I have very little new developments to report this week, since I only had time to get to one hoop class and I’ve been held up with other schoolwork. So instead of a check-in video, this week I’m going to share with you a bit of my process. I’ll make up for it next week with (hopefully) some real live footage of me building my routine.

Choreographing a dance, or any kind of routine, is something I’ve never done before. I always thought it was some kind of alchemy that needed an expert to pull off. However, when the only person I’m choreographing for is me, I thought it might be easier since I know what my own limitations are. However, the disadvantage of choreographing for aerial apparatus is that I can’t just practice at home (I’ve been tempted to get out to a local playground and try the monkey bars, but it isn’t quite the same). Whatever advantage I have for knowing my own limits is erased by the fact that, until now, it’s all being done in my head. Trying to estimate the time it takes me to do certain tricks in order to time moves to music is hard when I’m not physically able to try it out.

So, where to start? I started looking online and found a few good resources for amateur choreographers (this one gets special mention), but this post on a blog called Steezy really stood out as something I could work with. They lay out choreography in 6 ‘easy’ steps, all of which apply to the process I’m hoping to undertake. There are helpful fun videos embedded (like the one below, based on Step 4), and some great examples. A good example of a multimodal blog!

The first step (pick a song and listen to it a lot) is completed. I’ve picked a few lyrics in the song that I want to link to my movements, and a few more dramatic points to fit with a fast or slow move.

The second step (get actively inspired) I’ve begun by putting together a list of moves that I can do, and starting to applying them to key points in the song that I think they go well with. Adding emotion is something I’ve been working on in my aerial hammock classes, and I’m still not very good at it. Adding pauses for effect will help to fill out the song and give me breaks, so I’m going to try that as a way to add emotion. For instance, just sitting in the hoop doesn’t look very cool, but if the hoop is slowly spinning and I can portray some drama with arm motions or positioning of my legs, it can work with the song while giving me a moment to catch my breath before the next difficult (and painful) drop or inversion.

The third step – freestyling – I have been doing at my weekly classes by practising skills and learning new ones. I’m hoping to try the routine in a real hoop for the first time at a special session with my instructor. In that space, I will be able to videotape some of my attempts so I can work on my video editing!