CREATING AN IMPACTFUL ROUTINE (PART I)
A Dose Of Danspiration- Creating An Impactful Routine Part I. Originally posted May 2023
With over three decades of creating and judging for the dance team industry, I’ve learned A LOT!
I’ve created winning routines & I’ve had a few, well…let’s call them learning experiences!
In this blog post, I’ll share some of my pro tips to help you focus in on what I’ve found to be helpful in building a solid and successful routine. After all, the ROUTINE(S) is what the season revolves around.
Whether you are new to choreography or an old pro, hopefully you’ll walk away with a tip or two to help make the process a little easier!
#1: Use all 4 Quadrants:
What do you mean by “4 quadrants?”
First, know what the dimensions of your MOST COMMON performance/competition space is. Will it be a stage, a full gym floor, half gym floor, etc. Then, take that space and divided it into 4 equal areas by drawing a line down the center horizontally and vertically (See photo). These equal spaces are the 4 quadrants of the performance space.
A Dose Of Danspiration- Visual of how to dived competition space into four quadrants.
The easiest and most common way to fill the 4 quadrants is by having the dancers stand in “lines and spaces” or “windowed lines” through the center of the performance space. This shape is great for group moments; like turn combos, visual layers, or for those just learning how to hold their spot in a formation.
A Dose Of Danspiration- Visual of what the term “lines and spaces” refers to.
To increase your staging score, think outside the box of centered lines and spaces. What if you took the formation and put it on the angle so it is only touching two of the 4 quadrants? Let say quadrant 2 and 3.
A Dose Of Danspiration- Visual of using only two quadrants.
What if you created a formation only in quadrant 4?
A Dose Of Danspiration- Visual of using only one quadrant.
Coordinated visual interest is a positive diversion of attention and can add to the experience of the viewer (more on that later!) By moving the formations around the floor, instead of always through center, it forces the viewer to use more of their visual cues to take in what is being observed.
Translation: the judges may not be able to hone in on errors if they are being challenged to observe more visual cues.
When observing a routine, do this quick check:
Has my attention been drawn to the back right/left corner? Has it been drawn up in the front left/right corner OR am I always needing to look center to observe the routine? If the answer is "always center", begin adjusting and experimenting with formation shapes and where they are placed on the floor.
Additionally, don’t get stuck on the movement only moving left/right or front/back. Use diagonals, zig zags, moments of rotation, etc.
Just keep that movement moving through those 4 quadrants.
#2: From the Judges’ Viewpoint:
When creating a routine, we view it from our own personal eye level. Often, daily coaching and cleaning is done from the same vantage point, but will that be the same viewing experience for the audience/judges?
When choreographing and costuming a routine, know HOW the audience/judges will view it. Will the routine be on a tan gym floor or a stage with a black backdrop? How will the costumes “pop” in the competition/performance environment? Will all the visual cues be seen in a manner that will give a complete viewing experience?
“BUT what if we perform in a variety of environments?”
Pick the environment that is the MOST IMPORTANT to your season. Is it nationals, a state tournament, or an end of the season concert?
This is the environment to create for.
A few specific examples:
· If performing on a tan floor and the judges will be viewing from up in the bleachers, be mindful of using neutral tones where some dancers’ lines will fade into the surroundings.
· When using white poms against a black backdrop with a black costume, the poms become THE focal point. Decide if the team is up to the task of carrying that expectation from beginning to end.
· Will the judges be up close or at/below eye level? Make visuals that create depth, layers, and dimension. Accentuate those small details.
· Will the judges be up high and watching the routine from above? Maximize that viewing experience by having the routine move through the dance space with visual patterns (think of the way marching bands move around the field). Make sure all details can be executed big so they can be seen from a distance.
Find ways to examine the routine from different viewpoints. Is the routine communicating the desired effect from all those perspectives? If not, don’t be afraid to reevaluate and create the most complete viewing experience for those who the piece has been created for!
#3: Coordinated Visual Interest:
Coordinated Visual Interest= EFFECTIVE use of layers/groups/levels (LGLs). Done properly, it's a positive diversion of attention & can add to the experience of the viewer.
Judge’s Secret: Dancing Together= Easier to judge uniformity in execution! Make sure LGLs are a priority in the creation of the routine. Tip: Depending on the # of performers, try to have no more than 3-5 LGLs at one time.
A Few Common Missteps in Effectiveness:
#1: When the view point is at/below eye level (Routine Creation Tip #2), row 1 is standing while row 2/row 3 are executing separate, isolated movement. Where should the viewer’s attention be?
Solution: With layers, think low/medium/high. Ex: A series of jumps are being used to accent the music from front-back. Make sure the rows that are NOT jumping are low. Higher up in the visual plane is where the eyes naturally go.
#2: A roll off traveling from left-right, the groups that start the phrase move BEFORE the final group ends. The attention of the viewer is diverted before the visual is complete.
Solution: When incorporating roll offs, don’t have the beginning groups move before the roll off ends. Let the eye finish “reading the sentence” before moving on to the next.
#3: Recently, I observed a routine were the group started in 2 lines, broke into 3 equal sections from left-right, then shifted into diagonals going from quadrant 2 to 4 (See Tip #1). AWESOME IDEA! Unfortunately, the transitions of the 3 groups were treated as 3 independent movement phrases, resulting in visual chaos.
Solution: When working with overlapping groups, drop people to the floor or have moments where groups have coordinating movement to create cohesiveness.
Further apart groups, treating them as independent phrases works, but guide the eye where the focus should be. Ex: To highlight a lift, stage it near center. If prefer the lift to be staged left/right, have movement come through the center & move toward the lift.
Step back from the routine, view it as a member of the audience. Are all LGLs being seen as a cohesive story? Are there any moments that feel chaotic/disconnected? Address those areas & see those choreography scores improve!
Hopefully, Routine Creation Part I has you thinking about or observing your routine(s) from a different perspective. Watch for Part II later this month on here and the Dose of Danspiration socials!
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For virtual or in-person assessments through the eyes of a judge combined with education through the heart of a coach, check out Impact Dance Consulting (@ImpactDanceConsulting5678 & ImpactDanceConsulting.com).
