Singers on the Move: Enhancing Choral Performances with Movement

Forty years ago, I was part of a select choral ensemble at the University of Miami which sang all styles of music, some using choral movement. These were the “wonder years" of Barry Manilow, Diana Ross, the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. Choral movement was in its infant stages, and I was thrilled to be a part of it a part of its growth, staging the UM “Chamber Singers” and spending my summer months working at the Fred Waring Summer Music Workshops in Pennsylvania. Little did I know then that choral movement would be such a large part of my life.

I’m sure you, too, have experienced the vibrant energy and visual excitement that comes from seeing a performing group on the move, whether it be a full-out show choir or a concert choir using effective sign language, a slickly-staged barbershop group or a children’s church choir adding simple upper-torso movement on choral risers.

How Movement Can Help Your Musical Performance

Adding the right movement to a piece of choral music can actually help you with the musicality of your performance. Long, sweeping movements help to carry or crescendo a musical phrase.

• Claps, pats, or other percussive movements help accent musical rhythms or rests or to help with dynamics.
• Select movement-oriented words so that the movement reflects the lyric. This will help strengthen the message of the text and can also help with memorization.
• Different styles of movement can also help reflect the style of the music (for example: a jazzy swing, Charleston, soft shoe, hip hop, waltz, or Broadway 2-beat).

Adding effective visuals to your performance can help to communicate the message of the text to your audience. Plus, as an additional bonus, you’ll see the faces of your singers become more alive. Vibrant faces and more involved bodies can lead to a better, richer, and more natural choral sound.

10 Condsiderations for Adding Movement to Your Performance

1. Theme —what’s the song about? Is there a main focus? Story line? Try to develop a concept around which you will plan your actions. Look for recurring musical themes, rhythmic patterns or special lyrics.
2. Key Lyrics —pick out movement-oriented words. The most effective movement, and most memorable, reflects the lyric.
3. Rhythms and Rests —look both in the vocals and in the accompaniment. Reinforce interesting rhythms with a clap, snap, toss of the head, shoulder pulse, etc.
4. Positioning of Singers —each staged song should have its own look. Women vs. men? Partners or trios? Gals center, men outside? Bowling pin formation? Always weigh these choices against your vocal needs.
5. Simplicity and Variety —keep movements simple and clean, but varied; easy to learn and execute, yet effective and appropriate. Avoid too much repetition, working for surprises on the third time through the chorus!
6. Facial Work —your face should describe the emotion of the lyric. Work with mirrors or let your students mirror each other. Spend some time with the video camera, too.
7. Style —be familiar with different styles of movement. If the title is “Soft Shoe Song,” chances are you’ll need to know how to do the soft shoe! A simple sway, step touch, or box step can vary dramatically with a change of arm movements and attitude!
8. Vocal Considerations —be careful not to be too active, breath support is most important to good singing. Plan “rest periods” within a choreographed number. This doesn’t mean less energy, just less physical activity interspersed with fancier movement sections. Beware of too much physical action on high or long-held notes — instead, help your singers by giving them a movement that lifts and sustains the sound.
9. Upper Torso vs. Footwork —limit footwork. Try to keep movements above or around the head, especially when performing on choral risers. Consider featuring a front row of students with more footwork. Add fancy feet or turns on the intro or interludes.
10. Props and Costumes —add the unexpected, from flashlights to shopping bags, from hula hoops to crepe paper, from boas to top hats.

If you hire a choreographer, make sure that person understands what it takes to sing: the correct body position, the necessary breath control requirements. I personally feel it’s best to limit any footwork and concentrate on upper torso movements, especially when performing on small platforms or choral risers.

In each program I conduct, I try to have a few specialty numbers which are staged or choreographed. Teach choreography the same way you teach the music: a section at a time. Then add on another section, put the two together, and so on. You’ll need to have the music well-learned before adding movement. Then be prepared to go back and re-teach the music after you’ve added the staging, cleaning up rough spots. Leave enough time before performance for the music and the movement to “gel” together. Have half the group sing and watch while the other half concentrates on performing the choreography. Then switch.

Many teachers say that they let me teach my staging ideas to their students using Alfred’s Choral Movement DVD Series. Others assign “dance captains” to learn the staging from the videos, then those selected students help instruct the rest of the choir. You also might try assigning “dance captains” in pairs, with each pair of students in charge of a section of the choir. That way you help develop multiple leaders, teachers, and role models in your choir.

No matter what, if a move doesn’t feel good on you, don’t teach it, as it will probably look awkward on your singers, too. And chances are, if the vocals are falling apart, you’ve probably given your singers too much to do . . . so be ready to teach “Plan B,” or to simplify. Happily, there are really no “rules” for choreography, other than just don’t let the movement get in the way of the music!

Alfred Music now offers 19 choral movement DVDs , each including a huge variety of choral selections, completely staged and ready to go. In the earlier years, I filmed these DVDs by myself, then had the joy of adding Andy Beck as a co-choreographer and performer. In recent years, we’ve also featured a selection using sign language.

Do you have any experience with adding movement or choreography to a choir performance? Share with us in the comments below!