Putting Together a Studio Production
Thinking about staging a production for your recital or next competition? If you've never done one, read on!
There are two types of productions in the dance studio arena. There is the non-competition production and the production made especially for competition. Both have their pros and cons, so let’s explore them.
A production can be choreographed in any form of dance, i.e., ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, etc. Additionally, the underlining aspect of a production is the amount of dancers on stage at any given time. Another aspect of the production is the time frame. Usually productions are longer than the average choreographed dance mainly because there are so many dancers on stage at one time. Many studios use different levels of talent as well as a variety of ages to showcase their best talent in their studio. The production is a perfect dance to showcase a studio’s best talent.
The most important advice I can give regarding the competition production is rules, rules, rules. There are specific guidelines for each competition regarding the choreography of the production. First, there is a specific time limit for the production and that varies within each competition as well. Some have a time limit of four minutes and some have time limits up to six minutes. What makes this difficult for the choreographer is that if they plan on competing a piece at different competitions, the choreographer has to have different versions of the piece as well as different versions of the song for each separate competition. This also makes it harder on the dancer as well because he or she has to remember three or four different versions of one dance.
Another one of the rules of competition productions is the amount of dancers. There are very strict rules regarding what constitutes what on stage. Competitions are broken down by age, style of dance, as well as how many dancers are on stage at a given time. There are solos, duo, trios, groups, lines, extended lines, productions as well as extended productions. Productions generally have fifteen or more dancers on stage at once. The rules basically state that the required amount of dancers needs to be on the stage all together at least once during the choreography. Basically, if one wanted to, a choreographer could make a solo for a dancer then have fourteen or more people just walk out on stage for about thirty seconds and then walk off -and that wouldn’t be breaking any rules! However, many studios like to take advantage of the amount of dancers allowed on one stage and utilize that to their benefit. For instance, having fifteen dancers on stage allows for greater flexibility in formations and the movement of those formations. Think, for example, of all the dancers on a football field during a half-time show. It is a fantastic event to watch the dancers move around each other in intricate formations. Having many dancers on stage at once also allows for the thrill of the dance as well. Watching four people turn in synchronicity is nice, but watching sixteen dancers turn all together is even more exciting.
There is another aspect of the production: the art of the production itself. For instance, it is a lot easier to tell a story with a multitude of characters rather than just a few. If a choreographer has sixteen dancers at their disposal then a ballet production could be cast in the style of a professional ballet company with twelve corps de ballet members, three soloists and one principal. The non-competition production allows for a greater variety of factors to come into play. Now there is no time limit, no dancer limit and art can truly shine here. Non-competition productions are usually performed at recitals and/or independent dance shows.
I have taken it upon myself for the past seven years to create a ballet production for every recital. I utilize the highest levels of the studio and cast them in different parts according the style of music and amount of dancers. For instance I just finished a ten-minute recital-style "Swan Lake," where I utilized two different levels. The younger girls, ages twelve to fourteen, were the white swans and the older girls were the black swans. I had two principal dancers who are graduating seniors this year as the leads, and I had four soloist roles within the corps de ballet. It was challenging to recreate a ballet in the style of "Swan Lake," but it was also very rewarding. If I were to compete this ten-minute mini version of "Swan Lake," it would be over the time limit allowed for productions and the dance would be penalized when it came time for judging. Besides, "Swan Lake" lends itself to the real stage rather than the tiny competition stage. I would have never been able to fit all my dancers on the competition stage without sacrificing formations or quality of movement. Instead I was able to utilize the lighting and fog effects that the real stage offered me and the result was breathtaking as well as dramatic.
I highly recommend to any and all teachers out there to take the risk and go for it. It is daunting to start a production. One might think “Oh my gosh! I have six minutes of music to fill!!” But if you start at the beginning and give yourself enough time to accomplish what you visualize in your head, the results will be rewarding and your dancers will be thrilled. The rush of seeing such beautiful movement coupled with the multitude of dancers on stage all at once is truly inspiring. Good luck!
Alison Janik has taught ballet for 18 years and her productions are eagerly anticipated annually. She is head of the ballet department at a very large Florida dance studio and is also a certified Pilates instructor. At 18, she became one of the youngest ballet mistresses ever for a major national ballet company.