5 tips for submitting to showcases
As an artistic director, curator, producer and choreographer, I see A LOT of video submissions. I have watched almost 100 videos in the past week. The talent and passion of some of these pieces have blown me away. I have also viewed choreography that was soooo close to being great but just missed the mark. Often the missing element is something that is easily added with some insight and perspective. I have been guilty of some of these mistakes myself. It is easy to get wrapped up in what you are creating and forget about the business of showing your work in the strongest way possible.
Here are a few things to consider when submitting choreography for showcases.
Do our work for us: This one was a hard one for me to learn. When I first started choreographing work, I thought “of course, the panel will know I will use more dancers,” or “obviously, I will stage this one section better when I have more space”, etc. I thought that the viewers could imagine the full productions. This is asking too much of someone viewing 80+videos. The panel should NOT have to guess where the work is going, try to imagine the work with a full cast (if shown as a solo), or picture the piece in a setting larger than your living room (it has happened). When viewing multiple works for minimal opportunities, the choreographer should do most of the “work” for the panel and not leave your intentions up to our imaginations. Works in progress should give us a clear understanding of your mood, process and vocabulary.
Stand out! Be true to your vision. Be bold in your choices. Be thoughtful in your presentation. There are often seven or eight pieces that have a cast of five females wearing black tshirts and socks. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this choice but at the end of the day, it presents a challenge to remember which was the strongest. I appreciate simple and clean but give the viewer a simple twist to remember you. Your work involves the movement, staging, costumes and presentation. Make sure to involve all aspects in your submission, as much as possible.
Location: When shooting footage for a submission, please, please, please shoot the work from the front. Show us what the work will look like from the audience perspective. Make sure the space is large enough to show the work in full. If the piece is shot in a small space, very close up or not including the full cast in the shot, I often wonder if the piece will “read” on a stage. It doesn’t have to be a state of the art studio, just enough room for your work to be appreciated and understood as a whole.
Camera work: I love a concept video! But if submitting for stage, please shoot the work for the stage. If the dancers are moving into the camera, making small gestures and faces at the camera or if the piece is edited to include different angles, I question how the work will play out on a stage and if this choreography is better suited for a video project. Close up shots don’t give the panel an idea of what the audience will be experiencing.
Cast: I understand the difficulty in scheduling and casting dancers. When shooting your submission, please use the proposed number of dancers in the piece (i.e. don’t shoot a piece with two dancers with a note saying that the full cast will be eight dancers). I know it doesn’t seem like a “big deal” but you are asking the panel to imagine your staging, shapes, story, etc. It is best to give the panel all of the information needed to view your work in the best light. All directors understand that casting issues can happen but try to keep the cast size close to that of the submitted work.
****