Pro-Am Solo Exhibitions

[samina]

anybody have experience with these? am "competing" my first one this friday at the north american in cherry hill...

i know that you don't compete against anyone... there's no placement... but apparently the benefit is that you get comments & critiques from the judges...

what sort of experience & feedback have you had with this event?

[Terpsichorean Clod]

Sounds exactly like my medal exam.

[NielsenE]

I've done them at the closed FADS comps, so YMMV, but typically its been a three judge panel. Each judge awards a score from 1-100, with the average being the announced score, but you get to see the individual scoare. Each judge has written 4-5 sentences. Typically the positive comments for me were unexpected, while the constructive critiques were what I expected already... Let me see if I have any with me/ones that I'd be wiling post...

[samina]

Let me see if I have any with me/ones that I'd be wiling post...

oooo... that'd be awesome

three judges, huh... if i recall correctly, at regionals i thought i saw a showdance & the judges brought special chairs out to sit in a row at the front. is that common?

[NielsenE]

yes, everytime I've seen a showcase/formation team show the judges are in chairs on the floor. Normally along a long wall. In most cases I've seen its been the opposite wall as where the podium/stage/head table is, so that typically the judges and video vender are normally close to colocated so the "front" of the show is easily captured by the video while being watched by the judges... (Often this has meant that most of the audience is on the wings, but you can't please everyone)

[etp777]

Yep, that about sums up what i've seen at our comps/heard from people who did the exhibitions. One couple in particular was really unhappy with feedback they got from judge I know, but can't say that it was wrong. I don't think they'd done any private coachings, so most everything they've heard is the teachers trying to be complimentary, whereas in coachings more likely to get real critique (which can be hard to take. Know I have not enjoyed certain portions of my coachings. Well, except for coaching with nadia, didn't matter what she said, I just enjoyed fact she was talking to me. :D )

[samina]

well, that sounds convenient as far as how it's choreographed, then... with the judges naturally having the audience view. that's good.

the idea of judges on chairs... makes it seem like a performance for the king or something... oy.. this so does not come naturally to me. have to brainwash myself each time that it does

[samina]

Yep, that about sums up what i've seen at our comps/heard from people who did the exhibitions. One couple in particular was really unhappy with feedback they got from judge I know, but can't say that it was wrong. I don't think they'd done any private coachings, so most everything they've heard is the teachers trying to be complimentary, whereas in coachings more likely to get real critique (which can be hard to take. Know I have not enjoyed certain portions of my coachings. Well, except for coaching with nadia, didn't matter what she said, I just enjoyed fact she was talking to me. :D )

well, at least i'm warmed up for the critique by my own pro's teaching style, which while gentle is not geared toward sugar-coating things very much... nope, he's pretty blunt. and i definitely don't have an over-inflated view of my dancing, so unless they come out & tell me "give it up..." i'll be okay. :)

actually, anything positive they might say is bound to be the most surprising thing that could happen. am feeling a bit silly about the notion that i'm putting my dancing out there for a judged show... "as if"...

[NielsenE]

While I've never thought of it as "royalty", I find the chairs slightly off-putting for a different reason though -- I'm used to ___trying___ to make eye contact with the audience/judges, but its much easier when they are at standing/stadium seating height rather than feeling like I have to either look down my nose, or drop my head....

I do need to remember to "remove' 5 feet of space when I run through my warmups on the floor to make sure I start far enough back... I tend to almost end up in the judges laps...

[samina]

I do need to remember to "remove' 5 feet of space when I run through my warmups on the floor to make sure I start far enough back... I tend to almost end up in the judges laps...

yes, we'll have to remember that as well because our last quickstep run goes straight up the middle & i'll be contrachecking into their faces, i suppose...

thanks for the heads-up on that...

[and123]

I did a number of showcases years ago, and the paper critiques were all that mattered to me. Invariably even the really sucky showcases got "marks" that were within a few points of the fantastic ones :rolleyes:. Personally, for the price that I paid, I'd rather book a private lesson and get some one-on-one attention versus pieces of paper from a few judges who may or may not give a flying fart. I *do* understand the desire to show off a particularly challenging or enjoyable dance performance in a larger venue though.

[NielsenE]

getting excited? only four days away now. Wish I was getting there on Friday to watch...

[samina]

stomach does flips just at the thought! only solution is to head to the practice room to go over the scary parts... well, pretty much everything is a scary part... heh :rolleyes:

i think what i value about having committed to doing this tho is that it DOES get me to push myself to hit stuff that is beyond my reach. that's probly the most valuable thing to me. so even if my level of dancing is embarrassingly inferior to be on the floor like that, it keeps moving me forward with real momentum.

and also helps overcome my fear of the spotlight. no small thing.

[contracheck]

anybody have experience with these? am "competing" my first one this friday at the north american in cherry hill...

i know that you don't compete against anyone... there's no placement... but apparently the benefit is that you get comments & critiques from the judges...

what sort of experience & feedback have you had with this event?
I have done it several times at severalcompetitions, Bolero and Paso. They give you a maximum of 3 minutes. In each case, six judges watchrd, scored and wrote critiques. You need to go to the organzer and ask for the critiques. If your average score is 90-100, you won the first place. 80.0-89.9 and to 79.9 are the second and third place, respectively. The critiques are useful for future improvement. In the beginning you may be nervous because there is no place hide, but your routine catchs up and you forget about the audience. I just let everything go holding no prisoner. One judge stated that he had never seen more animated dancer than I was. By pure accident, Mr. Sam Sodano happened to judge all of our performances, gave high marks and generous and encouraging critiques. He even stopped me in the hallway calling me "Mr. Bolero." I told him that it was the result of my eagle-eyed mericless coach, whom he seemed to know well. He responded by saying that she was well worth it. When we perfomed Paso at another competition 2 weeks later, he called me a dramatic dancer full of showmanship. When I ran into him at Manhattan competition 2 days ago, he, surprisingly, remembered me and looked very happy to find me there. Solo exhibition is the best way of exposing yourself to judges and impregnate your images into their mind. Go for it and do your best. I wish you the best.

[samina]

thanks, contra... that is indeed my intent... to go for it.

glad you've had such great reponse from the judges... must've made you feel wonderful. :)

[contracheck]

thanks, contra... that is indeed my intent... to go for it.

glad you've had such great reponse from the judges... must've made you feel wonderful. :)

One thing I forgot to mention is Floor orientation. The competition floor will most likely have a different orientation/shape from the floor where you practice. This difference used put me in tailspin, but I now avoid it by visiting the floor in advance with my coach and let her tell me which is front and which is back. She keeps on saying that the audience should see our front and not the back. I usually worry about my routine so much that I don't care which side is facing the audience.

[samina]

good point, contra.

we performed the routine for the first time last weekend in nutley... we'll probly use the same orientation, with the front being the long side where most audience sit.

[LucyDiamond]

good point, contra.

we performed the routine for the first time last weekend in nutley... we'll probly use the same orientation, with the front being the long side where most audience sit.
Do you plan on getting your exhibition video taped? If so, I'd recommend using the side where the cameras are as your orientation. That's what we did in Colorado last year. If you're not getting it taped then I'd suggest having the judges be your orientation and use them as your audience, unless there are people at the comp that you know, then use them. Just my thoughts.

[samina]

hmmm... yes. i do want this one video'd. but i don't want my back to the judges... quandary...

[LucyDiamond]

Since you are planning on getting it video'd, I would be less concerned about the judges than the cameras. I'm sure the judges are used to people using the cameras as the orientation. Also, I'd see what your pro thinks and go by that.

[NielsenE]

My advice. don't spend any energy worrying about it now. Wait until you see the venue... when you arrive check out where the video vendor will be shooting form, and ask the registration desk/event staff if they know where teh judges will be sitting for the solos. Then you/your teacher can make an informed decision... However I've yet to see a comp where using the judges as the front would generate a bad camera angle.... so I just don'tt think its worth worrying about in advance....

[samina]

I'd see what your pro thinks and go by that.

good idea

[samina]

My advice. don't spend any energy worrying about it now. Wait until you see the venue... when you arrive check out where the video vendor will be shooting form, and ask the registration desk/event staff if they know where teh judges will be sitting for the solos. Then you/your teacher can make an informed decision... However I've yet to see a comp where using the judges as the front would generate a bad camera angle.... so I just don'tt think its worth worrying about in advance....

okay, great... that's comforting. sounds good. am not gonna worry about this at all. am more concerned about the dancing...:rolleyes:

[MrBroadway]

okay, great... that's comforting. sounds good. am not gonna worry about this at all. am more concerned about the dancing...:rolleyes:

Ditto on the various remarks.
I would add - not all competitions provide written judges' comments, some competitions *do* announce or make available the specific scores (100-scale), some competitions *do* have a trophy or award for top solo (sometimes 2, for male & female), and some competitions (FADS) split the "solo exhibitions" into the categories of Solo, Novelty (a solo with props) and Showcase (more than 2 people but not a Formation). And I agree with the earlier remark - I get more useful criticism during a coaching or in personal feedback from a judge than from the written comments. (It's amazing what information you can get just by ASKING NICELY!)

The "facing" of the routine and "making room" for the judges' chairs is something that you can think about ahead of time, but you really can't make a final decision or final fix until you're actually at the competition - where are the judges going to be sitting, where are the video cameras situated, will the judges have a table in front of them (it DID happen - took LOTS of room out of the floor!!), will the judges and/or cameras be situated on the SHORT side of the floor (yes, can and did happen!). My partner & I usually figure out some "fixes" ahead of time, so that we don't end up in the judges' laps. And we usually play to the audience, over the heads of the judges - it keeps my head up! LOL (Unless we DO end up in a judge's lap, in which case we DO play to the judges! Been there, done that.)

[samina]

thanks, broadway.

we ended up using the same orientation on the floor which we used for practice and showcase, and there were three judges who all gave a 100-scale rating with some detailed handwritten notes.

i found their feedback helpful in that they all emphasized the need for improvement in one particular area -- foot pressure -- which i already knew, but it helps to hear it, and it launched immediate increased focused in that area. another wanted to see more finished lines, another increased shaping... and they all really enjoyed the choreography, which my pro appreciated hearing.

wish i had some photos of it, tho... nothing appeared on the comp vendor site. bummer.