choreo-

combining_form

1. indicating the art of dancing or ballet

   choreography

   choreodrama

Word History and Origins

Origin of choreo-¹

from Greek khoreios, from khoros dance

Example Sentences

"The level of choreo is so basic, it's nursery level."

From BBC

Hutchinson “brought the whole culture of historically Black colleges and their bands to Los Angeles, with the high-knee style, with doing dance moves and choreo and the drum majors, and doing formations in the halftime show,” Farris said.

From Los Angeles Times

I’ve ridden in cars with Kelly Clarkson gays, smacking the roof as they thumped out the beat to “Since U Been Gone,” and been pushed to the edges of dance floors by my Beyoncé brethren, ready to show off their “Single Ladies” choreo.

From Salon

“I don’t want to put myself in a box. I would challenge myself — that’s why you see me pulling out choreo, just taking it to the next level of entertainment without being scared of thinking about what people are going to think,” he says.

From Seattle Times

Meanwhile, the undercard was largely made up of hotly tipped club acts and middleweight critical darlings like Yaeji — whose minimalist, office-chair-twirling choreo added some DIY flair to her blinking electronic jams — and Alex G, a progressive indie-rock singer-songwriter deploying both Auto-Tune and hearty classic rock guitars during one of the best sets of the weekend.

From Seattle Times

Words That Use choreo-

What does choreo- mean?

Choreo- is a combining form used like a prefix indicating the art of dance or movement. While used in the performing arts, especially dance, choreo- also appears in some medical and scientific terms, too.

Choreo- ultimately comes from the Greek chorós, “a dance, band of dancers and singers.” Also deriving from the Greek chorós are the words chorus and choir.

Examples of choreo-

Probably the best known word that features the combining form choreo- is choreography, meaning “the art of composing ballets and other dances and planning and arranging the movements, steps, and patterns of dancers.”

As we know, choreo- means “dance.” The –graphy part of the word is a combining form that refers to a process or form of drawing, writing, or the like, as well as an art or science concerned with such a process. It comes from the Greek for “writing.”

So, choreography literally translates to “dance writing,” and indeed, one of the earliest uses of choreography referred to the notation of dancing. Choreography is better understood, however, as the “art of dance.”

What are some words that use the combining form choreo-?

• choreoathetosis
• choreodrama
• choreographer
• choreophrasia

What are some other forms that choreo- may be commonly confused with?

• chondro-
• chorio-
• chori-
• chloro-
• cordo-

Break it down!

The combining form –logy is used to name sciences or bodies of knowledge, such as biology or theology. With this in mind, what is choreology?