Why?

The most important question a choreographer must ask is 'why'.  By asking 'why', you achieve multiple ends.  First, it grounds your mind.  The creative mind enjoys flying into unintelligible locations that we then attempt to recreate in the physical world.  This process can be very frustrating as our imagination does not have to deal with simple things like physics.  At these times, 'why' can ease the frustration and enhance the final product.

Example*:  I have this great idea where the tiny, 95 lbs. female dancer in my company dead lifts the 6' 4", 200 lbs male dancer in this awesome new piece.  Why does she need to lift him?  It fits the theme of the piece in that the weak become strong, clearly shown by the difference in size.  Why should he be completely off of the floor?  If they merely share weight, there might be a question left in the mind of the audience as to how strong the weak might become and this would distract from the focus of the piece. Why a dead lift over her head?  This is a triumphal position and reinforces the theme.    

In that example, I was able to answer each question with a substantial response which tells me that I'm on the right path for this movement to fit into the piece.

Now what if the execution of the lift continues to fail?  This brings up the second purpose of the 'why' question.  It can expand our area of thought and often leads to more effective outcomes.  Using the same example, the last two questions/answers give some insight into execution.  It is important to get the male dancer completely off the floor and to express triumph.  These specific details then beg the question:  how else might one express triumph and achieve a lift?  The 'why' questions first narrowed our focus to the specific detail we want and then broadened the possibilities to achieve it.

A third purpose of the 'why' question was hinted at in the summary of the example above.  All too often dances are cluttered with too many ideas that were great at the time but by the completion of the piece...they seem out of place.  In this case, the question keeps you honest.  This is the most direct and most frequent use of the 'why'.  Let's now focus on the third question - why a dead lift over her head?  If the answer were it was something that I liked or because that is how I imagined it, we might be in trouble.  These answers may be true but they will result in shallow choreography because there is not a clear purpose for the audience to see.  If the answer is why not?, then we've hit a new territory (which I will expand in another post) which is also important. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with answering why not, provided you choose this answer on purpose.  If you use this answer simply because you do not have another answer, then you are lying to yourself and your audience. 

The 'why' is essential to any piece of work and it must be asked of all stages in the creative process.  That said, the danger of the 'why' is to become so focused on 'why' that you forget the 'what' that is the substance of your creation.  This may seem like a paradox and I would be happy to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Here is a list of potential 'why' questions:

• Why this dance, at this time, in this place?
• Why this number of dancers?
• Why this cast?
• Why this music/soundscore?
• Why use music?  Why not silence?
• Why are you using light cues?
• Why are you not using light cues?
• Why do the dancers relate in that way?
• Why does that dancer exit?
• Why does she come back?
• Why does this phrase follow that phrase?
• Why is this phrase manipulated in that way?
• Why do the dancers consistently pointe their feet in the piece?
• Why?

*The example I used is completely fictional, although...