A couple of weeks ago, I went to a birthday party, where my friends and I danced West Coast Swing with R&B. It was a social dance occasion. We did not pre-choreograph or anything.
Yet, these "social dance" was danced fine, with plenty of varieties and fun (and we got compliments too..., hehe, thanks). For doing and for watching, repeating the same thing too many times would be boring.
Partner dance needs to follow predetermined patterns to get it work. And there is finite time for a song. For 2 minutes song, you can put a limited number of moves; 6-count, 8-count, transitional moves, and so on, plus acting, pausing, separate/freestyling, etc.
In other words, dancers are putting pieces of moves into the song, much like playing jigsaw puzzle. These pieces of moves are the modules. Each style of dance has different kind of modules.
Ballroom dance is most structured in this aspect. Are you familiar with the Bronze patterns, Silver patterns, Gold patterns, and combinations of them (called amalgamation by the ballroom people)?
What we call "basics" are the most standard modules for the style of dance.
Then, there are modules that are built upon the basics. They are intermediate and advanced "modules", depending on required difficulties, novelties, or looks.
In addition, there are modules used for stage dances or other show occasions (advanced and/or stage moves). You may not need nor be able to use them in social dance settings, because your "social dance" partners would not know these modules. But certainly you can use them with specific partner(s) who practiced them together.
When you dance, you combine different modules to occupy the song.
Choreography is basically an art of weaving these modules to the song. A dance-able song has repetitions and structure (both rhythmic and melodious). Partner dance offers modules that can fit in the song.
"Original" and "creative" are different. In partner dances, you use common modules, so the dances cannot be "original". But the way you combine modules cam be "creative".
It helps to know a bunch of modules. My friends are long-time dancers and know a lot of modules/patterns. These are the basis of and the trick for dancing decent social dances.
Some competitive or professional dance are boastful, filled with modules that need physical competence and that amateurs cannot pull off. Yet, if you break them down to each module, they are not entirely impossible. You break the modules down, and if you can imitate well, you are now dancing like them.
Dance can be very technical. And much like music to which dance accompanies, without techniques you cannot communicate with dance.
That makes it simple. Work on your modules, both variety and execution. Then, a higher level of dancing will appear to you.
I noticed I have not posted about dancing for some time. So here is an essay. Stating obvious? Maybe. But this "obvious" way of seeing dance can be useful if you are not aware of it.
