¶ … choreographer's choices regarding any and all aspects of dance will impact the strength of the message or support of a cause that he or she wants to convey to the audience. Using varied dynamics, the choreographer can convey different emotions and levels of energy, also controlling and modulating the pacing of the dancers' movements. Dynamics in turn relate to musicality. Depending on the role of music in the piece, the dance might enhance or complement the music or exist almost independently from it. Some modern dances may in fact be fully corporeal to draw the viewer's attention to the power of the sounds of the dance itself, such as feet hitting the stage. A choreographer must also work conscientiously with positive and negative spaces in the surface area available, including vertical as well as horizontal levels of space. Understanding the specific talents of the dancers and making casting decisions may not necessarily fall under the rubric of choreography, but a choreographer may compose dances with particular performers in mind, or at least for dancers with ideal degrees of virtuosity and experience.

Dances that tell stories will differ from those that are more abstract and expressive. Still, most dances will contain motifs, symbols, and overarching themes, even performances that seem abstract. The choreographer conveys meaning and theme through the various phrases and motifs used throughout the performance, and these phrases may be changed and manipulated over the course of the composition....

As with literature, dance frequently contains a narrative component that builds to a climax before providing resolution.
Choreographers often explore political themes and messages related to issues like power, social control, or relationships between human beings. Capitalizing on the non-verbal nature of dance, the choreographer can in fact make powerful statements that leave indelible images in the audience's mind. Incorporating elements from different dance traditions can also link together their different elements and forms into a cohesive whole.

Although it has become quintessentially Brazilian, Samba is in fact one of the world's great syncretic dance traditions. Fusing a backbone of African movements and musicality, samba has evolved considerably over the centuries to become a complex array of dance patterns. Both solo and collective performances add to the texture and fabric of the samba form. Samba is almost always characterized by intense dynamics and high energy. Dancers usually mainly remain upright, conveying confidence, power, and self-reliance. Both locomotor and non-locomotor movements are part of samba. The dancer's entire body moves within a self-contained space as well as through the space created by the performance area. Traditional styles of samba that rely more on the African roots of the dance may even include dance circles enabling both solo and collective movements. The solo movements allow each individual his or her own self-expression, whereas the collective space draws…