TOPIC 5: DANCE FORMATIONS Flashcards
are one of the key elements of dance performance because they
ensure that a piece of choreography remains dynamic and visually pleasing to the eye.
Formation and formation changes
Examples of Dance formations
Staggered line formation, Diagonal Line formations, Filled-in pyramid formations, “V” shaped Formations
The concept is simple: dancers stand in rows, with each dancer standing beside each other a
specific distance apart. Behind the first row, the second row of dancers stand in the spaces between the
dancers in the first line, only in back of them. The pattern can continue with many lines depending on
the amount of dancers included in the formation.
Staggered Line Formations
popular in jazz and tap dance, is used mainly for its feature of allowing
every dancer on stage to be seen equally clearly. In this formation, dancers are placed in two large
diagonal lines from the back of each side of the stage to its diagonal on the front side. The lines will
cross in the center, creating what looks like a large “X” on stage. A commonly used choreographic
technique is to have the lines cross and uncross while performing various technical elements
Diagonal Line Formations
is very helpful when trying to create tight, solid-looking
choreographies. is most popular in hip-hop and other urban dance styles that
use formations to create a sense of cohesiveness between the dancer’s movements given the fact that the
dance moves of this particular genre are often more wild and freestyled than other classical forms of
dance. is actually a series of lines that extend further outside the ends of
each line as the pyramid grows deeper.
Filled-In pyramid Formations
There are few patterns used more often in every style of dance than the “V”. The “V” resembles a
pyramid formation closely but it not filled-in with rows of dancers. Rather, the pattern begins with one
person at the tip of the “V” followed by two dancers approximately a foot behind on either side. The
formation continues adding a dancer to the outside of each until a “V” shape is formed. The “V”
formation is commonly used as the final formation of a choreography
V-shaped formations
