When Shannon Mather choreographed Body Love on a group of dancers from her Mather Dance Company, a video of the work was so popular that it ended up going viral, garnering over a million views on YouTube. Set to a spoken-word poem by Mary Lambert on themes of body image, unhealthy beauty standards, and self-confidence, the piece resonated not only with competition judges (who placed the piece in the top three at Hall of Fame Dance Challenge), but also with the teenage dancers in the cast. “It spoke a lot to girls,” Mather says. “I got so many messages.”

Dancing to spoken word can be incredibly powerful, and help you stand out in a competition. But it comes with its own set of challenges, especially if you’re used to having music backing you up. Here’s what you need to know if you’re thinking about tackling a spoken-word piece.

Read the full story at Dance Spirit.

Photo courtesy Velocity Dance Convention, via Dance Spirit