choreography

/ˌkɔɹiˈɑɡɹəfi/

Etymology

Borrowed from French chorégraphie, from Ancient Greek χορεία (khoreía, “dance”) + -γραφίᾱ (-graphíā, “written form (of a word, etc.), spelling”); By surface analysis, choreo- + -graphy.

Why this word is great

CHOREOGRAPHY — [Noun] The art of creating and arranging sequences of movement for performances, such as dance or fight scenes. From French chorégraphie, from Ancient Greek χορεία (khoreía, "dance") + -γραφίᾱ (-graphíā, "writing, recording"), it is the deliberate transcription of motion into memory. Unlike "improvisation" (which surrenders to the moment) or "notation" (which merely encodes it), choreography is the architecture of bodies in time. It is the precise geometry of a corps de ballet moving as one organism, the violent poetry of a staged duel where every strike is both spontaneous and rehearsed, or the way a flock of starlings turns in midair—an illusion of freedom built on invisible rules. The artifice that makes movement meaningful.

noun

  1. The art of creating, arranging and recording the dance movements of a work, such as a ballet.“She has staged many successful ballets, so her choreography skills must be excellent.”
  2. The art of creating, arranging and recording the dance movements of a work, such as a ballet.; The art of creating and arranging sequences of movement for performances of any kind, such as in fight choreography.
  3. The art of creating, arranging and recording the dance movements of a work, such as a ballet.; The art of creating and arranging any activities that involve social coordination or orchestration.“the delicate choreography of a marathon transplant operation involving several surgical suites”
  4. The dance steps, sequences or styles peculiar to a work, group, performance or institution.“The show's singing and acting was excellent, but the choreography was dull and poorly-done.”
  5. The representation of these movements by a series of symbols.“I've written down the choreography for y'all to take a look at.”
  6. The notation used to construct this record.“Take a look at this, it's the choreography for our next show.”