I often get asked about my process in creating new routines and playlists. The creation part of class never really stops—as soon as one month’s new routines have been introduced, I start working on what comes next month. I want to share that process with you in real time, so I will make this Creation Process a series over the next 4 weeks.
The two things necessary for creating a new routine are right in the name of our program: Music and Movement. Most of the time I start with the music, but occasionally I start with a certain movement and then find the right music for it. My list of “to be choreographed” songs is over 24 hours long now (I add songs to it much faster than I can use them!) so when I need inspiration I’ll start flipping through these songs and moving to them as I feel inspired. Usually it won’t take long until I hear part of a song and think “that’s the one!” I’ve found some movement that I really like that goes to a certain part of the song. THIS is my starting point.

Once I know what song I’m using, it’s time to chart out the song. I do this by first counting each section. As a dancer, I count in 8’s, whereas a lot of musicians would count in 4’s. Whatever works! I like to use pen and paper for this part, and at this point I’ll have a list of numbers running down the side of my page. This is for how many 8-counts are in each section. Then I’ll listen through again and mark what each section is, sometimes with a description (such as “music” or writing a few lyrics) and sometimes with an identifier (A, B, 1, 2, etc). This shows me when and where different sections repeat.
Going back to that starting point of having one particular movement, I can fill this in on the sections that it belongs in. After that, I need to start thinking “what else does this routine need?”
And that’s where I’ll pick up next week!
For February's new routines, the starting point was pretty easy for me. My Seated class song was actually not even on that long list yet, but I had music playing before a class in Assisted Living and heard a new (to me) song and noticed that some of my participants had recognized it and were moving to it. Initially I thought I'd create a routine just for them with this song, but as I worked on it more I decided it could be a good fit for all Seated classes.
My Standing class song had been at the top of my list for a few months and I thought it was time to finally use it. I just love the rhythm that happens at the beginning of the song and after each verse. I was unsure of what to do with the rest of it, but that's why I give myself time to work it out.
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