How to let little dancers shine at your recital

By Melissa Hoffman

For many teachers, the thought of choreographing for preschoolers—whom I define as children ages 2 to 5—is frightening. After all, how much can you expect them to do? The truth is that if you approach them in the right manner, preschoolers can do more than you might think. Recital is a special day for young dancers, and showing them at their best should always be your goal.

As in choreographing for any age or level, it is important that dances for preschoolers not include anything that’s new to them. Whatever steps or combinations you put into their choreography should be ones they have seen and practiced during class. Therefore, you need to think ahead. If you want a 4-year-old group to change lines during their dance, changing lines should be a part of their class.

Creating order and consistency
The best thing I ever did at my school to help produce a clean recital (as well as an organized classroom) was to put permanent numbers on the floors. I laid out three rows of numbers from 0 to 16, with 8 at the center. These same three rows are also on the stage when the dancers arrive for dress rehearsal.

After a circle warm-up, the dancers find a number; depending on class size, it might be only the front row. In this way the children get used to working in and maintaining a straight line, and the numbers can be used with any staging. For recital routines, the children are assigned a number that is “theirs”; they stand on it to begin the routine and sometimes to end it as well.

For consistency, we choreograph all of our dances with entrances from stage right and exits on stage left. Because of that, we generally start across-the-floor movements in class from stage right.

Calming little nerves
Stages and audiences can be intimidating sights for preschoolers, and nervous tears are normal, especially at dress rehearsal. (It’s a good idea to reassure parents that though they might see some tears at dress rehearsal, it doesn’t mean they will see them at the show.)

So how best to help calm these little dancers? Preparation is so important. First, walk the children onto the stage, with the lights on, before they begin dancing. Let them look at the lights and backdrops and then show them their numbers on the stage. Have them mark through the entire dance before playing the music.

Second, make the dancers feel comfortable by showing them they’re not alone. At our recitals, what helps boost the little ones’ confidence the most is having the instructors stand in the front where they can see them. Surprisingly, it does not distract the audience. At our last recital I asked the people seated in the first five rows of the audience what they thought of the practice. It turns out that no one noticed the teachers because they were focused on their children. (Some teachers prefer to stand in the wings, but the problem with that is that the dancers’ focus is to the side and not to the audience.)

For another confidence booster, I put two young assistants onstage with the 2-year-olds as well as any classes of 3-year-olds that need a helping hand. The assistants are like bookends at either end of the line of children. They stand about six inches forward so that the dancers can see them. Again, I asked parents if the assistants’ presence concerned or distracted them, and they said no, and that their children loved them.

Since taking these steps 10 years ago, I can count on one hand the number of preschool-age dancers who have cried during a performance.

Adding variety
Because my school has many preschool dancers (about 120 children) and because their abilities are limited, the biggest challenge has been figuring out how to make the dances different enough that the show is varied and entertaining. We sometimes have as many as eight preschool dances in a show, so over the years I have come up with a “recipe” of movements for each age level.

Parent/tot classes (2-year-olds)
Parents are part of this class until December; as of January we try to remove them. How long this process takes determines whether the class will be in the recital. Generally, each year we have at least one class in this age group that’s ready for the challenge.

• Choose a song that involves some singing for this level. Remember, lyrics need to be straightforward and easy to understand. My longtime favorite is “Beautiful Doll.”
• Children at this level typically will remain in a straight line for most of their dance (no longer than 2 minutes).
• Incorporate steps like plié and échappé. (Our 2-year-olds know échappé as “jump open, jump closed.”)
• Include partner steps. Holding hands with a partner, the children chassé upstage to the next row of numbers, stop, and return to their numbers.
• With the assistants leading the way, the children do a “happy hand gallop circle.” They gallop one time around in a big circle with the assistants leading the way, and then return to their number or form a “train” at a gym mat, where they do a forward roll, blow a kiss to the audience, and chassé offstage.

With this age group, anything can happen, so be sure to record your music a couple of times through. That way you can be sure that if something goes wrong, the music won’t stop while the children are still dancing.

Preschool I (3-year-olds)
In my school, the 3-year-olds, who are introduced to tap midyear, do a “ballet based” recital routine. Because there is always more than one group, we vary the music. For example, at our last recital one class danced to “Welcome to the World,” which is a slow song, and the other did “Rubber Ducky” (singing the first part).

Preparation is so important. First, walk the children onto the stage, with the lights on, before they begin dancing. Let them look at the lights and backdrops and then show them their numbers on the stage.

Another way to vary the show is in how these young dancers appear onstage. Some ideas include using flowerpots (either cutouts big enough for kids to hide behind, or actual pots) and having an assistant water each “flower” so that the dancers pop up and run to their numbers to begin their dance. Or consider having a large nest onstage that the “baby chicks” come out of. A large shoe, à la “Old Lady in the Shoe,” is another thought. You could have several classes enter through the shoe.

• With 3-year-olds we are still limited, but along with plié and échappé we can add passé, tendu, heel step, and side together plié, doing both sides.
• Start to teach music counting skills with movements like hitting the knees 2 times, clapping 2 times, rolling hands 2 counts, and pushing hands straight forward (stop) 2 counts.
• Incorporate some levels by pairing off the children and having one partner kneel while the other marches around and then back to his or her number; then reverse roles and repeat. Or have the children lie on their bellies and do flutter kicks. “Flashbacks” are another way to vary levels: Reach up, sit down, slide both legs out, pull the legs in, and jump up.
• During a partner chassé, add a “merry-go-round” step: The dancers hold hands and tiptoe around in a circle or hold hands and do arabesque before they chassé back to their numbers.
• Do a gallop circle that ends in a “train” in which they slide into straddle splits. Then each child pops up and blows a kiss (their moment in the limelight). Or they could bourrée and curtsy.

Listen to your music and take chances. Try things, and if they don’t work, don’t do them. The key is to try them early enough in the classroom so that you are not stressing about completing a dance, nor are you starting the dance in November.

Preschool II (4-year-olds) and Kindercombo (5-year-olds)
I refer to 4- and 5-year-olds as “sponges.” Their gross motor skills are developing like crazy, as is their ability to learn more quickly. Both of these classes at my school perform tap. In choosing the music, make sure it has an easily countable, consistent rhythm.

Typically, these classes are large enough that they will form two lines. Right away we start to work on line changes by having them march forward or back to change lines between exercises. We name the lines “apples” and “oranges”; telling the apples to change places with the oranges makes the idea stick in their minds.

As tap warm-ups progress throughout the year, the teachers start grouping together steps that are part of the warm-up routine and will end up in their dance.

The best part about this age is the ability to have them move around the stage. Aside from line changes, they can do several other formations.

• March to a large circle, then hold hands. Chassé in one direction for 8 counts, then the other for 8 counts. One dancer releases one hand and chassés to one side so that the group forms one straight line, still holding hands. They could do a step still holding hands, then drop hands to march forward to their original lines and numbers.
• Try having them form two circles, one stage right and one stage left, and circle toward the outside. Choose one child from each circle to lead the children into two straight vertical lines in the center; again, use the numbers so they know where to end. (Sometimes this is too much for 4-year-olds, but some can do it.)
• “Boats and Bridges”: Working in two lines, have each front-line child partner with a back-line child so that you have a horizontal line of partners holding hands. (The front dancers will have their backs to the audience.) The children on stage right raise their arms to form the bridges. The stage left children are the boats, with their arms extended to second position. The boats chassé sideways to pass under the bridges, then go back the other way. Then they change roles, so that everyone gets to be a bridge and a boat. This is fun to do across the floor during class.
• In partner work you can vary the staging and levels by having one child be up and one be down.
• At times we have been able to get these age groups into a clump formation and back to their numbers with ease.
• Incorporate a useable prop into the 5-year-olds’ dance; for example, shopping carts (for “Shopping A-Z”) or baby dolls (for “Baby Love”). Using props is a great way to make the routine interesting and fun.

No matter what these young dancers do, they are always the hit of my school’s shows. By giving them a shot at doing their best, you’ll guarantee fun for everyone.

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