I need help as I have a few ideas for next year's Christmas performances. The problem is I've been very inspired by a video of someone's dance drama (which is usually around a 10 minute story that is presented through dance) and I don't know when I'm "crossing the line" in terms of using the same idea.

The theme is Christmas in Killarney and the piece is basically set to the lyrics of the song. So no matter who choreographs, the theme and idea will be pretty much the same. Kind of like the Nutcracker, except no one seems to mind if every school in town is doing the Nutcracker, but I'm afraid if I did Christmas in Killarney, it wouldn't be the same.

When is it crossing the line when being inspired by someone else's choreography/story lines? Obviously copying step by step is wrong, but if it's the same idea...where does the line get drawn there?

Here is the video. Obviously some of the stuff they've added on is inspired by the Nutcracker and the Rockettes, but it's really the beginning through when Santa leaves the first time.

Suggestions!

Lyrics and original song - click more info on the side to see all lyrics:
www.youtube.com . . .

Dance Drama:
www.youtube.com . . .

Well I must say I loved it, right down to the Michael(Santi)Flatley bit near the end and how did they get all of those dancers behind those two screens ??It must have been a squeeze.

It would be really difficult to be seen to not copy it. As you said it's the words in the song that inspired the story, however you could put in enough changes in staging and choreography to have your own piece, but anyone that saw that dance will know where the idea came from and I see that it was only performed by that school last year.

Just out of interest how on earth did they get away with filming it at an Oireachtas? AC has such tight rules on that and I know they enforce them rigidly.

For me counts:
*copying / using ONE thing is okay (music, costumes, a caracteristic step OR theme/idea), very maybe copying 2 items;
*change all the rest;
*ADD something caracteristic from you, to make it yours.

There's a dance on Youtube that a college did to the last song from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. I want to do a similar dance to it--ie. the song and theme. I'm also toying with the same moral issues you are. I thought about writing the choreographer and asking if she/he minded if I used the idea. No way are my dancers as good as theirs, so I wouldn't attempt any of the choreography , but the idea is really good. It's for recital. I would say in the program, "Inspired by the dance by such-and-such" I think, that way I wouldn't feel like I'm misrepresenting.

I to have been grappling with this - I would like to use the idea of using a whoopi cushion in a tap routine like Ryan Kasprzak did on the SYTYCD auditions 2 seasons ago - It would be a group of young children so obviously chereography and music would be different - But i tried to contact him to see if he would like a mention in the program for inspiring the idea. I haven't heard from him yet - hoping I will before I decide what to do.
Nobody is lucky enough to have every great idea be an original of theirs - so I'm trying to think as long as you put your own spin on something and then give credit for the idea where its due its okay. I keep telling myself this but having had my ideas taken without any credit for them Honestly I'm still on the fence about if even thats enough or not. I think maybe it depends on the attitude of the idea originater.

I think it's best to take one idea away from something and then attempt to run with it in your own fashion. If someone did something unique with the choreography (you liked how they did the spacing), you might borrow that, develop your own steps, select your own music, and then the piece is yours.

If it's a dance drama that you are wanting to do, then select your own music and concept. This piece has some ideas of how you can tell your story through dance, but I wouldn't attempt to tell *their* story.

If it's the music that you like, how can you make it completely different? Insert your own creativity.

Like others have said, taking an idea from someone is not stealing. For instance, I saw a cool carnival production piece and thought, "I think I'll do a circus dance with my advanced class this year." I didn't use the same music or costumes or choreography, I only used the idea. If no one was allowed to ever repeat an idea or a song, I think we would all be in trouble!

Well. Yeah, I guess look at all of the Bob Fosse, and Graham, and Michael Jackson inspired pieces. How many times have I seen Hard Knock Life or the Newsies dance done? I guess those are SO cliche' they're okay?

So i watched the videos (both of them since I had never heard the song) and I think its fine to use the same general idea as long as you don't copy the steps exactly. Its not like Christmas is an original idea you're stealing. Even the song was inspired by the story of Christmas so I think you're on safe ground if you use different steps and music. I also think using the song or an instrumental of it is also fine and not steeling in this case since the song inspired them too, the Nutcracker suite has inspired hundreds of choreographers so a song as inspiration is fair game for multiple choreographers even if the ideas end up looking similar.

The drama has obviously 'borrowed' the dolls from nutcracker which I thought was fine - dolls again being a pretty old theme for dance and therefore fair game. The soldiers 'fall' was a mini-copy from the Rockettes - that I thought was a little too far over this line we're speaking of between inspiration and infringement. So I would leave that out if I were you

Here are some things I thought of that you could do differently to separate your version from that one:

- Place more emphasis on 'Father John' - I didn't catch that he was a priest in theirs until I listened to the song! maybe give him some nuns to really make the point.

- There is a big reference to mistletoe and the young couple kissing under it in the song but saw no young couple and no mistletoe in the clip.

- The neighbors are mentioned a lot and I only saw them bring in 1 old lady in the clip - you could do a whole family of 'neighbors' or maybe add carolers?

- As for Santa, to distinguish yours, maybe have reindeer instead of soldiers, you could even have a little one be rudolph and that would be cute.

- you could borrow the 'snow flakes' from nutcracker as well instead of the dolls or soldiers

Overall, I think there is plenty of room here to tell the same story with different steps and characters. You'll both be in Killarney and you'll both have a family and a santa but that will probably be the extent of the similarities and those are not trademark ideas of this choreographer, those are time-honored themes and thus you have equal right to interpret them

Have fun!

wow camero!! That's the exact type of answer I was looking for. I just couldn't for the life of me think of anything else to replace certain aspects of for this piece. You've given me a ton of new ideas and I'm very grateful for that! THANK YOU! if you think of anything else, let me know!!!!!