Not everyone gets started on their career in early childhood, but that’s how my career as a choreographer and dancer kicked off when I enrolled in a ballroom dancing class. From there, I took up street dancing, learning to move to hip hop, street jazz, and dancehall, and later I got into aerobics. My big transition to teaching happened when I was 20. Long a sought-after teacher in my home city of Ternopil, Ukraine, I finally decided to strike out on my own at 24, founding the renowned Star Dance Studio.Â
My students have gone on to win dance competitions and performed throughout Ukraine and other European countries. I am now working hard to pass on my passion to the next generation, and in 2021, I also helped organize the All Stars Championship in Ternopil. About 1000Â people from Ukraine attended it. Participants competed in different dance style categories. The event was a remarkable success.
All together, I know how to create a unique performance. Here are ten tips for aspiring dancers.
Embrace Your Own Story
Reflecting on your journey and experiences in dance is beneficial. Like any art form, dance is a means of expressing oneself, and so the more expressive and true you can be to your own story, the better. Spice up your performance with your emotions and the personal stories that resonated with your development, setbacks, and victories to make it genuine.
Mix Things Up
If you want to be unique, you have to do things differently. That means combining elements from various dance styles, such as hip-hop, street jazz, and heels, to create something new. This fusion will give your performance a fresh and unpredictable flavor, setting you apart from others.
Master Your Technique
You’ve got to be on the dime when it comes to dance. Be precise, work on your flexibility, and learn to stop and start as needed. Once you have mastered these skills, you are already ahead.Â
Pick Good Music
What would dance be without music? And the music better be good, right? So, use music that complements your choreography while adding new layers to the performance. Pick songs that help tell your personal story or that you feel can bring out the best in your dancers.
Play Up Your Dancers’ Strengths
Every dancer has his or her strengths. Maybe they can do backflips, or their footwork is impeccable. Build on those strengths to diversify and enhance your performances.Â
Use Props and Play with Levels
The stage is your home, but it mustn’t be a prison. You can bring in exciting props, or use different levels on the stage to add dimensions and ideas to your performance. Be creative.
Story, Story, Story!
As someone in Hollywood has undoubtedly said, it’s a stupid story. Dance is all about story, so always choreograph to tell a story the best way you can. Even if your dance is abstract, try to ensure the audience can connect with the emotions or story.
Create Contrasts
Switch things up to keep your audience on their toes. You can go high energy, then take it down a notch, and then burst back again. Those kinds of contrasts help leave a big impression.
Improvise
Once you have your routine down, you can improvise. This will keep things fresh and ensure that no single performance is exactly like another.
Connect with the Crowd
Fostering strong bonds between the dancers and the audience is crucial. This can involve making eye contact with them or interacting with your fellow performers on stage.
The Final Word
As someone who has performed in competitions, taught students who participated in such events, and been a judge, putting on a unique performance is the sum of different parts. Technique, image, composition, and show are evaluated, and the winners are often the dancers who got the best scores from all the judges across all of these criteria. Because of that, I have always tried to innovate across the board when I have created my compositions. This has earned my students plenty of prizes and me plenty of compliments.
