Quick answer: choreography is the full, planned design of a routine - every motion, formation, stunt sequence, tumbling pass, jump and dance section, mapped out against the music count by count, from start to finish.
What It Actually Is
Choreography is more than dance moves - in cheer, it covers the design of the entire routine, including exactly when and where stunts, tumbling and jumps happen, not just the arm motions and footwork in between them.
How Choreography Is Built
Coaches and choreographers typically build a routine section by section, working in 8-counts, deciding which skills happen when, how formations change, and how everything lines up with the chosen music.
Balancing Difficulty and Performance
Good choreography has to balance several things at once - showcasing the team's strongest skills, meeting a level's rules requirements, keeping energy and visual interest high throughout, and giving athletes realistic transitions between physically demanding elements like tumbling and stunts.
The Dance Sections of a Routine
Alongside stunts, tumbling and jumps, most routines include dedicated dance sections - sequences built primarily from motions and footwork rather than acrobatic skills - used to vary the routine's pace and energy and to give the team a chance to connect directly with the crowd and judges.
Related Terms
See 8-Count for the timing system choreography is built on, and Formation for how positioning fits into the choreographic plan.