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choreography

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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WOTD – 8 October 2012, 8 October 2013, 8 October 2014

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Both choregraphy and choreography replaced earlier chorography in the dance sense (from χορός (khorós, “dance ring, round dance”) + -γραφία (-graphía); compare Greek χορογραφία (chorografía)), which had been used in 1710 as a translation of the same French term.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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choreography (countable and uncountable, plural choreographies)

  1. (uncountable) 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.
    1. (by extension) The art of creating and arranging sequences of movement for performances of any kind, such as in fight choreography.
    2. (by extension, figurative) 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
  2. (uncountable) 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.
  3. The representation of these movements by a series of symbols.
    I've written down the choreography for y'all to take a look at.
  4. The notation used to construct this record.
    Take a look at this, it's the choreography for our next show.
  5. (countable, soccer) An organised display by fans in the stadium, involving props such as flags, banners, musical instruments and pyrotechnics.
    Synonym: tifo
    • 2015 February 10, Udo Merkel, Identity Discourses and Communities in International Events, Festivals and Spectacles, Springer, →ISBN, page 45:
      This style of support is highly ritualistic and is typified by choreographies of flags, banners, pyrotechnics and chants that extol the virtues of their club.
    • 2024 June 18, Przemysław Nosal, Radosław Kossakowski, Wojciech Woźniak, Football, Fandom and Collective Memory: Global Perspectives, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 4:
      For example, Inter ultras displayed an impressive choreography of the Madonnina, the statue of the Madonna that sits atop Milan's cathedral, bedecked in Inter colours.
    • 2025 April 23, Andrew C. Billings, Marie Hardin, Routledge Handbook of Sport and Social Media, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 2020:
      The robust practice of preserving stadium choreographies digitally has led to widespread accessibility, and in turn, vulnerability to commercialization and commodification.

Usage notes

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Not to be confused with chorography.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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