Choreography in Otello

The first few scenes of the play are heavily populated – a triumphant Otello returns to Cyprus with a crowd waiting for him, and drunk Cassio dances on tabletops. Many actors sing and move together on the stage, with the main characters stepping out from the masses to sing in a ring of spotlight. The actors maneuver around each other on the stage with ease.
At other times in the opera, two interactions are happening at once. Iago goads on Roderigo as Cassio drinks with the soldiers. Desdemona and Otello argue with each other on one side of the stage while Iago and Emilia fight over the handkerchief on the other. Cassio and Iago talk about Bianca while Otello eavesdrops on them. Verdi’s Otello is fast-paced and dynamic.
During the second and third acts of the play, Otello throws himself to the ground in despair, a sharp contrast from his upright posture in the first act. Desdemona also seems to lose hope, her body crumpled on her wedding bed as she sings the Willow Song.
After Otello kills Desdemona in the last scene, Cassio, Lodovico, Montano, and Iago enter but keep their distance from Otello. Figuratively and literally, he has isolated himself from everyone.