Like many other dance parents, this dance mum has spent many hours in dusty school halls, RSL clubs and large auditoriums watching kids’ competition dance.
Why do I think I’m qualified to comment on choreography? It’s like wine – I can’t report on the vintage, the grape or the bouquet, but I know what I like. So my comments come from the view of a dance mum watching troupes dance for hours at a time over quite a few years. I’m not a dancer, a teacher or a choreographer, but I know that these are three separate and very difficult skills. Unfortunately poor choreography ruins many a talented dance group.
I’m going to point out here (since the hoo haa of my last blog) that I’m not picking on any one dance school – I’ve seen lots of bad or tedious routines from a variety of dance schools. And while I appreciate that choreography is an art, subject to personal preference, I think there are some elements that are just universally bad.
So here is a list of the choreography elements that make me cringe or yawn the most. Of course, you’re free to disagree…I’d love to hear your thoughts.
1. Not doing anything
You know, at the beginning of the routine, where everyone’s on stage and the music is 8 or 16 counts in, and everyone starts to wonder if it’s the wrong music? Or worse still, when there is a change to a new position but we have eight counts left till the next verse, so we just stand and bounce. In my view, good routines have no dead space…fill every second with entertainment of some type, please!
2. Not changing positions
Usually in this scenario the kids are in lines across the stage, all doing the same thing, for most of the dance. It’s really dull – you feel like calling out from the stands “MOVE for goodness sake!” And let those kids in the back corner come out at least long enough to catch the photographer’s lens!
3. Time to move!
Almost worse than not moving is doing the obvious ‘time to move!’, when we take a break for 8 counts, put our hands behind our back, crouch down and scutter to the ‘V’…or the circle…or the vertical lines. We dance there for a bit and then – ‘time to move!’. It’s almost like a party game. It’s so much nicer when position changes are actually incorporated and have purpose.
4. The mismatched song/costume/choreography
All elements should work together. Sometimes there is a very strong costume theme (maybe ‘pirates’ or ‘cavemen’) and it seems to have nothing to do with the song, so I find myself spending the whole 3 minutes trying to figure out the connection! There doesn’t always have to be a theme, but if there is, commit to it!
5. The dodgy back line
I think the back line is the defining mark of a good group routine. This is where everyone on stage is committed, knows the routine and is capable of performing it. It’s all very well to have your stars up front dazzling us with the complex moves and difficult tricks, but I’m often watching the back line – usually because I’ve been distracted to look that way by the kid in the corner who seems to have missed a lot of rehearsals, looks bored, or is the only one who can’t do a double turn. Make sure everyone on stage knows they are always being watched, and make sure every kid on stage has something to do that they can do well. (And I don’t mean ‘take out the weaker dancers’ – they should be there, just give them something to do they can manage, and make sure they are committed!)
6. Too much flipping
As someone who barely managed a bad cartwheel, I do admire acrobatic skills – really I do. But some routines feel like gymnastics floor routines gone crazy. This is a dance competition, not a gymnastics one – show me some dancing! Acro used as a dance element – engaging. Acro used as a time filler - annoying.
(Sometimes competitions have acro sections, but they never seem to have much acro in them – they always seem to be full of contortionists, which is impressive in itself, but not acro. Go figure!).
7. The corner to corner simple canon
Everyone loves a good, complex, energetic canon. What I’m talking about here is when there are 8 kids in a line from corner to corner doing one simple move each. Often we get to the end and they reverse order and do one simple move back the other way. It’s like the choreographer ran out of inspiration or time and just needed to fill up 16 or 32 counts. By the third person we can predict what’s happening with the rest of the line, and gee it feels like a long time to wait while they do it…
8. Patterns that aren’t quite patterns
Audience members can count. Even with a fairly large troupe, when you have patterns we can see if the pattern doesn’t make sense. Sometimes this occurs with costume choices – where there are 16 of the same costume with two of each colour, except there are three yellows and only one blue. I spend the whole three minutes counting kids and wondering why it’s like that. Or when you have 16 kids and put them in three vertical lines of five kids – and the one near the curtain has the extra kid (surely put the remaining kid in the middle line???). I’m not obsessive compulsive, but these things drive me nuts!
9. Kids who go missing
This is really obvious in smaller troupes, or where everyone is wearing a different costume - sometimes kids go missing for large parts of the routine. I know the troupe is sometimes split to show off the advanced talents of the few that the many can’t do, to show light and shade and change things around, or to fulfil a particular pattern – I’m cool with that. I’m talking about the dance progressing as normal, but you notice the kid in the red wig has left the stage, and then lo, they run on from the side to join in again a minute later. I presume they were away for Saturday rehearsal when the troupe learned that bit, but it’s very distracting.
10. Kids with cameos
I’m talking here about the 5 year old who comes on stage for 15 seconds to perform in a 14/u troupe routine, apparently to manipulate the average age of the troupe. If the kid isn’t doing much or isn’t acting as a ‘prop’ for a storyline, then leave them out of it and move the kids to 16/u where they belong please!
11. The random move
Sometimes this is pulled off with artistic finesse, but often it’s just odd. Everyone’s dancing along and suddenly one stops to do a leg mount. Or pulls out of the group to do a random backflip. It feels to me like Sally just mastered a new skill last week, so we need to put it in the new troupe dance. Every move on stage should belong to the routine, not just pop out of nowhere.
12. Music mashups
Not so bad if there is a theme…Michael Jackson medley, songs about the lollipops, or a 60’s tribute. But just as I get grooving to a great old favourite, suddenly the music changes for no obvious reason to something completely different. That’s just plain annoying. Generally I’d much rather 3 mins of the same song, but if you have to change music, please make it flow.
(And while on the topic of music, if you aren’t good at cutting music, pay someone who is, please. Oh, and finish the music off at the end neatly – not halfway through a verse. Much appreciated, thanks.)
13. Age inappropriate moves
But there was enough about that on the last blog entry so I'll leave it for the moment... :)
So – did I miss any of your favourite ‘annoying’ choreography elements?
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