Basket

3.7 Choreographic approach

Mini Site 2 — Choreography Knowledge Base

Choreographic Approach

The choreographer's individual way of working — stimulus, method and philosophy.

Page 2.7  ·  Stimulus types · Approaches · Anthology examples

What you'll learn

  • Name and define all five types of stimulus
  • Understand three key approaches to making dance — and the differences between them
  • Connect approaches to making with brief examples from the six anthology works
  • Recognise how choreographic approach questions are framed in the exam
📌
How this appears in the exam In Section C, choreographic approach questions ask how the choreographer's choices — their stimulus, their method of working, their use of style — are evidenced in the work. The choreographer interviews included in the anthology resources are the primary source. For Section A and B, approach means your own creative methods and choices.
2.7.1   Types of Stimulus
👁Visual

Something seen — a painting, an image, an object, a landscape, a photograph.

Infra (McGregor) — partly inspired by Wolfgang Tillmans' infrared photographs of London at night. Within Her Eyes (Cousins) — the natural landscape and the specific environment of the filming location.

🎵Auditory

Something heard — music, spoken word, natural sound, a particular rhythm.

A Linha Curva (Galili) — the live percussion score by Ney Rosauro was central to the work's creation; the rhythms directly shaped the choreography. Emancipation of Expressionism (Sandy) — original hip-hop music drove the movement vocabulary.

💡Ideational

An idea, concept or theme — justice, memory, isolation, identity, a political event.

Artificial Things (Bennett) — the concept of disability and how society views and defines it. Shadows (Bruce) — inspired by Nelson Mandela and the experience of apartheid in South Africa.

✋Tactile

Something felt through touch — a texture, a material, a surface, a physical sensation of holding or wearing something.

A choreographer might respond to the sensation of rough stone, soft fabric or the resistance of water. Less commonly named as a primary stimulus for the anthology works, but may inform costume or set design choices.

🤸Kinaesthetic

A movement or physical sensation — the feeling of falling, floating, restriction, breath, weight or physical effort.

Within Her Eyes (Cousins) — the physical sensation of moving in the specific outdoor landscape informed the quality and texture of the movement. Artificial Things (Bennett) — the kinaesthetic experience of working alongside dancers with physical disabilities shaped the movement vocabulary and spatial design.

Tap the cards below to test yourself on stimulus definitions:

2.7.2   Approaches to Making
Collaboration
Working with dancers to generate material — through improvisation, structured tasks, or dialogue between choreographer and performer.

Collaborative approaches mean the choreographer is not the sole creator of movement — performers contribute their own ideas, physicality and interpretation. The choreographer selects, develops and organises what emerges. This approach often produces movement that is authentic to the specific performers.

Artificial Things
Lucy Bennett worked collaboratively with her integrated company, generating movement that responded to each dancer's specific physicality and capabilities.
A Linha Curva
Itzik Galili worked with Rambert dancers — the rhythmic material was developed in response to the live percussion, with dancers responding to rhythmic cues.
EoE
Kenrick Sandy worked with Boy Blue Entertainment dancers whose hip-hop training shaped the movement vocabulary.
Abstract vs Representational
Abstract: explores ideas without literal depiction. Representational: communicates narrative or character more directly.

Most contemporary works exist on a spectrum rather than at either extreme. An abstract work still creates mood and meaning — it simply doesn't depict specific events or characters. A representational work may use abstract movement within a narrative frame.

Infra
Wayne McGregor's approach is largely abstract — Infra explores ideas about the hidden lives of city-dwellers without depicting specific individuals or events.
Shadows
Christopher Bruce's approach is more representational — specific events, prisoners, protests and the figure of Mandela are evoked through movement and production.
Within Her Eyes
James Cousins blends both — the natural landscape is represented through location, but the emotional relationship between the two performers is explored abstractly.
Style Fusion
Combining features of two or more dance styles to create a new movement vocabulary — a fusion of techniques, aesthetics and traditions.

Style fusion is both an approach to making and a component of choreographic intent. The deliberate combination of styles creates a new aesthetic that cannot be attributed to either source alone. Identifying which styles are fused and what the fusion achieves is an exam skill.

EoE
Emancipation of Expressionism fuses hip-hop with contemporary dance and elements of expressionism — creating a movement vocabulary unique to Boy Blue.
Artificial Things
Physically integrated dance fuses contemporary technique with movement vocabularies developed from and for bodies of different abilities.
A Linha Curva
Galili's work fuses contemporary dance with Brazilian rhythmic traditions — the movement quality is deeply informed by the percussion.
2.7   Revision Check

✍️ Revision Check

10 questions. Answer all, then submit.

1. A choreographer is inspired by a series of infrared photographs of a city at night. What type of stimulus is this?

2. What is an ideational stimulus?

3. Which stimulus type involves the physical sensation of movement — such as the feeling of restriction or weightlessness?

4. What distinguishes tactile stimulus from kinaesthetic stimulus?

5. What is a collaborative approach to choreography?

6. Which anthology work is described as having a predominantly abstract approach — exploring ideas about city life without depicting specific characters?

7. Style fusion refers to:

8. Emancipation of Expressionism (Boy Blue Entertainment) is a strong example of style fusion. Which styles are fused?

9. Shadows (Christopher Bruce) is described as having a more representational approach. What does this mean?

10. In Section C, questions about choreographic approach most commonly ask:

📸Take a screenshot of your score and paste it into your ePortfolio.

📌 Key Points from This Page

5 Stimulus TypesVisual · Auditory · Ideational · Tactile · Kinaesthetic. Know the difference between tactile (touch) and kinaesthetic (movement sensation).
Collaborative ApproachPerformers contribute to material generation — through improvisation or structured tasks. The choreographer selects and shapes what emerges.
Abstract vs RepresentationalMost works sit on a spectrum. Abstract = ideas without literal depiction. Representational = specific events/characters communicated more directly.
Style FusionDeliberately combining features of two or more dance styles. Not just performing two styles — creating a new vocabulary from their combination.
In Section CLink the approach to the work itself — how is the stimulus or method of working evidenced in the movement, production or intent?
Anthology ExamplesEach anthology work demonstrates distinct approaches — refer to the specific set work pages for detailed analysis of each choreographer's approach.
Portal Home