Choreography for children

Chani · 10-18-2007, 01:17 AM

Hi Group,

I have to come up with a belly dance routine for two 7yo girls to perform. So far they are already coming up with some great ideas on their own. They are not very experienced at all so I will be keeping it simple. I thought I'd post here in case anybody has any advice about what to avoid or what are nice ideas for their age. I've never performed myself so I have no experience with this kind of thing.

Thanks in advance.

Chani

Maria_Aya · 10-18-2007, 06:05 AM

Hi Chani !!!
First of all find music/song under 2.30 min.
Its more than enough for a beginer or kids performance.
Better to have people amazed than bored, this is my philosophy

Dont know the teqnicks they have done yet, but i guess the basics?
Arabic steps, hip drops - hip lifts, hip circles and 8's, shimmie's, belly undulations, turns, slow hand movements, moving in the space?
In this case, entering the stage can use 15 to 20 sec, and i like the music that have slow and fast parts, this gives different feeling to the dance also.
Good luck
Maria Aya

Chani · 10-19-2007, 02:34 AM

Thank you very much for your reply Maria Aya,

I agree that shorter is better. You may have seen my post on another thread. Now the mothers are dancing with the girls. First the Mums sitting with the girls dancing around us then we switch. I'm very pleased with this beause the girls only need to dance for half a song and so do we. Good news since most songs are rather long I find.

I agree that a mix of paces makes for a more interesting dance.

We exhausted ourselves listening to music pieces all day yesterday and one would have a nice opening but might be too samey throughout, another will be good but too long (not now perhaps) and yet others just seemed sophisticated rather than energetic and fun. The song is out there and I expect once we find it the dance will come to us.

Thanks for your ideas.

Cheers
Chani

kiewiet · 10-23-2007, 10:12 AM

If a song is a bit long you can always use part of it as an entrance or cut it shorter. I cut a piece for a friends daughter and took out about 2 minutes music which made the song just right for her. There is a lot of free software that is very easy to use but your teacher will probably have access to this kind of thing and experience in using it. It is really easy to do.

I think Beata and Horatio did a show in which the first and last part of the music was used to lead the kids in and set them up to look as if they were coming for a picnic and then the dancing began, letting the performers dance as if they were doing it for family and friends at a picnic/party. It was very effective and set a nice mood.
If I remember correctly you don't have much time to do all of the preparation - good on you to be so involved. I hope you find nice music soon.

About 3/4 down this article names some songs they use with kids
The Hip Circle:: online bellydance magazine, belly dance discussion and community

janaki · 10-23-2007, 01:23 PM

Hi Chani,

I love working with kids and what works for me when I teach kids is to give them roles in the choreo. I Team them up into groups and assign them different sections of the choreo. This is my basic structure for kids choreo.

1. Slow intro so that they can work their way on to stage slowly.

2. Something they all dance together. Put together the moves Maria has suggested.

3. They all do the chorus.

4. Then group one dances their little solo, other groups simply cheer and clap to the beat.

5. All do chorus or 32 counts of something together.

6. Next group 2 does soemthing so on so fourth. Once everyone has thier turn they all come together and finish the show. This way they don't need to remember all the choreo.

Worth trying!!! It works for me. Good luck.

PS: The key here is choosing the right music!!!

Chani · 10-24-2007, 12:33 AM

Thank you so much ladies. This has been very helpful. I'm feeling much more confident that it will be a dance we can be proud of and enjoy performing. I'll let you know how we go.

Chani

kiewiet · 11-01-2007, 07:20 AM

Hi Chani
I saw this cute clip on youtube YouTube - SUHAILA SALIMPOUR & ISABELLA @ AHLAN WA SAHLAN

with Suhaila dancing with Isabella. Hope you like it!

10-18-2007, 01:17 AM	#1 (permalink)
Chani Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 138	Choreography for children Hi Group, I have to come up with a belly dance routine for two 7yo girls to perform. So far they are already coming up with some great ideas on their own. They are not very experienced at all so I will be keeping it simple. I thought I'd post here in case anybody has any advice about what to avoid or what are nice ideas for their age. I've never performed myself so I have no experience with this kind of thing. Thanks in advance. Chani

10-18-2007, 06:05 AM	#2 (permalink)
Maria_Aya Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Athens, Greece Posts: 2,221	Hi Chani !!! First of all find music/song under 2.30 min. Its more than enough for a beginer or kids performance. Better to have people amazed than bored, this is my philosophy Dont know the teqnicks they have done yet, but i guess the basics? Arabic steps, hip drops - hip lifts, hip circles and 8's, shimmie's, belly undulations, turns, slow hand movements, moving in the space? In this case, entering the stage can use 15 to 20 sec, and i like the music that have slow and fast parts, this gives different feeling to the dance also. Good luck Maria Aya __________________ ... www.orientalexpression.gr

10-23-2007, 10:12 AM	#4 (permalink)
kiewiet Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Oz Posts: 56	If a song is a bit long you can always use part of it as an entrance or cut it shorter. I cut a piece for a friends daughter and took out about 2 minutes music which made the song just right for her. There is a lot of free software that is very easy to use but your teacher will probably have access to this kind of thing and experience in using it. It is really easy to do. I think Beata and Horatio did a show in which the first and last part of the music was used to lead the kids in and set them up to look as if they were coming for a picnic and then the dancing began, letting the performers dance as if they were doing it for family and friends at a picnic/party. It was very effective and set a nice mood. If I remember correctly you don't have much time to do all of the preparation - good on you to be so involved. I hope you find nice music soon. About 3/4 down this article names some songs they use with kids The Hip Circle:: online bellydance magazine, belly dance discussion and community Last edited by kiewiet; 10-23-2007 at 10:29 AM. Reason: add link

10-19-2007, 02:34 AM	#3 (permalink)
Chani Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 138	Thank you very much for your reply Maria Aya, I agree that shorter is better. You may have seen my post on another thread. Now the mothers are dancing with the girls. First the Mums sitting with the girls dancing around us then we switch. I'm very pleased with this beause the girls only need to dance for half a song and so do we. Good news since most songs are rather long I find. I agree that a mix of paces makes for a more interesting dance. We exhausted ourselves listening to music pieces all day yesterday and one would have a nice opening but might be too samey throughout, another will be good but too long (not now perhaps) and yet others just seemed sophisticated rather than energetic and fun. The song is out there and I expect once we find it the dance will come to us. Thanks for your ideas. Cheers Chani

10-23-2007, 01:23 PM	#5 (permalink)
janaki V.I.P. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: hong kong Posts: 1,211	Hi Chani, I love working with kids and what works for me when I teach kids is to give them roles in the choreo. I Team them up into groups and assign them different sections of the choreo. This is my basic structure for kids choreo. 1. Slow intro so that they can work their way on to stage slowly. 2. Something they all dance together. Put together the moves Maria has suggested. 3. They all do the chorus. 4. Then group one dances their little solo, other groups simply cheer and clap to the beat. 5. All do chorus or 32 counts of something together. 6. Next group 2 does soemthing so on so fourth. Once everyone has thier turn they all come together and finish the show. This way they don't need to remember all the choreo. Worth trying!!! It works for me. Good luck. PS: The key here is choosing the right music!!!

10-24-2007, 12:33 AM	#6 (permalink)
Chani Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 138	Thank you so much ladies. This has been very helpful. I'm feeling much more confident that it will be a dance we can be proud of and enjoy performing. I'll let you know how we go. Chani

11-01-2007, 07:20 AM	#7 (permalink)
kiewiet Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Oz Posts: 56	Hi Chani I saw this cute clip on youtube YouTube - SUHAILA SALIMPOUR & ISABELLA @ AHLAN WA SAHLAN with Suhaila dancing with Isabella. Hope you like it!