LIGHT DANCE

A light routine can be an exciting addition to any teams' performance venue.
The light sticks (Which can be purchased in the JFK Dance Etc. Catalog) are the disposable type. You snap them, shake them, and they begin to glow. When preparing your choreography it would be wise to purchase a few sets and get together several dancers. If you are new to light stick choreography experiment in the dark. Some tips: The faster you move your lights the more the light will stream. Figure 8's, large circles, slices, shaking, drumming, and rolling work well. Consider tying the lights on a string to add a different twist to the choreography. (Make sure dancers are spread out when doing this to avoid injury.) Please note, make sure dancers hold the lights still or all movement is detected. For instance when they slap, they must "stick" or the bouncing will be noticed. Revolving, crossing through and visual movement is very appealing with the lights. Also try lying on your back and do simple "snow angels" (X bodies) and slices. The lights will look like they are popping off the ground. Also, throwing them up in the air at the end of the routine looks like fireworks. Hide lights in pocket or up shirt and travel to a different formation in the dark. When you bring them out, you will be in a different place and it is a great surprise for the audience. Check how long it takes your schools lights to come back on. If they are slow, I suggest having parents bring a flashlight. The minute the light dance is finished, they turn their lights on to assist people moving in the bleachers. If you are doing the routine at a Dance Team show, it can be done last. This way if your lights are slow to come on, it doesn't hold up the show. My team has done lights at both football and basketball half-times and have had wonderful response.
Wear dark clothing. We use hooded sweat shirts. Cover logos with electrical tape. (Otherwise it often times glows in the dark.) We use the pockets to stash lights, and often pull another one out of our sleeve for a color change!
Additional items to consider.....
* In order for the light routine to look it's very best, the gym must be pitch black. This way you can not see the dancers bodies, just the light sticks.
* Ask a custodian to take out bulbs ahead of time in the emergency light or cover them with tinfoil or black paper.
* Make sure all security lights can be turned off. (Do a trial run.) Someone should TEST the "darkness factor" that day a few hours before the show even if you have done a trial run. Sometimes one light is overlooked and it can ruin the show.
* Cover all doors & windows in dark black construction paper.
* Assign people to cover each entrance and hold the door shut during light show.
* Assign people to turn off lights right before show and right back on after show. They need to practice this ahead of time. They each need to have a flashlight.
* One flashlight or lamp for the sound table. (So you can turn on and off your music.)
* Announce to take small children onto your lap and no flash photography. The kids get scared and the flash ruins the light show effect.
* Always order a few extra light sticks, as often times there are duds.
* I suggest one set of lights for practice and a second set for performance. You can try to freeze the lights for practice reuse. It doesn't always work but often will.