Freestyle versus choreography: what's the difference?

What is freestyle?

Freestyle in dance means improvising your movements in the moment. In this regard it is the opposite of choreography, where the movements are predetermined.

You can freestyle in any dance style, but there are some dance styles where freestyling is the most common way of dancing, like breakdance, popping, krump/clowning, waacking, afro dance, street jazz, locking, turfing and house dance. People often think that freestyling is also dominant in hip hop, but that is not the case. While there are many freestyle hip hop dancers, there are many more choreography hip hop dancers.

Freestyles are often done in cyphers and battles. In battles and cyphers, dancers take turns to exchange freestyles.

To see an example of freestyle, watch this popping battle between Hoan and Snap Boogie:

Why is it important to learn to freestyle?

Imagine you can only do dance moves in a choreography. You are out in the club and can't freestyle. Suddenly a song to which you know a choreography comes on. You steal the show, everybody is watching you. But then the next song comes on, and you stop dancing because you don't know a choreography for that song. This is why freestyling is important.

Even in other situations it is handy to know freestyle and not only be able to do choreography. Imagine you forgot part of your choreography, or a piece from the music may have been mixed incorrectly. In all those situations you want to be able to do something on the spot.

Additionally, when you audition for a role for a show, music video or theatre production, you are often asked to freestyle.

Is it easy to learn freestyle?

Some dancers that are used to choreography find freestyling a big challenge. They are so used to learning predetermined movements from beginning to end, that when they have to freestyle, they often don't know how to do it. However, everything can be learned.

The easiest way to learn freestyle is by first learning a dance style. In other words: learn the different dance moves and techniques from that dance style. Then you can try to apply these dance moves and techniques in a freestyle to the music. This means you are dancing without knowing beforehand what exact moves you will do. If you are used to choreography, just use moves that you know, and try to freestyle with them.

Once you are comfortable to freestyle in one dance style, then you might want to learn another dance style. When you can dance different dance styles, you will be able to mix them in a freestyle, making your dance more versatile. Learning another dance style is not a must, but it does make it easier to get better at freestyling.

Often it is quite easy to freestyle alone at home, but it still feels challenging to get into a cypher. We recommend to first try freestyling around dancers you are comfortable with, such as your friends. When you feel you are getting better at freestyling, then try it in a cypher with dancers you are less familiar with. Step by step, you will become increasingly comfortable freestyling when people are watching you.

Freestyle in  battles

Freestyling is also a big element in battle culture. In a dance battle, two people face each other and will take turns demonstrating their skills. They often try to defeat each other. This can occur naturally in a cypher, but there are also pre-planned battles.

In dance battles, many elements are often unclear up until short before the battle or during the dance battle itself, such as:

• Who your opponent is
• What moves your opponent is going to do
• What music the DJ will be playing

This uncertainty makes it very important to be able to freestyle and adapt to the moment. After all, you want to be able to dance on-beat to any song the DJ is playing, and you want to take the moves of your opponent and perform them in a better or more creative way.

See this awesome video of how people killed the beat during their freestyle session:

Freestyle approaches

There are several ways to approach freestyle. It could be an expression of your feelings at that moment. It can also be that you are telling a story in movements.

Using concepts can add great value to your freestyle. For example, a concept can be that you keep one arm extended all the time, or that one arm is glued to the ground. It could also be that you are dancing to just one sound or instrument in the music. Basically it can be anything.

How do you envision this with movements? Everyone is different, and thus everyone will have a different perspective on this. This is precisely what is beautiful about it!

What is choreography?

A choreography is an established sequence of movements to the music. All classically trained dance styles, such as ballet and modern dancing, are almost always taught in a choreographed method. Someone who creates choreography is called a choreographer.

The word choreography comes from the Greek word 'χορεία', which stands for dance-writing. In the American English Dictionary, the word first appeared in the 1950's. The first person to receive credit for creating own choreography was George Belanchine in his 1936 Broadway show 'On Your Toes'.

When people take hip hop dance classes, it is also very common to learn choreography. During the class, the teacher will teach you a choreography step by step. At the end of the class, you can then go over the choreography several times until it comes naturally. Many dancers find this a pleasant way to learn dancing. The disadvantage of learning a choreography is that it does not teach you how to improvise.

Choreography is usually done in groups. Often the goal of choreography is that it then goes as synchronously as possible, meaning that the dancers move simultaneously and in exactly the same way.

For example, look at this amazing choreography from the Royal Family Crew:

Choreography groups and competitions

Everyone has seen hip hop choreography before, because there is no escaping it! Many music videos and performances of famous artists include a choreographed dance. On TV shows like America's Best Dance Crew, So You Think You Can Dance & World Of Dance, the contestants compete against each other with choreographed performances.

There are also many large hip hop choreography competitions. The most well-known are Hip Hop International and IDO (International Dance Organization). Below you can find a list of a few well-known hip hop choreography groups.

• The Royal Family
• Jabbawockeez
• DM Nation
• Diversity
• Flawless
• The Kings
• Triplets Ghetto Kids
• Philippine All-Stars

You should watch this choreography from the Jabbawockeez, which are known by their masks:

Creating your own choreography

If you want to create your own choreography, it starts with picking the music. When you have chosen a piece of music that you want to create your choreography to, then it's time to try out movements to the music. What is often common is that with certain pieces it is immediately clear what you want, but there are still gaps in the music in between. At that point it's time to think about how to fill in the gaps with other dance moves. Once you have everything thought out, it's time to make the final adjustments and polish it.

Why learn choreography?

When you learn choreography, you have to learn to move in a way that the choreographer wants you to. This can be a challenge, and also a way to break the patterns from your own dance style.

Choreography is usually performed to specific song or track, whereas freestyling can be done to any music. By learning or creating a choreography, you may become much more aware of the music. After all, choreographers pay attention to the buildup of the music, but also to the different layers of the instruments and the mood of the music. Choreography is always counted out in counts to the music. Being able to count to the music is essential for every dancer.

In a freestyle there is much more freedom, and you are sometimes less aware of your movements. During a choreography you want to execute it exactly as the choreographer has thought of it. This is why you'll have to become aware of how you perform a movement. It can sometimes feel like you're holding your arm straight, but that doesn't mean that it really is. Choreography increase your body awareness and thus your dance will improve.

If you are doing a gig as a dancer, you may also need to learn a choreography. If you are a freestyler dancer and have never done a choreography, you are then in a big disadvantage.

Learn freestyle and choreography

MyGrooveGuide is an online dance class platform that offers classes in hip hop, breaking, popping and house dance. There are classes to learn both freestyle and choreography. All classes are given by professional dancers, and there are classes for both beginners as more advanced dancers. See an overview of classes.