Now that the dance season is underway, you may be learning new choreography for the wintertime performances. One question that I’ve encountered is what is the best way to memorize choreography for a show.

First off I want to preface this with…everyone learns differently and has their own process to memorize things, so you might find that some or all of these techniques work for you, or you may find that none of them work so get creative and test out different ideas.

Here we go…

1. Before you go to sleep –

Once you start choreography it’s a good idea to review the sequences and dance in your head before going to sleep. Even if you’re not physically practicing it and moving around in, going over the dance mentally will help you cement the movement in your memory. This in turn will translate to your movement because the time you would use to think about “what step comes now?” you will now use to focus on performing the movement and emoting the feeling of the piece. Try and use this technique every night after you have rehearsal.

2. Listening to the music as much as you can –

Making sure you get used to the inflations and nuances of the music used for the choreography will help you when the choreographer is putting together different step combinations to the music. Some choreographers use musical cues instead of counts to choreograph. This is why listening to the music as much as possible will help you remember the dance and make it easier to learn it.

3. Practicing on your own time –

Find a space where you can practice the dance on your own free time. It can be at the studio if you arrive early or can stay late after rehearsal or even in a non-conventional dance space such as a living room or green space outside (feel free to get creative). If you’re not in a proper dance space, make sure you are only marking the choreography and not doing it full out just to be on the safe side to avoid any injury. By reviewing the dance physically moving in space you will be able to remember the dance seamlessly and perform the dance beautifully.

These three techniques have worked for me for many years and I hope they help answer the question of how to best memorize choreography. Remember to continue working hard, stay focused and always have fun. Happy dancing!