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More and more cuers and dancers are starting to write dances to their favorite piece of music. Because of that, we thought we would set down a few guidelines and ideas that we have found helpful.
One thing to keep in mind as your favorite pop tune keeps going through your head is, that in order for a dance to be used, the record needs to be available.
Unfortunately with pop tunes, and even more so with solely European pops, the records are soon out of print. This is not to say that you may not use them, but in a very short time no one will be able to purchase the record, and therefore they won't be able do the dance that you worked so hard to compose - and even harder to put on paper.
So, where can we get music? That seems to honestly be one of the most difficult problems. If you do already have a song in mind, you can write to a record distribution company, such as Palomino, and ask if the record is available. If you have only a rhythm in mind you can also ask Palomino to send you a list of some dances in that rhythm. These lists are also good to keep for future reference and "periods of inspiration". (NOTE: In order to use records that are pressed by a round-dance company, like HiHat, Grenn, Telemark,
Hoctor, etc. you need prior permission from the company. You do not need this for a pop label, such as RCA, Roper, etc.)
So, now you have your music. How do you get started? First, listen to the record several times to decide what would be the best rhythm for that particular record. While almost all music, except for the waltz, is written in either 4/4 or 2/4 time and, therefore, you can do the steps of almost any rhythm on any music, each rhythm has its own special "atmosphere". This is one thing you should feel and establish as you listen to the record. If you are not sure, try dancing basic steps in the various rhythms to your record and see if that will
help you decide which is best for your record.
After you decide what rhythm you will use, you will need to continue listening to your record to decide the phrasing of the music. Most all music is phrased in 8-measure sequences, or two 8-measure sequences together. There will sometimes be breaks or interludes between the sequences. These are usually an even number of measures. When you compose your dance, it will "feel" better if you arrange your figures within these 8-measure sequences. It is also
usually better if you can start most new figures on an uneven (1,3,5,7, etc.) measure, and let them continue over 2 measures, if needed. If you are using a single measure cue, it will feel better if you can get the people back to dancing on the main "1st, 3rd, 5th, etc." measure as soon as possible. You could write a dance where you didn't do this, for example, (starting in PU position) 2 fwd 2s;;
fwd,lk - twice; prog scis to SCAR & BJO;; fwd hitch; hitch/scis thru (BFLY); 2 sd 2-steps;; back away 3 & tch; tog 3 & tch; box;; rev box;; (SCP) walk 2;. In doing this we have used a 16-measure sequence, but after the "fwd,lk - twice" we are constantly having the dancer begin a series on even (2,4,6) measure that continues for two measures. Try dancing this to some 2-step music, and you will see that this dance, although technically correct, feels awkward. Then
try something like this next sequence, and see if it doesn't feel better: (starting from PU position) 2 fwd 2s;; prog scis to SCAR & BJO;; fwd hitch; hitch/scis thru (BFLY); 2 sd 2 -steps;; back away 3 & tch; tog 3 & tch; box;; rev box;; twirl 2; walk 2 to SCP;. This is almost the same sequence, but has the dancer beginning each series on the main measure.
After you have listened to your record you should make note of how the musical sequences repeat themselves in the dance. That will give you your "A,B,C,B,C" sequence. Be sure to determine this by the music and not the words. Sometimes the same musical sequence will be repeated with different words, or with no words at all. After determining your rhythm and musical sequences, you are ready to sit down (or stand up) and do some actual dancing and composing.
Often in round-dancing, figures are used so that the "quicks" and "slows" actually fit to the "quicks" and "slows" of the music. This is not a must, but certainly is unique to our type of dancing. This can be one thing that makes a dance special and causes people to say, "That dance really fits the music."
This will also sometimes make the dance easier to learn and therefore more enjoyable. Very few dancers enjoy dancing a dance they can't do. Which brings us to another point.
While we don't always write a dance just for it to become popular, it is nice to have this as one of your goals. If that is a goal, remember who your public is. A well-written phase II dance has a much better chance of becoming popular than a phase VI, just by virtue of the number of dancers that will be able to dance it.
It is also much better to be consistent in your level of difficulty within one dance. It is usually best not to write, for instance, a phase II waltz, but then add an ending of "back to a hinge", which is a phase V figure. Also, a dance in a popular rhythm will probably be more used than a less-popular rhythm. Dances are sometimes composed with a different goal in mind, such as a teaching aid.
In that case popularity is not an issue.
One thing that makes a dance pleasurable to dance is its body flow. Good body flow means that your body will naturally move in the direction of the next figure. After you have the figures and sequences in mind that you feel fit your music and dance, you need to dance them through with a partner to see how the body flow is for both people and how it dances as a couple. It is often quite different than dancing it alone, so don't be surprised at, nor reject, your partner's reactions and suggestions. You may have to "go back to the drawing board" with a few things, but it will be worth it to produce a nice-flowing dance.
When you are finally satisfied with how your dance is arranged, you then come to the hardest part, putting down on paper just how you want your dance done.
In some cases you might find this next to impossible and wish you could just enclose a video (not a bad idea, huh?!), especially if you are using nonstandard or modified figures. (I suggest that you use non-standard or modified figures only if you are sure they are needed to enhance your dance. They will always need to be taught, and therefore limit the use of your dance to one that has to be taught, no matter what level.) As enclosing a video is not financially
feasible, you must try to convey what you want in as short, concise, and easy to understand a manner as possible. You do need to try and make it as short as possible - try to remember how many times you have looked at a cue-sheet that looked long and complicated and said, "I don't have time to bother with this one." If in your heading you include the statement "directions for the man -
woman opposite unless noted", you will save yourself a lot of words in the explanation. Then don't waste time and space describing the woman's part unless it is different from the normal opposite. When you write your cue-sheet you should be consistent with RAL (ROUNDALAB) standards (see enclosed example). In your description you should be sure to include all the ending facing direction and positions for the figures you use, any non-standard holds or positions or movements, or any time that you start a figure in a different position that you ended the previous figure in, and of course the timing, which is shown by the punctuation marks. Your cue-sheet will also be easier to read if you set up your measure numbers and head cues apart from the rest of the descriptive text.
After you have put everything down on paper put it away for a few days. Then go back and check it for consistency and errors. Be sure to check both parts, man's and woman's. Be double sure about your music/beat notations (see enclosed). Using the wrong notations makes a cue-sheet difficult to interpret and wrong. Remember, most cuers will only have your cue-sheet to learn the dance from. If you want them to dance it the way you intended you must make your cue-sheet as clear and accurate as possible.
Last, but not least, give your completed, checked & re-checked cue-sheet, and a copy of the record, to a cuer you know and ask them if they will look at your dance, work it out from the cue-sheet, and give you their honest comments. In this way you can see if your cue-sheet is written to say what you want. But prepare yourself for their critique, which won't always be only praise. Evaluate it, and use it to your best good.
Now you are ready to mail your cue-sheet to a record-distribution company and to the various cue-sheet publication magazines - and wait for your dance to hit the popularity charts.
Have fun and good luck!
STANDARD PUNCTUATION FOR ROUND DANCE CUE SHEETS
; shows the end of a measure
, shows the end of a beat
- shows a hold or wait during a beat
/ shows either split timing (2 steps on one beat) or a split figure (man does one figure/woman a different figure)
( ) use only to show woman's steps
[ ] or <
> use to surround extra information
{ } used for figure name in detail portion of cue sheet
SOME STANDARD ROUNDALAB ABBREVIATIONS
NOTE: These are just a few of the standard ROUNDALAB abbreviations. If you want to write a dance using the correct abbreviations, you need to get the complete list from ROUNDALAB, or from the ECTA library. You may also write us.
All positions, directions are shown using capital letters (OP, COH, LF)
Any number may be used in numeric form (two forward two's = 2 fwd 2's)
A hyphen (-) may replace the word "to" (face-to-face = fc-fc / change places right to left = chg plcs R-L)
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In 4/4 timing, the timing for most 2-steps, foxtrot, mambo, cha cha, rhumba, tango, etc., you have 4 beats to one measure. That is shown by the top number.
You would write 4 even, quick steps like this, "L,R,L,R;" In the same timing, to show 2 quick steps and one slow step, you would write, "L,R,L,-;"
Waltz timing is 3/4, which means that there are 3 beats to one measure (top number). Therefore 3 even steps in one waltz measure could be "L,R,L;"
SAMPLE CUE SHEET
This is just to give you an example of how you can format a cue sheet. Mine is not the only method, but I do feel it is clear.
NAME OF THE DANCE
CHOREOGRAPHERS:
ADDRESS: PHONE NO.:
RECORD: RHYTHM:
FOOTWORK: opposite unless indicated PHASE:
SEQUENCE:
INTRO
1-4 BFLY/WALL WAIT;; APT,-,ACK; TOG,-,TCH;
1-2 BFLY pos M fcg prt & WALL wait;;
3-4 step apt L, -, pt R twds ptr, -; step tog R to CP/WALL,-, tch L to R;
PART A
1-8 2 SIDE 2-STEPS;; BOX;; SCIS TO SCAR & BJO;; FWD HITCH; HITCH/SCIS
THRU TO SCP;
1-2 in CP/WALL sd L, cl R to L, sd L, tch R to L; sd R, cl L to R, sd R, tch L to R;
3-4 sd L, cl R to L, fwd R, -; sd R, cl L to R, bk R,-;
5-6 sd L, cl R to L, XRif of L trng RF to end SCAR/RLOD,-; sd R, cl L to R, XLif
of R trng LF to end BJO/LOD,-;
7-8 fwd L, cl R to L, bk L,-; bk R, cl L to R, fwd R to end SCP/LOD, -; (woman -
trng RF step sd L, cl R to L, thru L, -;) |
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