancer soon became known for his choreography of modern dance. He revolutionised African-Americans that were joining in on concert dancing. His masterpiece in choreography is called Revelations and is possibly one of the best-known dance performances. Famous for encouraging his students to fuse his moves with their own style, he did not teach specific techniques to his students but rather chose moves that suited their specific talents. Passing away in December of 1989, Barack Obama awarded him a posthumous award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dying controversial from AIDS his doctor honoured his wishes in not telling his mother the truth about his cause of death and it was initially announced he passed away from blood dyscrasia.

Shane Sparks

A hip-hop choreographer, Sparks was born in 1969. His early work involved him performing himself but it wasn’t long before he branched out into choreography ad just a mere three months after his move to Los Angeles he had already begun hip-hop lessons at the Millennium Dance Complex. With his fame rising and roles on You Got Served and a judge on America’s Best Dance Crew he soon became a household name.

George Balanchine

One of the earliest choreographers on this list, Balanchine was born in 1904. He founded the New York City Ballet and was named as the father of ballet in America because of the stellar work he did in this area. Fusing dance movements from the Imperial Ballet School he created a new style dubbed neoclassical. Expressing music through dance he worked with composers such as Igor Stravinsky in creating his work. With more than 400 choreographed pieces, he changed American ballet into something extraordinary.

Saroj Khan

The only woman on the list, Khan was an Indian choreographer primarily focusing in Hindi cinema. Choreographing over 2000 songs. Born in 1948 she still continues her work in the Indian film industry. Her immersion into the world of dance began at a very young age when at just 13 years old she married the dance master B. Sohanlal. At 14 she gave birth to her first child who has since followed in her footsteps and is also a top level choreographer. Over her enormous career, Khan has won numerous awards for her work including 2002’s American Choreography Award. With numerous and continuous TV appearances including being a judge on an Indian reality dance show, she continues to remain in the thick of things.

With so many excellent choreographers out there, these are just a small selection of the talent and innovative creators whose work we love but largely go unnoticed in the background.

What is choreography I here you ask, it is the process of designing and creating a dance. This can encompass many other artistic forms such as cheerleading, gymnastics, ice skating marching and more rather than just specifically for dancing. Its more modern meaning is that it is a sequence of human movements placed together to form motions that create a story or a form of beauty. The word itself is derived from Ancient Greek where it literally translates as dance-writing and when thought of in its basic terms this is exactly what it is. The word first was used in the English language around the 1930s when George Balanchine, one of the world’s top choreographers was first credited for his work for the Broadway production On Your Toes. Prior to this, the job was described simply as the dances being “staged by” in order to credit the choreographer.

History of Choreography

Choreography has been around for centuries though it wasn’t always termed as such. Many different countries and nations have had forms of unified dancing. Take for example the haka of the Maoris or of course, Ancient Greek dances. Everywhere had their own unique style and it is almost impossible to pinpoint the beginning of dance at all. In its present form, the art of choreography, like many art forms, is continually developing and improving. Choreographers are always striving to find new inspirations, combine new moves and create ever more dazzling displays with which to wow their audiences.

There are two distinct types of choreography – improvisation and planned. The former allows the dancers to experiment themselves with what they can physically do and will match the tone and style of the music. The choreographer will usually offer a few pointers and elements they wish to be included but otherwise it is up to the dancer. The performance can change each time. Planned choreography on the other hand is specifically designed by the choreographer and is religiously rehearsed making sure that every dancer knows the moves inside and out. This type is more commonly used in live shows so as to create uniformity across all the performances.

Where to find it

Planned choreography in particular is used in shows and other media elements such as music videos. Exhibition dancers will also rehearse specific routines for months on end prior to a performance but are more likely and able to give an improve performance if something changes. The most commonly noted choreography though is in stage-produced musicals. These usually involve a large number of people necessitating extreme adherence to the routine. The sheer number of people all dancing in unison can make quite an impressive and lasting impression. With such a lasting effect it is no wonder that choreographers are so sought after.