Marzipan, Food For Thought : Recitals

Hey everyone, its been awhile since ive posted. :P Been pretty busy with the WuZone recital as well as KO Night preparations! Well one thing I want to talk about is Dance Recitals.

Now while we were in the preparation stages of the recital, many of the choreographers had very great plans for their choreography. Crazy ideas and crazy steps, and im sure not just for this recital but this happens in every other recital out there. Throughout the mid-to-later stages, sometimes the choreography or concept had to be changed because either the goals were changed, or the people were not ready for some of the choreography.

So pondering more on the subject of "Why do we join recitals" or for choreographers "What do I want from this recital", I spoke to a few people and got some mixed answers. Well firstly as a student/casual dancer/class taker, im sure most of us attend dance classes as a pastime. We are all eager to perform and improve but too much effort in pastimes can sap quite alot of energy from your work/school/etc. Therefore to us, recitals are a chance to really get on a stage and PERFORM! Its one of the rare chances we get without actually having to be part of a group or gain recognition in the scene before being able to do so. For the veterans, it is to network or catch up with people in the scene, not to mention also making it another benchmark in their dance lives. For the choreographers, it is the most important day of all (especially those doing it for the first time), it is the chance to really show your stuff. The chance to play with ideas and concepts, the chance to influence others.

Everyone has different objectives in recitals. The veterans and choreographers should be experienced enough to know what to expect, otherwise this would also be a good learning journey! Its not easy you know, handling expectations, knowing how high to set the bar or learning to compromise. It all goes beyond dance itself. Sometimes we lose sight of why we are choreographing, and concentrate too much on the visuals. Expectations also have to be managed very carefully as it is a touchy issue. Its really a very challenging task, but if you do it well, it will definitely be worth the while.
Thats why I feel a recital is not just a performance, its a journey that we all take together, to grow in more ways than one.






I would reccomend all casual dancers to take part in whatever recital there is out there possible. Because dance is dance, no matter what the affiliation. And as a casual dancer there are only so little opportunities to put yourself on stage and learn from this experience! Its definitely one that is more challenging than it sounds. I believe we dance to express, but we also dance to influence. We are hardly dancing alone always, therefore we need to learn how to dance with others, for others. So take this chance!

To end it off, recitals are also the best chance to get to know your fellow dancers better. Who knows? You might be talking to your future dance partner or even instructor. Haha... on top of it all, I gurantee you will have an enjoyable experience if you think about it and do a recital for the right reasons. It doesnt matter wether youre a beginner, a veteran or a choreographer. Know why you do what you do. Dont just take it as another hobby.



That is why if you really put your soul into it, you will suffer post recital trauma... haha



-^_^arC