At this point in the season, most of us are at the place where we’re we are either finishing our competition choreography or making last minute changes. The process of cleaning the choreography is one of the hardest parts of the rehearsal process. A choreographer often has difficulty seeing flaws because he or she is too personally invested in the work. I like to bring in another set of eyes when I get to this stage. Some people turn the entire process over to another teacher.

Dancers tend to be less enthusiastic than they are when they’re staging the piece when it comes to cleaning because of the repetition involved. Don’t waste time. Right from the beginning of the cleaning process, explain that you expect everyone to dance full out every time unless you specifically tell some dancers to mark it. There is nothing worse than trying to clean choreography on lazy or exhausted dancers. Sometimes we make corrections we wouldn’t have had to waste time on if the dancers weren’t marking the steps. Also, dancing full-out builds the stamina a dancer needs for a good performance.

Over-rehearsing can lead to burnout. If you sense this in your dancers, rehearse the piece using different music or work on a less-rehearsed portion of the choreography. You can come back to troublesome spots later.

If you expect perfection, you’re going to be disappointed. Sometimes, even though you say something over and over again, it takes the first performance for it to sink in. Other times the judges say on their critique tape what you’ve been trying to tell your dancers for weeks. They seem to understand when it comes from the judge! Videotaping the rehearsal is another great way to help the dancers understand where the problems lie. Watch the tape together and point out the corrections you’d like made; when the dancers see what you’re talking about, they will better understand what you want to accomplish. You might consider letting the dancers critique their own performance and take notes on what they think needs to be more polished.

Avoid surprises. Well before you leave for the performance, do at least one rehearsal in full costume and makeup and with the hairstyles you want. This way, you’ll get the overall picture ahead of time and have the chance to make needed changes. There’s peace of mind in knowing you’ve made the right choices before the dancers get onstage.

If the competition offers videos of your performances, buy them. There is nothing better when it comes to improving a performance than seeing it live onstage. You’ll get a totally different perspective from how yes you view the number from the front of the classroom.

The cleaning process is never done. There are always ways to improve, but it is especially important to be watchful when you perform the same piece repeatedly or when you are restaging one after a break.

Rehearsing at
the Competition
Often, I see teachers gather their dancers at the competition for a last-minute rehearsal. (They’re usually anxious because they saw another dancer or performance that looked excellent.) It’s not a good idea to do this, especially if you make any changes. What are the chances that the dancers will feel comfortable with new choreography one hour before their performance? However, a ballet barre or a warm-up and pep talk before the performance are good ideas.

Performances usually are better if you stick to the choreography rather than giving in to the “tinkering syndrome.” Last-minute full rehearsals can give the appearance that you or your school lacks confidence and organization. That is a bad impression to give to a competition director, other schools, or even to your own students’ families. •

Rehearsal Pointers

If you usually rehearse in a studio that is larger than the stage, mark the boundaries of the stage with tape or by placing chairs around the perimeter. Dancers can become disoriented when they’ve rehearsed in certain spaces and then find themselves with much less room to move for performance.

Allow extra time for rehearsing with props or accessories such as wigs, hats, hand props, or unfamiliar costuming such as long skirts or kilts, flowing sleeves, or capes. Some coaching may be needed in how to handle elaborate costuming or specialty lighting.

The dancers need to rehearse their showmanship. Ask them to give you the same smiles and energy that they’d have in performance onstage. They need to know that “selling” the piece is almost as important as its technical aspects.

Rhee Gold