The Era of Dance Entertainment

by:  Tanya Curry

The year 2025 is going to be epic.  It’s 25 years since Y2K, where we thought the world as we knew it would come to a halt as computer systems changed from 1999 to 2000, potentially causing widespread chaos.  As you know, the ball dropped at midnight and our computers still worked after that.  Since then, we survived at least 25 more disasters of various levels of seriousness, but one thing has remained strong—DANCE.

Dance unites people everywhere.  When something is falling apart or failing in our lives, we still have dance.  Today, we can dance every day of the week and share dances with people around the world. On any Friday or Saturday night thousands of people are doing the 2-Step, Country and West Coast Swing, Shivers, Bar Song, Vibe Check and one of top 100 other dances at the same time.  Last night, I talked to a dance team in Indonesia at 2:00 am on messenger (prime time for me), sharing videos and dance stories about our groups, realizing that we are one in the same, sister groups, even though we are 9423 miles apart.  Unbelievable.  

Dance instructors, event directors, choreographers and dance team leaders facilitate this wonderful activity, promoting and forming the bond between a small group of local dancers at the bar, club or community center with many, many dancers gathering at events such as the Ft. Wayne Dance For All/Dance Team Showdown, UCWDC Worlds Event or the World Dance Masters event among others.

As dancers, we are not just dancing, we are entertaining.  We are being entertained and are entertaining others at the same time.   We start with one dance, learn another, bring a friend or partner, learn more, expand from line to partner dancing or from partner to line dancing.  We gather and teach each other or start group lessons and help beginners.  We go to nursing homes and festivals to dance and share the excitement of dance with people who have never seen this before.  We form a dance team and get matching costumes, create routines and push ourselves to improve our dance skills.  Sometimes we get a coach to give us one on one dance advice.  We might enter a dance competition.  All the while we are being entertained as we entertain, planting dance seeds, inspiring non dancers, growing the world of dance, continuing to gather in groups and teams. 

The internet connects us.  We are less than a few clicks away.  Right now I am waiting for someone in another country who I don’t know, who doesn’t speak English to send me a step description of a dance I saw her demonstrate online.  I messaged her and she responded quickly and soon I will be learning then teaching her dance to our students.  Life is good.

As we head into the new year and a new Era, embrace learning, become a dance leader, travel to dance events outside of your local community, form a dance team, participate in dance competitions, choreograph a line dance, plant dance seeds and watch them grow.  Smile.  You’re an entertainer!

You’re invited to the World Dance Showdown event in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 13-16, 2025.  You’ll learn and grow with over 100 line and partner dance workshops and competitions for line dancers, couples, choreographers and dance teams.  Join us.  Come to the www.worlddanceshowdown.com  260-466-2484.

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How to choreograph a dance routine:

By Tanya Curry

 

Dance Team choreography can be a simple, elegant combination of a few perfectly matched line dances to your favorite music or it can be an intricate mix of line and partner dances, formation changes, hand and movements, patterns that form shapes on the floor and transitions from lines to circles danced to a combination of different songs.

Dancing a choreographed routine with a team of people is exciting and fun, but choreographing the routine is even more thrilling.  As a choreographer you are the artist bringing the music to life through dance. This is a rewarding experience that goes beyond footwork on the floor—it involves creating a performance that makes the audience feel like they are dancing with you and remembering you long after the music stops.

 
If you are an avid “Dancing with the Stars” or “So You Think You Can Dance” fan, you’ll remember a favorite Pro and Celebrity dance couple performing a routine that everyone loved and how it affected you emotionally.  You might have imagined yourself dancing with the Pro or decided to create your own dance routine using similar steps and movements.

When choreographing a dance routine for a team of dancers there is an additional element of complexity involved because you are dealing with dancers of all experience levels, dance styles, personalities and interests.

As a choreographer you must consider all of these challenges yet remain true to the music and dance and not sacrifice the audience experience for a routine that is less than 100% perfect.

To begin choreography, choose your music. Next, choose your dances. Your music will determine the dances and how many basic repetitions of the dance or dance patterns you will complete.  You can use whole songs or combine multiple songs to create one routine.

My preference is to select music that makes people tap their feet and want to dance, where the tempo is upbeat, the lyrics are positive and the lead vocalist is a powerful singer.  If the song stands out to the point that you want to listen to it over and over and immediately see yourself dancing to it, you’ve got a great song.  Use it.  If not, select another song.

Your routine could include line dancing, partner/couples dancing and/or solo dance steps used to change formations, cross lines or move dancers across the floor.  If using multiple songs, you might start off with a up-tempo song, cut it at an appropriate spot and add a slower song, then end the routine with another upbeat song to leave the audience wanting more. Or you might want to communicate a more dramatic message, selecting smooth music that is a slower pace for the entire routine.  It is up to you.

Once you select the music, you can break down the song and create a phrasing map.  Count the beats in each section.  Listen to the lyrics and musical elements that allow you to be creative. Spotlight those parts of the song in your dancing. Make a note of this on your map. The routine should start to develop in your mind.  If nothing comes to your mind, it is probably not the right song mix for you.

 
After finalizing the music selection and completing a phrasing map, you can insert where the line dances, solo steps, partner dance patterns, formations, breaks, transitions, poses and special movements will go.
Sketch these ideas out on your phrasing map, assigning the dances to the different sections of the song, then begin choreographing the footwork while dancing it to the music (as you choreograph) to ensure that it fits perfectly and flows from one section to another.

Here is an example of how a phrasing map might look for an average routine combining line and partner dancing.  Your assignment of dances and transitions will be based on the music.
This is just an example.  The sections could be labeled with these headings:  intro, verse, chorus, bridge, instrumental and close.

Section 1 Intro
1-16     Dancers dance to position on floor from off-stage
or dance to position from an on-stage location.
(you may hold four counts and begin moving on count 5)
17-32   Catchy 16 count step pattern to set the formation and grab the audience’s attention

Section 2 Verse/Chorus
1-32    Line Dance 1 
1-32    Line Dance 2 
1-16    Change Formation
17-32  Catchy 16 count step pattern to set new formation

Section 3 Verse/Chorus/Instrumental
1-32    Partner Dance—Dance Style 1 
1-32    Partner Dance—Dance Style 2
1-16    Change Formation
17-32  Catchy 16 count step pattern to set new formation

Section 4 Verse/Chorus/Instrumental
1-32    Line Dance 3 (could be Line Dance 1 with variations)
1-32    Partner Dance---(could be a combination of Dance Style 1 and 2)
1-16    Change Formation
17-32  Catchy 16 count step pattern to make an impact.

Section 5 close
1-32     Catchy 16 count step pattern (bow, wave, domino), dance off stage.

 

Your phrasing map will be different for each song and combination of songs you blend into a routine.  Have fun with it.

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Once your routine is choreographed, teach it to your dance team, practice, practice, practice, modify segments that are not working or don’t look like you expected it to, practice again, fine-tune steps and motions to achieve synchronization.  Improve your styling, smile, then get out into the world to perform your routine in front of an audience.

 

You're invited to participate in Dance Team exhibitions and competitions for new and experienced dance teams.  Please join us:

World Dance Showdown in Indianapolis, Indiana, November 13-16, 2025

​www.worlddanceshowdown.com