Dance Production Design and Technology

Dance Production: Design and Technology introduces you to the skills you need to plan, design, and execute the technical aspects of a dance production. While it may not seem that staging a dance production is that different from a play or musical, in reality a dance performance offers up unique intricacies and challenges all its own, from scenery that accommodates choreography, to lighting design that sculpts the body, and costumes that complement movement. This unique book approaches the process of staging a dance production from a balanced perspective, making it an essential resource for dancers and designers alike.

Covering a broad range of topics, author Jeromy Hopgood takes the reader through the process of producing dance from start to finish ? including pre-production planning (collaboration, production process, personnel, performance spaces), design disciplines (lighting, sound, scenery, costumes, projections), stage management, and more. Bridging the gap between theatrical and dance design, the book includes a quick reference guide for theatrical and dance terminology, useful in giving dancers and designers a common working vocabulary that will ensure productive communication across the different fields.

I. Acknowledgements

II. Introduction

PART 1: Thinking Ahead

1. Collaboration
2. Pre-Production Planning
3. Performance Spaces

PART 2: Production Areas

4. Lighting
5. Creating the Lighting Design
6. Sound
7. Creating the Sound Design
8. Scenery & Props
9. Creating the Scenic Design
10. Costumes, Hair, and Make-up
11. Creating the Costume Design
12. Projections & Video
13. Creating the Projection Design
14. Stage Management

PART 3: Quick Reference

15. Dance Terminology
16. Theatre Terminology

Jeromy Hopgood is a tenured Associate Professor at Eastern Michigan University, where he created the Entertainment Design & Technology program – one of the only of its kind in the country. In addition to his teaching, Jeromy has designed more than 100 plays, musicals, dance, and opera productions over the last decade. Jeromy worked at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in its Tony Award-winning season alongside numerous Broadway designers, and he is an Artistic Associate for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival. Jeromy is also the author of QLab 3 Show Control: Projects for Live Performances and Installations by Focal Press.