choreography
Americannoun
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the art of composing ballets and other dances and planning and arranging the movements, steps, and patterns of dancers.
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the technique of representing the various movements in dancing by a system of notation.
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the arrangement or manipulation of actions leading up to an event.
the choreography of a surprise birthday party.
noun
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the composition of dance steps and sequences for ballet and stage dancing
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the steps and sequences of a ballet or dance
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the notation representing such steps
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the art of dancing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of choreography
1780–90; < Greek chore- (stem of choreía chorea ) + -o- + -graphy
Explanation
Use the noun choreography to describe the plan for how dancers will move on a stage during a show, play, or dance. You might particularly love the choreography in the movie West Side Story. You can use the word choreography to mean "dance" or "ballet," but its specific meaning is the notation a choreographer makes on paper as she plans out the complex movements and steps made by dancers. Choreography is particularly important in musical theater, ballet, opera, and dance recitals. The Greek roots of choreography are khoreia, "dance," and graphein, "to write."
Vocabulary lists containing choreography
Dance - Introductory
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Dance - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Her day begins at seven in the morning and the next 12 hours are packed with choreography rehearsals, studio recordings, script work, costume fittings and guitar lessons.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Chloe O. Davis devised writhing choreography for the six dancers who supplied some movement, in contrast to the mostly static chorus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Once in London, the tapestry will be displayed flat, for the first time, in a specially made glass case in a "choreography with I think 80 different conservators -- intensely careful, difficult work".
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
There are costumes, in the form of uniforms, and choreography, in the navigation of a packed dining room.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
It was his wildest demonstration of himself, of himself in the kind of world he loved; it was his choreography of peace.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
The 15-minute orchestral piece has inspired seven different choreographies, but is most widely associated with the version created by Bejart, which remains the best known.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
Two fellow fans created a group charged with making 'tifos', the huge choreographies displayed by fans before kick-off.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2024
Their work wasn’t linear, but there was nothing haphazard about their highly stylized, carefully rehearsed projects, which often ran on tight clockwork choreographies, integrating video and complicating ideas of plot.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
Local club teams such as Casablanca’s Wydad AC, Raja CA and Rabat’s AS FAR have die-hard fans known for vibrant chants and colorful choreographies.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2022
There were elaborate choreographies that included a dancing salad and a giant tongue that swept everyone off the stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2018
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
