Short answers, pulled from the story.
Choreography literally means "dance-writing." It comes from the Greek words "χορεία," meaning circular dance, and "γραφή," meaning writing. The art designs sequences of movements of physical bodies in which motion, form, or both are specified.
"Choreographer" was first used as a credit for George Balanchine in the Broadway show On Your Toes in 1936. Before that, stage and movie credits used phrases such as "ensembles staged by," "dances staged by," or simply "dances by." The word "choreography" entered the American English dictionary in the 1950s.
Choreography uses two fundamental methods: improvisation, where dancers follow a score of general directives, and planned choreography, where the choreographer dictates motion and form in detail. For two or more dancers, common techniques include mirroring, retrograde, canon, levels, shadowing, and unison.
Late eighteenth century masters included Jean-Georges Noverre, while romantic ballet choreographers included Carlo Blasis, August Bournonville, Jules Perrot, and Marius Petipa. Modern and abstract figures included Michel Fokine, Isadora Duncan, Merce Cunningham, George Balanchine, Sir Frederick Ashton, Martha Graham, Jerome Robbins, and Alvin Ailey.
The International Choreographic Competition Hannover, in Hanover, Germany, is the longest-running choreography competition in the world, started around 1982. It is organized by the Ballett Gesellschaft Hannover e.V. and requires entrants to be under 40 years of age and professionally trained.
Section 102(a)(4) of the Copyright Act protects "choreographic works" created after the 1st of January 1978 and fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Choreography consisting of ordinary motor activities, social dances, commonplace movements, or athletic movements may lack sufficient authorship to qualify for protection.
Choreographer Kyle Hanagami sued Epic Games, alleging that Fortnite's "It's Complicated" emote copied part of his "How High" choreography. Epic Games won dismissal of the copyright claims after the district court concluded that his two-second, four-beat sequence of dance steps was not protectable under copyright law.