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Choreography

Dance Studios 
Dance Teams
Dance Companies
College & High School
Competitive
Solos, Duets, Trios
should you hire an outside choreographer?

No matter what your program offers, an outside choreographer in any discipline can be a wonderful experience for dancers. Seeing movement through the eyes of a different choreographer opens up doors for students they may never have known existed. Even the most seasoned dancers can benefit from outsider interpretations.
 
Now if you're looking for work that is authentic and honest about its roots, you've come to the right place!  I enjoy choreographing on dancers in programs of all kinds. In general, I do most of my work where there is a need for new information on hip hop. My work fits a wide range of dancers and can exist anywhere between easy fun and seriously competitive. My choreography aims to teach approachable movement while maintaining the identity of the genre your dancers look to perform.
Halftime show Hip Hop dance performance
Hip Hop choreography

John Comix - Choreographer

  • Over 20 years of choreography experience for competitive, dance team, dance company, University, music video, and other professional work.

  • Competitive work highly recognized for authenticity, power, and unique creative choices.

  • Extensive choreographic reach across North America and the U.K.

  • Additional stage choreography experience includes professional showcases, cyphers, Hip Hop culture events, Ted Talks, NBA Halftime shows at Madison Square Garden, productions, lecture demonstrations, and more.

  • Experience in film/music video choreography.

  • Beyond the studio: Lengthy experience working with Universities, high school arts programs, dance teams,  and more.

  • Director/lead choreographer of professional dance company "The Redef Movement", & Satire productions "Stupid Humans".

Choreography Options:

Hip Hop

Breaking

Locking

Popping

Miming & Comedy 

Pricing:

Varies based on length of piece. When multiple pieces are requested. discounts are applied. Inquire for an estimate!

Inquire About Choreography

Pick an Option
Choreography: Live Instruction
Choreography: Video Breakdown
Other
What sort of choreography are you inquiring about?
What Style(s) Are You Interested In?

Choreography 

Video Breakdowns

an alternative to live instruction

Full Piece

Entire Breakdown: Starting at $1,200

Includes: Full choreography, music edit, formations, transitions for a piece under 3 minutes.

Lite Breakdown: Starting at $899

Includes: Full choreography breakdown, music edit for  a piece under 3 minutes.

An entire hip hop or street dance based performance.  Designed for  typical show or competitive routines not exceeding 3 minutes. 

Single section

Breakdown: Starting at $499

A 30 to 90 second piece of choreography created as an independent set. Can be used for class instruction, or may be used to fit into a larger performance piece.

Production

Inquire for price

Large groups, complex concepts, & extended length (up to 8 minutes). May require additional information from customer and more time to produce.

 

Hip Hop Michael Jackson Choreography
Hip Hop social dance party dance choreography
Choreography FAQs
 
What type of pieces do you choreograph?
 My work regularly holds messages of empowerment, freedom, the importance of art and self-expression. Other work is a pure look at break-dancing, hip hop, locking, or popping. Finally, I also enjoy work that is structured more like a modern piece, comedy, miming and many other quirky or "out there" themes.

Dance teams get high energy work. Crowd pleasing choreography for competitions, sporting events, etc..

For younger dancers, I touch on a number of styles as well, with a big look at breakdancing , Locking, and original party dances of the new jack swing era of music.

All of my work is an homage to hip hop and street styles, with themes or influence from anything important to this particular dance culture.


What dancers/groups will you consider working with?
Standard dance classes, Competition teams, performance teams, dance crews/companies, College or High School programs,
solos, duets, trios, small groups, large groups, productions, all skill levels. I also set work made for full stage productions and short film/music videos.

Who chooses the music when I hire you to choreograph on my group?

Frequently, we will have  a sit-down to discuss the many music choices. We work together to find what you or your dancers will be most excited for within the style of the work I typically create.

Do you only choreograph to older mus
ic?
No. I choreograph to a very wide range of music. However, I am particularly picky about proper representation of pure styles Just as there is a certain kind of music for ballet or modern, same goes for these styles. Locking has funk music. Breaking is done to Breakbeats. Hip Hop is performed to true Hip Hop music.

Will you do street jazz or commercial choreography?
I'm not opposed to creating anything outside the main styles I choreograph. My work outside of the labels of Hip Hop, Locking, Breaking, Popping get labelled as simply "dance" rather than street jazz, commercial, urban, etc... Much of my work is done with influence from certain styles and can be done to music from decades ago all the way up to now. I do not set pieces that emphasize sexuality. I do not set work to music that can be seen as ignorant or unhealthy. This does strictly narrow the amount of currently popular music that is labelled "Hip Hop".

What experience do I or my dancers need in order to pick up your choreography?
None. My work is taught with consideration of dance experience. I rely on a brief analysis of my dancers or conversation with a teacher or studio owner to understand the potential of my group.

This isn't to say my work will be easy. I always aim to make my work a challenge. In fact, my choreography  rarely can be presented properly unless each dancer is willing to put in the extra time to rehearse movement and technique between rehearsals. Hard work is an essential ingredient for hip hop dancers, and one frequently overlooked when dancers expect the movement to be familiar. This goes especially for the styles we do. Many dancers are not familiar with street styles and for that reason, I ask my dancers to be fearless when entering a project with me. Ask me about supplemental training before or after the setting of choreography!

How does payment work?

I sell my choreography as a product.  Once you inquire about work, I can give you a price quote based on a number of factors. In terms of the actual piece(s) being set. Options include deposits that get subtracted from the final payment once choreography is set.  Local contracts may sometimes require a dance studio rental charge which would not go to me and is therefore due before the studio rental date. Out of state work usually requires a separate travel expense as well.

If I purchase choreography from you, does it then become my piece? Will you use the same choreography on other groups?
When I choreograph a number, I am releasing my rights to continue performing with or using that work directly. Though my name may or may not be attached to the choreography I set for you, It is without a doubt your piece once purchased.  

Who is responsible for cleaning the dance once you have finished teaching it?
The final price for sale of choreography is based in part on the amount of time I will spend completing the dance. Some studios prefer I simply sell them my style of work , which they will then clean or position themselves. In other situations, we agree that I will spend additional time cleaning the dance once it is taught and set. However once the agreed upon terms of a contract are complete, I am still available for additional cleaning at normal workshop cost.
 
Who chooses the costume or the look for the performers?
I am willing to choose costumes or assist in the process, but do not require it to be my vision for costumes when I sell my work.

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A choreography inquiry form and contract is available, which highlights the standards of setting choreography and optional considerations, so that every question you may have gets answered in a written agreement!

 
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        We were able to host John recently in our studio for two student workshops divided by ages, an adult class and a teacher training. I had followed him on social media and had always been impressed by his level of knowledge and passion to teach REAL hip hop. We were blown away by his knowledge once we met him in person and his training-in addition to his curriculum-has shaped our hip hop program in our studio! I highly recommend using John as a resource however you can, whether it is his curriculum or a live session. He is truly one of the best out there!

- Jessica Reagle

Owner: Jessica's Dance Academy, Swansboro NC

        I had John out to my studio over the summer for teacher training. I am so glad that I had more than just my hip hop teachers in the room as his tips, exercises and approaches can be used in all genres. They are true teaching tools. John gives a true foundation and education on hip hop culture and brings you back to where it comes from and the why. His personality is infectious and his passion for not only his art  but educating others is evident. He has made himself available  to be a mentor to one of my newer staff members and we have purchased his curriculum for our studio. I can't say enough about him except he is the real deal.

- Tiffany Prout-Leitao

Owner:  Center Stage Dance Academy, Masschusetts

     John Comix Barrella has visited our studio three times since 2018 and he has inspired, educated and infused excitement into our hip hop programs.  Not only does he deliver memorable and current class work, he is authentic.  He studies so he can share and inspire with so much knowledge.  Our hip hop instructor uses his teaching material to continue to develop a strong and growing program at our studio.  After year one, our dancers looked forward to learning new styles that were presented with so much detail that they could retain the information and build on John's workshop visit throughout the season. 
 

- Jillian Duhadway

Owner: Duhadway Dance Dimensions, Alma MI

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