We sat down with the choreographer and costume creator for Game Over, Tiffany Morse, and learned a little more about what went into making the dance. Game Over, performed by our Ballet A Competition team received a High Point award at Releve and Best Costume at Step Up.
This is such a creative dance! Where did you first get the idea for this concept?
I was exploring a lot of movie themes and came upon some orchestrated video game music. I considered the themes from Zelda and Angry Birds but ultimately went with Mario. It had so much color to it.
The costumes are a big part of what makes this dance. Did you know exactly what you wanted from the beginning or did they evolve over time?
I could see the vision of the costumes but not all the details and I couldn’t explain them. That’s why I tend to work alone on projects like this. I knew I wanted it based off of the traditional game, but for it to still be feminine so I kept the overalls look that Mario wears and turned it into a dress. I really wanted puff sleeves and a criss cross back and I’m so pleased with how they turned out.
What about the props? Were they always a part of the dance?
My creative process is super funky. As I was drawing up the costumes the props came along with them. I wanted to keep them very vintage feeling – almost like they are a little pixilated. I knew they would really speak to a certain segment of the audience that way.
That dragon head is great! How did you figure it out?
Turns out Pinterest has a lot of DIY templates for Chinese dragons and I was able to start with one of them and turn it into the dragon head you see in the dance. A friend came over and helped me with it and we laughed our butts off trying to get it to come together. Thanks to all of the moms who helped cut out the difference pieces that went into it.
What is your personal favorite moment in the dance?
I really love every moment where the dancers have had to learn a difficult technical skill because those moments aren’t just part of this dance, they’re part of their journey as dancers and they’ll serve them for years to come.
I also really like the moment where the dragon comes out and Charolette is staring at her hand with everything that she is!
What was the hardest part of teaching this dance?
This dance has a lot of layers. So many parts where not everyone is doing the same thing or moving the same direction. When you’re just one person it’s difficult to be dealing with two, or even three different sections that are all happening at once and keeping all of those dancers engaged.
What makes you most proud of this dance?
This team has worked so hard and come so far as a team! From their first competition when their spacing was such a mess, to where they ended up by the end of the season was amazing.
They’ve also really learned to be a team. Instead of seeing each other’s weaknesses they give each other room for growth.
What do you hope the dancers remember from this dance?
I’ve loved getting to introduce this old school version of Mario to a new generation. We watched the first level of the game in class one day and I just loved getting to see their faces! I’ve told them they will remember this dance their entire lives – and so will I. The one thing that we’ve said all year and will continue to serve them their whole lives is this: “Excellence is in the details”
Game Over will be performed this Thursday, June 13th in the 8:00 recital. Tell us what you think! We want to know YOUR personal favorite moment in this dance.
