Real-Life Communication
A major part of a choreographer's job is to be able to communicate
effectively. Not only must your dance communicate feelings to the audience,
but you must be able to communicate your vision to your dancers, or you won't
get the results you expect.
But dance professionals aren't the only
ones you have to communicate with. "At the beginning of a project," says choreographer
Roxanne Claire, "I will sit down and come up with a timeline and map out where
I need to be. At some point I have advertising. I have to talk to people where
we're performing and find out what kind of press release I have to write for
them to get it into the newspaper and what kind of information they need for
the program."
Sound like a lot? Well, it's just the beginning!
"You
have to find out when the costumes need to be ready for dress rehearsal, and
you have to work with the person who is mixing the music, as well as the lighting
person," says Claire.
For all your efforts to come off smoothly, you'd
better be able to communicate effectively and clearly with others!
"As
the choreographer, you're the manager of the whole thing," says Claire.
One
important form of communication is the press release. You must include who,
what, when, where and why.
Here is a guideline for writing one:
"FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE" (In capital letters with quotes.)
The date of the press
release
A headline that tells about your message
The
body of your message telling who, what, when, where and why
Thank
you for your time
Your name and contact information
Your
assignment: You have put together your own dance concert. Write a press release
to announce it.