Encore A–Z

Choreographer's Guide

8 min read

Choreographer’s Guide

The Encore-specific companion to Choreographer. The role doc covers responsibilities and phase-by-phase tasks; this guide covers philosophy, practice, and the things that make choreographing at Encore different from choreographing anywhere else.

The Choreographer’s Role at Encore

Movement Serves Story

At Encore, dance is never decoration. Every movement choice — from the largest production number to the simplest scene transition — serves character, story, and the educational journey of the young artists performing it. Before you choreograph a sequence, ask: what is this telling the audience that the script alone cannot? What is each young artist discovering about themselves through this movement?

Heart Over Art

Read Ten Commandments before your first rehearsal. Perhaps the most important commandment for choreographers is Heart Over Art: while we love putting on a great show, our primary mission is nurturing young artists. Choreography that is technically dazzling but emotionally hollow misses the point. A young dancer’s first “yes, I can do this” is worth more than a perfectly synchronized kickline.

This doesn’t mean lowering technical standards. It means recognizing that the process of achieving those standards is where the most profound learning happens — and that achievement varies by dancer. The “best dance” is the one that lifts every artist in it.

Working with the Director

The Director holds the unified vision; you serve that vision through movement. Before staging anything substantial:

  • Meet with the Director to understand the scope, limitations, and emotional intent of each number.
  • Agree on where blocking ends and choreography begins — this seam is where things can go wrong if it isn’t clear.
  • Identify transitions that need movement work (see Transitions in Director’s Guide).

When Director and Choreographer are aligned, the cast can feel it. When they aren’t, the cast feels that too.

Working with Young Dancers

Mixed Ability Is the Default

You will almost never have a cast where everyone dances at the same level. Plan for that:

  • Layered choreography. Design steps that look great at full execution and still look intentional at simpler execution. Save the most complex work for the dancers who can fully realize it; build the same shapes more simply for the rest.
  • Feature, don’t isolate. Highlight strong dancers without turning weaker ones into background. Every young artist should leave rehearsal feeling like they contributed.
  • Build the muscle, then the artistry. Spend rehearsal time on cleanliness and confidence first, then add character and intention.

Age Considerations

Ages 8–11. Break choreography into very small chunks. Repeat. Use imagery they understand (“reach for the sun,” “stomp like an elephant”). Frequent water breaks. Keep counts simple and consistent. Expect to re-teach across rehearsals — retention is short at this age.

Ages 12–14. They can handle longer combinations and more abstract direction. They want to be taken seriously. Explain why a step matters to the story; they’ll deliver. Watch for self-consciousness — they’re discovering their bodies in public and need a safe environment to take risks.

Ages 15–18. Push them. Expect refinement, musicality, and ownership. Involve them in staging decisions where appropriate. They can be peer leaders for younger dancers; lean on that.

Safe Technique

You are responsible for the physical safety of every dancer in your room. Non-negotiables:

  • Warm up every rehearsal. Lead it yourself or designate a reliable warm-up leader.
  • Cool down after intense rehearsals.
  • Teach proper alignment before adding speed.
  • Never push through pain. If a dancer says something hurts, stop and assess.
  • Surface matters — know what you’re rehearsing on. Concrete kills knees.
  • Lift only when dancers are physically ready and the technique has been properly taught. When in doubt, simplify the lift or remove it.
  • Safety Over Sequins. No piece of choreography is worth risking a young performer’s well-being.

Building Confidence

A young dancer who believes they can grow will outpace a talented one who doesn’t. Build confidence by:

  • Praising effort and progress, not just outcomes.
  • Naming specific things they did well.
  • Letting them try a phrase before correcting; let them feel it first.
  • Giving them tools to practice on their own (video, counts, imagery).
  • Celebrating breakthroughs publicly when appropriate.

The Dance Call

The dance call is the audition step that reveals movement ability. It’s also an experience the young artists will remember — make it one they’d want to repeat.

Designing the Call

Build choreography that:

  • Reveals technical range without being so hard that less-experienced dancers can’t show their potential.
  • Captures show style. A jazz musical needs a jazz call. A Shakespeare needs movement vocabulary that reads as period or character. Match the audition material to the show.
  • Lets you assess more than execution. How quickly do they pick up? How do they handle a mistake? Are they watching the other dancers and adjusting? Are they being kind to peers? All of this is information.
  • Is teachable in 10–15 minutes. If you can’t teach it in that window, it’s too complicated for an audition.

Running the Call

  • Demonstrate first. Then teach in chunks. Then run with music.
  • Run the combination at least twice in groups so you can watch.
  • If a dancer freezes or struggles, give them a kind off-ramp (“step out, watch, come back when you’ve got it”). Don’t shame anyone publicly.
  • Note specific dancers, not vague impressions. “Strong sense of weight, needs cleaner arms” is more useful in deliberation than “good dancer.”

Deliberation

Bring movement-specific notes to the casting conversation but stay open to the Director’s holistic view. Casting is about more than dance ability — the Director is weighing acting, singing, ensemble fit, and educational opportunity together. See 3 - Casting for the full process.

Choreographing the Show

Start with Story

For every number and every transition:

  1. What is this moment about? Emotionally, dramatically, character-wise.
  2. Where do the bodies need to be? What’s the stage picture at start, climax, and end?
  3. What is the audience supposed to feel?
  4. What can the music tell us about timing, energy, and phrasing?

Choreography that answers these questions before “what’s the step?” will read.

Working with the Music Director

The Music Director owns vocal interpretation; you own movement. Where they intersect:

  • Breath. Don’t choreograph movement that prevents singers from breathing well. Hard fact: that big arm gesture on the high note may be costing the note. Coordinate.
  • Tempo and phrasing. Confirm tempo before staging. A 4-bar musical phrase might map to 8 counts of movement or 16 — agree which.
  • Cuts and adjustments. If the music director cuts a verse, you may lose 16 counts of choreography. Communicate cuts early.
  • Vocal warm-ups before dance warm-ups. Singers need their voices warmed before any vigorous physical work.

Transitions

Transitions are scenes without dialogue. Choreograph them with the same rigor as numbers. The Director owns the overall transition philosophy (see Transitions in Director’s Guide), but you’ll often choreograph the actual movement. Identify which transitions need choreography in Pre-Production so they aren’t a tech-week surprise.

Spacing for the Real Venue

Tape out the actual stage dimensions in the rehearsal room from day one. Don’t choreograph for the room you have — choreograph for the room you’ll perform in. Wings, sightlines, set pieces, off-stage paths — all of it should be known and respected before you stage anything.

During Tech

Once you hit tech, your role shifts from creator to caretaker. The Director and Stage Manager are running things. Your job is to:

  • Watch every dance number and every transition. Note anything that broke.
  • Coordinate with the Sound Designer and Music Director on tempos, levels, and any music that affects timing.
  • Address dancer safety immediately when you see it (a missed mark in low light, a slippery floor, a costume that restricts the choreography).
  • Stay out of the Director’s notes process. If you have a movement note, give it to the Director or SM, not the cast directly during tech.
  • Be the calm one. Tech is hard; your steady presence helps the dancers stay steady.

During the Run

Your work is essentially done at opening. Continue to attend performances. Note things you want to clean up at the next put-in or for the next production. Praise the dancers — they remember.

The Pre-Show Warm-Up

Design a 5–10 minute physical warm-up that becomes part of the pre-show call. Lead it or train someone to lead it. Goals:

  • Activate the body without exhausting it.
  • Connect the cast as a group.
  • Build energy without manic.
  • Address show-specific demands (if there’s a big lift in Act 1, warm those muscles).

This is one of the most valuable things you’ll leave behind — a ritual the cast inherits.

Core Principles to Carry With You

  • Movement serves story — never decoration.
  • Heart Over Art — the dancer is more important than the dance.
  • Safety Over Sequins — never compromise well-being for spectacle.
  • Layered choreography — design for mixed ability from the start.
  • Build muscle, then artistry — clean and confident first, then character.
  • Communicate with the Director and Music Director — alignment is everything.
  • Tape out the real space early — choreograph for the venue you’ll perform in.
  • Be the calm in tech — your steadiness gives the dancers permission to be steady.

Status: Working · Portal: Team · Last reviewed: 2026-05-11 · Owner: Rhett

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