How To Prepare A Good Religious Dance Drama

Preparation for a good religious dance drama takes a lot of time, money, and resources. Here’s a short outline that will help you stay organized.

Whether you are a professional dance teacher or you are given the responsibility to prepare a performance for your church or society, this short guide will help you create an outline for a good religious dance drama.

Preparing a religious dance drama is a huge responsibility, with everything on a larger-than-life scale. As a choreographer, you are teaching dance steps and a story that has historical and cultural significance. People are emotionally and spiritually connected to a religious subject, so a choreographer should always take a conservative approach while preparing a religious dance drama. The elements of a religious choreography can be divided into three parts: adapting the story for the stage, the choreography framework, and accessories that enhance the effects.

Disclaimer: All contents and suggestions in this post are based on my experience as a dance teacher. There are no affiliate links attached to this post.

POST CONTENTS
Story and characters
Basic structure of the religious choreography
Costumes, props, light, and sound effects

STORY AND CHARACTERS

A religious dance drama is based on mythology, and therefore, the story and characters remain unchanged. However, the script has to be adapted to the number of participants, the size of the stage, and the production cost. It’s relevant that all these three things will be prepared simultaneously instead of waiting for the choreography to be complete. Even when the number of your participants decreases or increases, it shouldn’t affect the progress of your project.

The two biggest parts of a religious dance drama are the music and the interesting props. Some choreographers do start teaching the steps early on if they are experienced, but until you are absolutely sure, you should wait for at least the first part of the music composition to be completed. You simply cannot keep the costumes mediocre in a religious dance drama because they have emotional significance for the audience. You need to be smart to keep a balance between what is required and what is available at the moment.

The easiest way to modify the script is to keep the most emulated quotations that are relevant for the story as well as for the characters.

BASIC STRUCTURE OF A RELIGIOUS CHOREOGRAPHY

Just like you check your destination on a GPS map, you need to create a rough flowchart of how your choreography will move forward. Sometimes, you will have to do casting according to the personality of a dancer without ignoring the talent. In a religious dance drama, you can choose a specific dance style or incorporate different dance styles. For example, a war can be depicted by including a folk war dance, and later, in an emotional scene, you can use the lyrical dance. The choreography should match the story and emotions of the characters.

You should add different dynamics by mixing dance stunts with special effects to highlight any fantasy dream sequence. Once the choreography is almost complete, you should start checking the props, costumes, and special effects.

COSTUMES, PROPS, LIGHT, AND SOUND EFFECTS

You know that the audience is expecting a larger-than-life experience from a religious dance drama, and you should likewise keep the accessories that suit the magnitude. You don’t have to keep the dance steps quick and detailed. The bigger the steps, the easier it is for the audience to understand the intention of the character.

You also need to coordinate with the sound and light engineer while your students are rehearsing their moves with the help of your dance assistant. You should always keep the final rehearsal of each section at least 10 days before the performance day.

Conclusion

All in all, a religious dance drama should have the following outline for a good show:

• Keep the story and character portrayal conventional but easy to modify.
• Rewrite the script, highlighting the memorable quotes.
• The music should be composed as soon as possible, along with the choreography sections prepared simultaneously.
• Draw a flowchart of your choreography to stay organized.
• Casting should be done keeping in mind the personality and talent of a person.
• The dance style can vary or remain the same as long as it fulfils the emotions of the storyline.
• Costumes, props, light, and sound effects should be kept according to the magnitude of the story.
• Final rehearsals should be done at least 15 minutes prior to the final performance.