This year, I will be teaching a production number for the first time. I teach at a small studio and only have 17 kids signed up so far. I know I want to do a 70's theme.....and I have the choreography done for the last part when all of the kids dance together. The problem is the rest of the number. I'm not sure how many songs to use and how to divide the kids up. I have 4 kids from age 6-9; 5 kids from age 11-13; 5 kids from 14-15; and 3 who are 16-17. Most of the kids tap well, so I may want to incorporate tap.....but the last song is jazz, so they would probably need to switch shoes?? So how do I divide the kids up? and What order should they perform in? Please help me.

Liz

It looks like your numbers for age ranges would be good divisions. Don't have them dance in age order, as that would be predictable and you don't want that. You could also begin with all of them, then do two age groups then all then two age groups then all again. you could have the middle 3 songs/parts be tap if you really want tap in the production.

Also, I've been in a production that had jazz, tap, and pointe, and when we all danced together we did jazz/tap movements and we just did it in whatever shoes we had on. That makes for an interesting dance as well.

Just do whatever comes to you, and I am sure it will be fine! Best of luck!

I would split them up by strength and not age. That way you can have stunts and such (older girls holding smaller girls)

Just another thing to add... In a production number you don't necessarily need certain groups...just split them however you see fit for each section: Some on some off, a big group or just a couple of them, then shift, then shift again, depending on what you are trying to get across or what you want to incorporate in each section.