Ever since I choreographed my first dance (a jazz/modern piece to Papaya’s song “Cinderella”) back in 8th grade, I’ve been constantly improvising dances on the streets, in my house, in random hallways.. basically anywhere there is room to do a few leaps and turns without crashing into valuables. To confess the truth, ever since 9th grade I have stayed up late nights for the sole purpose of dancing around to music from my mp3 player or stereo, and my secret ambition is to choreograph for the stage.

I’m not quite sure of the number of routines I already have in my repertoire, but some of the more prominent ones include:
- Papaya (jazz/modern solo from 8th grade; I went over the time limit by 2 minutes)
- Itooshii Hito no Tame ni (ribbon fan solo from 8th grade)
- Elysium (a ribbon dance duet I did with Ryo back in 9th grade)
- Respect (jazz/hiphop choreographed with Ryo, Leighanne, and Sarah in 9th grade)
- Pompeii (modern dance for quartet, created for 10th grade, but everyone didn’t want to learn something so hard or use BGM so heavy and epic, so we ended up doing some pop song “Perfect Day” instead)

The main purpose of this post, however, is not to reminisce of choreographed routines of days past. Rather, it is to announce my latest work, which will be a full-scale ballet routine for a team of about 50: the Battle scene from the Chronicles of Narnia’s first installment. After listening to the battle BGM for about 12 hours straight, I started creating images in my mind of how an epic dance to this would unfold. While my siblings were out at swim team, I actually got out of my chair and tried to do a few moves in my office (a difficult feat, as there isn’t much room). I have a pretty good feel for the way the routine should play out, how different characters should be personalized, and how lighting should accommodate. In case you’ve no interest at all in the performing arts, I’ve put the details of the aforementioned properties under a “read more” cut.

Cast list: Pevensie children, White Witch, Aslan, Witch’s minions (at least 20), Narnians (at least 20)

Rough sketch of scenes:
0:00 - 0:36 ~ pitch black, silhouettes of Peter and a few Narnians
0:37 - 1:16 ~ Narnian group feature, expressions of bravery and anxiety
1:17 - 1:32 ~ positions for the Narnian group, small Peter/Edmund solo as they anticipate enemy entrance
1:33 - 1:38 ~ stage blackout; Narnians exit
1:39 - 2:00 ~ stage flash; Witch’s army entrance and feature
2:00 - 2:15 ~ Narnians surround Witch’s army; fighting scene; eventually the Witch’s army will end up in a circle around their leader as the Narnians attack them from the outside
2:16 - 2:22 ~ Witch performs a spell, and everyone around her falls away, leaving her free to leap out of the circle and appear behind Peter, raising her wand to strike
2:23 - 2:36 ~ stage blackout
2:37 - 2:50 ~ lights up on stage right; Susan and Lucy lament the death of Aslan
2:50 - 2:58 ~ Aslan’s ressurection and call for reinforcements; this section ends with Aslan gesturing somehow towards stage left, head held high
2:59 - 3:03 ~ lights return stage left; Aslan group exits; Peter is able to block the Witch’s strike and runs back stage right to his troops as the Witch returns to call her own
3:04 - 3:18 ~ Firebird’s solo; Witch’s army falls back
3:19 - 3:44 ~ Firebird falls, Witch advances; Witch and Peter duet, eventually leading upstage, crossing swords, then separating back to their respective armies. Meanwhile, Edmund on stage right directs shower of arrows.
3:45 - 3:58 ~ arrows group choreography, Witch army moves far stage left
3:59 - 4:35 ~ Witch appears from her group with wand, freezes all of the arrows, who fall. Another fight scene ensues between the armies, covering the stage enough to let the arrows move offstage and change into costumes for the reinforcements that Aslan later brings. Add several slow-motion scenes here.
4:36 - 4:52 ~ everyone continues to slow-motion fight in the background (dim red light) as the spotlight moves from one area of the stage to another, highlighting those who fall or are successful in their fight
4:53 - 5:40 ~ Witch and Peter yet again; she is about to kill Peter when Edmund rushes in and breaks her wand
5:40 -  6:15 ~ Witch advances on Edmund but Aslan’s reinforcements arrive; more epic fighing ensues; Witch/Peter fight some more
6:16 - 6:23 ~ climax; Witch has Peter on the ground, assumes a pose above him. The other members of the Witch’s army do the same for their Narnian foes. Spotlight Witch/Peter, and..
6:24 - end ~ suddenly, all the Witch’s army falls. Aslan is revealed to be standing behind the Witch, his head high, noble, and fierce. He steps downstage and assumes a pose of victory, which the Pevensie children mimic, along with the surviving Narnians.

Characterizations:
White Witch - tattered dress of white, lined with rhinestones; she must have dramatic makeup, hair in a bun that will allow her freedom of movement, since she will be doing various jetes and russians. She will carry a wand and/or twin swords at various moments, depending on the scene. Her steps will be characterized by ominous, fluid-yet-stiff movements; her hands will be shaped in the claw fashion, and often she will lean in viciously to overwhelm her enemies.

She’s pretty much the only one I’ve put thought into characterization. I’ve still got lots to do x_x

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