Albert
McNeil Jubilee Singers
Director, Albert McNeil
Choralographer/Director
Choralography by Farrow
Yvonne
Farrow
Choralographer • Director
President • Dance South Los Angeles
Ethics, Ownership & Movemment
in the 21st Century
Dear Choral Director;
I am a choreographer of concert choral works or choralography, as I have coined it. For many years I have been trying to raise awareness concerning the problem of blatant plagiarism of choreography by some choral ensembles. This issue concerns not just the artistic expression of choreographers, but those choral director/ conductors who create movement for their choirs as well. My plea is especially acute being that many of my works have been performed and/or adapted, whole or in part, without my permission, compensation or recognition. As I have requested of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association of Negro Musicians, and Chorus America, I respectfully urge you to initiate policy regarding this matter.
In reaching out to ACDA members, I received many supportive suggestions from choral directors regarding unauthorized use of choral choreography – I emphasize this because I am not referring to Praise Dance or any other trained dancers or group who may perform in front of /with your choir. I am specifically talking about choral singers (non-dancers) who are given choreography to perform to a work within a choral concert.
Here are just a few suggestions that can be implemented immediately:
1) If you see choreography on another choir and would like to use it on your group, have the choreographer set their own work on your choir – we are usually paid only once, at inception, and setting that work on your choir allows the choreographer to be paid for your use of it (getting a student, stage manger or a choir member who “moves well” to transpose a work without permission of the choreographer is illegal).
2) Pay the choreographer for the use of their movement – even a small honorarium is better than nothing at all, and remember - their work is not yours to “loan out”.
Clip from War Song
© 2006 Movement All Rights Reserved
3) If you can’t afford the choreography (fees are usually set by the choreographer and are negotiable), at least request permission to use his/her choreography on your group and then ensure that proper credit is given – the music and movement are not synonymous.
4) Always give the choreographer credit in your program, or any other media, as you would the conductor, composer or arranger – this act alone lends credibility, inspires respect for the choreographer, and lets patrons know that what they are seeing is protected by copyright laws.
5) Make sure the choreographer has given permission and/or signed a waiver to have their work professionally filmed at concerts, clinics, conventions or any other live program or taped media event and that he/she is properly credited and/or compensated for the use of their choreo-graphy on said film/video. This includes taping for archival purposes. As with any theatrical performance, video or audio recording should never be allowed.
6) Note to the Consumer: The purchase of a choir’s VHS/DVD of their concert does not entitle you to adopt, modify or use a choreographic work, whole or in part, without the expressed permission of the choreographer
(I am sure copyright laws would also apply for the composer of an original work for that choir).
7) Have a new work created for your choir – it is not as expensive as you may think!
Choreography, staging and movement design is a relatively new field in the choral world, but choreography has been protected by copyright laws as a legitimate and enforceable art form for years. Let us respect the work of the choreographer as we would any other musician or artist. Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.
Yvonne Farrow
Choralographer
Tactus Jan '08
CHORALOGRAPHY
Conceptionalized in the 70's, Ms. Farrow revitalizes and extends the term for choirs in the 21st Century. She defines it as choreography specifically designed for choral groups, whereby the singers - who are not dancers - perform movement on or off the choral risers, in any genre, while preserving the choral sound. Ms. Farrow's work visually enhances the traditional choral concert experience and is the perfect compliment to a new generation of composers, choir directors, music educators and concert attendees.
Memberships:
Reviews: *Me Island: A Tribute to Harry Belafonte "...highly effective patterns of physical energy... the spirit of the thing was so fresh and open..." L.A. Times. **Carmen Jones " ...alternately steamy and humorous choreography..." L.A. Times |
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