Lidbury, C2019-10-092019-10-092019-06-03Lidbury, C. (2019) “I’m Gonna Shake and Shimmy” or may be not: choreographing Hairspray–a practice as research project, Research in Dance Education, DOI: 10.1080/14647893.2019.16207181464-789310.1080/14647893.2019.1620718http://hdl.handle.net/2436/622810© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Using practice as research as my methodology I examine whether it is possible to choreograph Hairspray - the Musical while staying true to the movement principles developed by Kurt Jooss and Sigurd Leeder in the Jooss-Leeder Method. In discussing the process and the product I explore also the difficulties in choreographing for, and teaching the dances to, a cast of 15–18-year-olds in a school where there is no dance in the curriculum at this level. I conclude that selected Jooss-Leeder movement principles provide a useful framework for choreographing the musical numbers, that Leeder’s organic teaching process is effective for these novice dancers and that a lack of dance experience does not preclude a successful production.application/PDFenKurt JoossSigurd LeederThe Jooss-Leeder MethodHairspraythe MusicalJournal article1470-1111Research in Dance Education2019-09-25