Thread: Student troupe formations

So my student troupe just doubled in size over the holidays and we had our first rehearsal last night. I fear we are too big, but I am going to have to make it work for now. There's eight of us, including myself. I would like to get to the point with these girls where I don't have to dance up there with them, but that's not going to happen right now.

So here's what I set up last night for the beginning of the dance.

X....X.....X....X
...X....X....X.....X
-------------------
But what are some other ideas?

X.....X.....X
....X....X....
X.....X.....X
------------

....X...X...X...X.....
..X.................X..
X......................X
-------------------

......X.X......
....X.....X....
..X.........X..
X.............X
-------------------(and of course, the inverse of that)
More?

Anecdotally, as a child I really wanted to be a dance teacher. Well, I wanted to be a teacher in general but I also thought about teaching dance. I found an old notebook a while back and I had written "choreographies" in it. They were basically scribbles, but the fact that I was thinking about using moves in a spatial way, traveling across the floor and making up my own moves is incredible. I was meant to do this! It's my destiny. ,r:;

...

Yes. It is your destiny!

I would include a circle, a bunch and a long diagonal. :-)

and an "M" (or "W") ...

x..x............x...x
..x................x
.........x...x

x...x...............x...x
..x...x.........x...x

Oh thanks for those!

I used to make choreographies in my head, too. And back then I'd do it the same way - close my eyes and let the music 'tell' me what to do. Only I couldn't fit the dancing that I knew (ballet) into it. See, I was always meant to bellydance!

A diagonal can be an effective formation. Any shape that gives depth is good, and it doesn't have to be perfectly symmetrical. I spent years helping position a choir - these were some effective assymetrical positions:

X
....X
..X....X
.....X.....X
........X.....X


............X
.....X..........X
..X................X
........X....X
..........X

This is a great thread! I love the long diagonal formation. Haven't officially used it but we tried a choreography with it once, and for some reason it makes a big impact.

Don't forget small groups, like groups of 2 in different places. I think you already have a U or the inverse, like the U with the opening facing the audience, it makes them part of your circle, invites them in.

Here's another one, though it would be easier to pull off with an odd number of people:

......X
......X
..X.X.X.X
......X
......X

The above formation couldn't be danced in for long though obviously, since the audience wouldn't see everybody unless you stagger. An X would be difficult to do, but could be used somehow. It reminds me of marching band. We did a Grease show, and for the song Greased Lightening we made a huge circle on the field with a cross in the middle. Then we marched in a way to look like we were one giant spinning wheel.

........X.X........
X...X.......X...X
..X............X...


..........X........
......X......X......
...X............X...
.X.......Y........X.

(With dancers taking turns being Y.)

Oh wow, loving all of these

Oh man, this is giving me ideas too!

I agree with the diagonal. It really is a powerful formation for some reason!

Although I "came up" in BD as a soloist, and work to get my students to be comfortable with being soloists, there can be a certain energy that comes with a group of dancers that simply isn't possible with one or two dancers.

When I was doing more student choreography than I am doing currently, I'd hear all sorts of music that practically screamed for group work -- and that's how I'd see it in my head.

Deborah

Thanks so much for the ideas! We are a group of 9 and I've tried some of these formations and now I have some new ones to try. I'm in the process of choreographing a new veil dance and we played around with some different formations last night so this is all quite helpful!

Great ideas!! Another way I look at positioning, is to start simple (2 rows, Vee, horseshoe) & then make use of changing places, rows, groups, etc. Or divide for call & answer, really fun. One side does something, other side poses during, then vice versa. Not thru whole dance of course, for accents.
We often do folkloric type pieces this way, with a humorous slant, as in "I'll show you!" "Oh Yeah" with friendly rivalry, mocking the "No, *I'M* the diva" thing.
I love the energy of group dance, so many different avenues to highlight.

love this thread

Remember to tell your dancers that just because someone is in front of them, it doesn't mean they can't be seen. Show them that from different angles, the audience will get different views.

I can't tell you how many students have gotten mad at me for being put in the back.

You also might want to have some criteria as to why you put people in the front. Because they come to practice more, because of height, because they slipped you a $20, whatever, be sure you know why so that it will be easier for you to dismiss cries of Foul.

Also think about rotating rows, either by circling around or by walking between each other.

Also keep in mind that your floor space will differ from venue to venue. It would be hard to do a long diagonal with 8 people unless you are very tight and have a lot of room.
And think about how the students will keep the formation-who will they look at, will there be something to spot from, etc. Some people struggle with staying in the right spot.

Originally Posted by Shalimah

........X.X........
X...X.......X...X
..X............X...


..........X........
......X......X......
...X............X...
.X.......Y........X.

(With dancers taking turns being Y.)

These are both really great!

With the pyramid-al shape of the bottom example, the one with Y in the center front of what is otherwise a V, it's really kinda cool to travel while maintaining the shape of the pyramid. Here's the same shape using numbers rather than letters to identify the performers:

..........4.........
......3.....5......
...2...........6...
.1.......8........7.

What happens is that 8 goes to 1, 2 goes to 2, 2 goes to 3, and so forth. It's very dynamic, especially with turns! It takes a lot of practice to maintain the formation, but it's fun!

Deborah