Thread: Troupe performance question

This is a question for those who have professional or semi-professional troupes. Under what circumstances are your troupe members allowed to perform solos? Always? Never? Sometimes? This isn't a loaded question, I'm just curious.

I've noticed a lot of variety out there...been to some shows where every troupe member performs a solo or duet at some point & been to others where the only soloist is the troupe leader.

We perform solos pretty regularly. We choreograph collaboratively (there are only 3 of us), and allowing room for some improv solos really reduces the amount of choreography that we have to develop. The improv happens within group choreographies as well, we're all very busy and don't often have time to choreograph each beat in the music. It also makes performances more interesting, no two shows are exactly a like.

it really depends. for the shows i try to have as many variety as possible, and we usually have a lot of external invited guests/dancers. i usually ask a few people of the troupe to do a solo, and try to have a good rotation there too (not always the same people..) plus it depends what people are good at and whether or not that fits the show.

I'm in a semi-professional troupe, and it depends on the show. For the most part, we only have solos when we do a longer (1/2 hr+) show. Shorter shows are completely troupe choreography. A longer show might have one or more of us doing solos.

Our troupe leader asks us to solo, not everyone solo's all the time, it depends on the venue and the alloted performance time.

it depends on the show as well. if there's enough time and each troupe did their thing (there's 4 troupes where i dance at and there's usually enough people for events from each group to perform a piece or two) then our instructor/troupe director will ask a person or two do to their solos that she's seen and approved of. and of course if it fits the show.

Back when I was in a troupe, if we did a long show (30-60 minutes), then there would be some ensemble material and some solo material. The solos provided an opportunity for the ensemble to put aside the props they had just used, and prepare props for the next piece. For example, put aside the swords and pick up the veils.

The ebb and flow between soloist and ensemble also tended to vary the energy level of the show.

depends on the time and show type...we have solos regularly.
There are at least 7-8 of us but 3 of us, rotate, perform every weekend in local venue.
Most of us take turns do either center piece, or solos like cane, Turkish, folkloric, candalebra, Raks sharqi solo, Wings, Doube Veil
not all dancers do solo

It depends on the show - if it's a big stage show where we have unlimited time, anyone can do a solo. But if we are being hired for a gig (20-30 minutes) typically only I do the solos and they are the "backup" dancers.

Our troupe is a troupe, and we perform as such, so we rarely do solos. We all have our own solo "careers" anyhow, and we love dancing together so much, it seems kind of silly to have solos when we're hired as a troupe. Having said that, if the show is longer than 20 mins and/or we require a costume change, we'll throw in a solo or duets or something. Happens rarely though.