Choreography for School Musicals: Practical Tips from Choreography 101

If you’ve ever stood in a rehearsal room thinking…

• “I know what I want this number to feel like… but how do I build it?”

• “My students have heart — but their dance experience is all over the map.”

• “How do I make choreography tell the story instead of just filling space?”

You are very much not alone.

In schools and community programs across the country, directors and teachers are being asked to do more than ever — often with limited rehearsal time, mixed-ability casts, and students who may be brand new to dance.

That’s exactly why we created Choreography 101, a practical online course taught by national teaching artist Brian Curl.

But before you even think about the course, let’s talk about a few choreography principles that can immediately strengthen your next production.

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Start with Story — Not Steps

One of Brian’s core philosophies is simple but powerful:

“Just because we do the dance steps does not mean we're acting. We have to bring it to life.”

In educational theatre especially, it’s easy to focus on:

• counts

• footwork

• getting everyone facing the same direction

…but audiences don’t connect to clean counts.

They connect to clear storytelling.

Before setting a single step, ask:

• What is this number trying to accomplish in the show?

• What does each character want in this moment?

• What should the audience feel when the number ends?

When choreography grows out of intention, even simple movement becomes compelling.

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Choreograph to Their Level — Not Yours

This may be the single most important mindset shift for school directors.

As Brian puts it:

“I need to choreograph to my dancers’ skill level, not my skill level.”

In real classrooms and rehearsal halls, you might have:

• trained dancers

• musical theatre movers

• complete beginners

• students who are nervous just being on stage

Great choreography meets that reality head-on.

Practical tip:
Start simpler than you think you need to. You can always layer:

• arm choreography

• directional changes

• staging patterns

• performance texture

What you can’t easily fix is a cast that feels overwhelmed and shuts down.

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Build a Shared Movement Vocabulary Early

One of the smartest strategies Brian emphasizes is creating a shared language with your cast.

When students understand terms like:

• jazz square

• Charleston

• grapevine

• levels

• formations

…rehearsals move faster and confidence rises.

Even better? Students begin to feel like insiders in the musical theatre world.

In the classroom:
Consider spending early rehearsals exploring:

• how different characters move

• what “prim and proper” looks like vs. “down and dirty”

• how posture changes storytelling

This groundwork pays off enormously once choreography begins.

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Use Levels and Stage Pictures Intentionally

Many developing choreographers focus only on steps. But visually engaging numbers often come from shape and variety.

Brian repeatedly emphasizes:

• changing levels

• creating strong formations

• thinking about the balcony view — not just the front row

Ask yourself while staging:

• Are we stuck at standing height too long?

• Where can we drop low or rise tall?

• Does the stage picture read clearly from far away?

Sometimes the biggest improvement to a number isn’t new choreography — it’s better visual composition.

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Don’t Over-Choreograph

This is a big one in educational theatre.

Remember:

Students are often singing while dancing.

If movement is nonstop:

• vocals suffer

• energy tanks

• acting disappears

• confidence drops

Brian strongly encourages directors to find moments of stillness.

Those quiet moments:

• help performers breathe

• give focus to featured moments

• make big choreography sections pop more

In many cases, less movement creates a stronger overall number.

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Inclusion Isn’t Optional — It’s the Job

One of the most meaningful through-lines in Brian’s teaching is intentional inclusion.

Great choreography classrooms:

• adapt movement

• modify when needed

• feature a wide range of performers

• invite students into the problem-solving process

As Brian says so clearly:

“Theater is for all… and we can’t just say that — we have to live it.”

For many teachers, this alone is worth the price of admission.

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Why We Created Choreography 101

At Theatre Avenue Academy, we hear the same thing from teachers again and again:

“I really want to help my students — I just wish someone would show me how to approach choreography step-by-step.”

That’s exactly what Brian does in this course.

Inside Choreography 101, he walks through:

• warming up effectively

• building choreography from the ground up

• creating strong formations

• working with props

• adapting for mixed-ability casts

• running efficient rehearsals

• and much more

All in his signature style that teachers consistently describe as:

• clear

• encouraging

• practical

• and refreshingly down to earth

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A Final Encouragement

If you’re directing or choreographing in an educational setting, here’s the truth:

You don’t need Broadway-level dancers to create meaningful, exciting musical theatre.

You need:

• clarity

• intention

• smart structure

• and a rehearsal room where students feel safe to try

That’s the heart behind Choreography 101.

If the ideas in this post resonated with you, the full course goes much deeper — and is designed specifically for teachers and directors doing this work every day.

👉 Learn more about Choreography 101 here

And wherever your next production takes you — keep telling great stories through movement.

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