How do band members learn to dance?

July 28, 2017 12:21 PM

There are a lot of musical entertainers that have to learn to dance as part of their performing skills. What does that process look like? For instance, what does the rehearsal/training/practice schedule look like for a boy band member with no special dance aptitude but who needs to have a basic repertoire of moves for a concert tour?
posted by philosophygeek to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

I'm pretty most boy bands are put together by producers who only hire people who can already dance and sing. Why would you invest all that money if you weren't absolutely sure they had the skills?

As far as rehearsal and training, I recall some article saying they train several times a week or more, especially right before a performance.
posted by ananci at 2:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]

I follow my favorite member of NKOTB on Instagram, and this year they secluded themselves somewhere for a month prior to their tour to rehearse and learn (relearn?) the choreography. As an expert NKOTB fan, some of them were better singers than dancers, and others better dancers than singers.

(Jonathan, for those who must know. Yes, I am aware. No, I don't care.)
posted by kimberussell at 3:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]

Yes, the tours (and the music videos, and pretty much any other public appearances) are highly choreographed. There is very little spontaneity or improvisation in the world of boy bands.

It's possible to learn to dance. I mean, *I* performed in two high school musicals. But in general, it's not a line of work you'd be likely to go into unless you already had some aptitude for dance. If you like to sing and you absolutely can't dance, you'd be a singer-songwriter, not a boy band member.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:20 PM on July 28, 2017

If everybody is doing the same thing exactly at the same time, even relatively simple choreography can look pretty amazing. Most people can learn simple choreography.

GOOGLE JAZZ SQUARE, for example.
posted by wittgenstein at 11:59 AM on July 29, 2017 [1 favorite]