Tips for Editing Intermediate Dances

In some dance recitals, intermediate dances is the dominating category. Many programs do not offer adequate training to produce dance much beyond the beginner level. For this category of dancers, editing can make a huge difference in the apparent quality of the performance.

Tips

• If the dance looks a little disorganized, cutting to the music helps. Most choreography is designed around the words, so make the cut at the end of a verbal phrase.
• High energy, driving music calls for more cuts. Don’t make the mistake of holding wide shots for too long — this will rob the dance of its energy. If there isn’t a good alternate wide shot, use short close-ups to highlight then cut back to the wide shot.
• Highlight good, dramatic and/or impressive dance moves with short close-ups to emphasize when dancers do something well. Keep these shots short, and they won’t obscure other parts of the choreography. Begin the close-up just as the dancer is starting the move and end toward its finish or after it is completed. Cutting in the middle of a move can make it seem to “disappear”.
  

In conclusion, editing can make an important contribution to intermediate dance videos. Cuts timed to music make the dancers appear more organized; poor timing makes the dancers appear worse. Adding cuts adds energy. Short close-ups emphasize good moves. Review the videos in this section to see what the edited dances should look like.