Danajill Bee Fit

Group Fitness Instructor Lisa Schwarz Discusses Learning Choreography--Left, Right, 1, 2, 3

Learning choreography for any group fitness class can be time consuming, overwhelming and even stressful. After years of experience both creating and memorizing choreography across various fitness platforms, one of the first tips I can offer regarding learning choreography is to figure out how you learn best!  That’s going to help you while you’re learning choreography for any group fitness class that you teach.  Here are some things to consider before you get started:

• Consider the format of the class.   
• Is it a Zumba™ Fitness class with a lot of movement?  
• Or is it a strength training class? 
• What kind of learner are you?   
• Do you learn better while watching choreography?   
• Do you learn better while practicing?   
• Reading about it?

One thing for me that rings true no matter what class I’m preparing for is to TRUST the music!  I am a musical person, the music drives me, motivates me, moves me 😉!  I listen and learn the music over and over again so that I can hear any part of the song and know what moves we are doing. I feel confident that once I know the music, I can anticipate changes in choreography.  I mostly teach LesMills™ BodyPump classes which differs from freestyle group fitness classes.  Freestyle group fitness classes are typically designed by the individual instructor whereas Les Mills™ group fitness programs are pre-choreographed releases set to music, much like Zumba™ if you choose to use the Zumba™ home office choreography.

I am sure we have all tried various methods to learn choreography. I wanted to share what works best for me. I hope something resonates and helps you on your choreography journey!  Here is my strategy: The way I learn a new Les Mills™ group fitness release is through a combination of reviewing the notes, watching the class video and listening to the music. Lather, rinse, repeat.

When I first get a release, I watch the full video to get the idea of what to expect. From there, I watch the education sections to make sure I know the latest in the fitness industry, which Les Mills™ includes to keep instructors up-to-date with the company’s research and studies.

I listen to the music all.the.time! In the car, at home, as much as possible.  Once I’ve watched the video several times and know the music by heart, I start the learning process. BodyPump™ has 10 “tracks” that focus on a particular muscle group.  I learn one track at a time.  I will watch the video with the presenters, I will listen to the track while reading the notes, I do the track without the notes.  I will learn 3 or 4 tracks one by one, and then put it all together.  I repeat this process until I’ve got them all and I can get through the entire class with just music. 

When I taught Zumba™ and Werq™, I applied the same philosphy and learned choreography much the same way.  For these two formats, I relied heavily on the videos and found that the choreography notes for these type of classes did not fit my learning style. I think learning choreography is very personal, and what works for one person doesn’t always work for another.  Finding out what your learning style is and what works best for you may take a while, but once you figure it out – you’ll be learning quickly and efficiently!  The amount of hours we put in to learning our choreography is telling when we teach our classes.  The best classes are the ones we are prepared for!  So….roll up your sleeves, get out your laptops and start watching…..and remember – TRUST THE MUSIC!!       

Stay fit, stay healthy, and stay with me!

Kia Kaha!  Lisa 😁
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