In this article, you will learn how to write an anchoring script for a Dance Performance or a dance competition.
Table of Contents
- Welcome Speech
- Honouring the Chief Guests
- Inviting the Dance Guru/ Headteacher to Say a Few Words
- Dance Performance
- End of the Event
Welcome Speech
It is important for an anchor to always start a program with a quote, a poem or some famous saying so that he or she is able to capture the attention of the audience. For dance performance events, quotes on the topic of dance, expression, creativity and art can be a good start.
We have selected and listed here some interesting quotes that you can use at the beginning of a dance performance event:
- “The truest expression of a people is in its dance and its music. Bodies never lie.” – Agnes de Mille
- “Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” – Rumi
Choosing a fitting quotation and then following it up with a good welcome speech can help an anchor immediately capture the attention of the audience and kick start an event.
A welcome speech for a dance performance event can be something like this:
“Good morning/ good afternoon/ good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am [your name], your host for today’s/ tonight’s program. On the behalf of [insert the name of the academy/organisers; eg. ABC Dance Academy], I warmly welcome you all to this event. We are really honoured to have the Honourable Sourabh Rao, M.L.A., and Dance Master Rohit Tyagi as our chief guests today. Dear chief guests, invitees, parents and guardians as well as our beloved students, I am very glad to have you all with us today/ tonight and I welcome you with all my heart to witness and enjoy the event.
Today/ tonight, the students of our [academy name] are going to present several amazing dance performances for you. They have trained for months and practised hard under the guidance and supervision of our teachers. Let us all look forward to their performances with a lot of excitement and anticipation. Thank you.”
Honouring the Chief Guests
“I would first like to invite our respected Academy Head, Mr/ Ms [name] and our honourable guests, Mr/ Ms [name] and Mr/ Ms [name] to please come up on the stage. Thank you.
Now, I would like to request Mr/ Ms [Academy Head’s name] to honour our chief guests with the bouquets and mementoes. We thank you for gracing us with your presence. Thank you.”
After the ceremony:
“- Thank you, respected sir/ ma’am. I would now request you all to please take your seats and enjoy the event. Thank you. Let’s give them a huge round of applause.”
Inviting the Dance Guru/ Headteacher to Say a Few Words
Without teachers, life would have no class. Our respected Guru once reiterated a quote by Merce Cunningham to us. It said – ‘You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that fleeting moment when you feel alive.
It is not for unsteady souls.’ It became our go-to quote every time things got hard. Our Guru’s words always give us strength and motivation and help us keep moving forward. So, I would now like to request our beloved Dance Guru, Mr/ Ms [name], to please come on the stage and say a few words to guide us. Thank you.
After the speech
“Thank you, Sir/ Ma’am. Your words always inspire and encourage us to dream big and never stop chasing them. Thank you. Everyone, please give him/ her a huge round of applause. Thank you.”
Dance Performance
“Dancing is surely the most basic and relevant of all forms of expression. Nothing else can so effectively give outward form to an inner experience.” – Lyall Watson
“It is now time for us to enjoy the performances that our talented dancers have so meticulously prepared for. So, let me invite on the stage our first act of the day/ night, our youngest dancers, 6-year-old [name 1] and 7-year-old [name 2]. Please welcome them with a huge round of applause.”
After the performance
“That was incredible! Oh my God! [Name 1 and name 2], your both are brilliant. We are so proud of you! Thank you for such a beautiful performance. Everyone, please give them a huge round of applause.”
For the next performance
“Indian classical dance is sustained by a profound philosophy. The form seeks to merge with the formless, motions seek to become a part of the motionless, and the dancing individual seeks to become one with the eternal dance of the cosmos.” – Nita Ambani
“Indeed, Indian classical dance is about so much more than just moves. Traditionally, many of our classical dances were performed as a form of religious storytelling, showing scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata. Honouring that, today, our Bharatnatyam dancers will perform Shri Krishna Leela. Please put your hands together for our talented dancers – [names].”
After the performance
“What a graceful performance! It was so beautiful that I started to tear up! Oh my! Thank you for such a brilliant performance. Everyone, please give our talented students a huge round of applause.”
The anchor can similarly welcome different acts on the stage and carry on with the show.
Here are some quotes that can be used to introduce different acts:
“The Dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing.” – Doris Humphrey
“…The art of ballet chooses the dancer, not the other way around.” – Kevin McKenzie
“We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.” – Albert Einstein
After the last performance:
“What a beautiful performance! Incredible! I am spellbound! You guys are truly amazing! Thank you for such an amazing performance. Everyone, please give them a huge round of applause. They deserve it!”
End of the Event
“In a society that worships love, freedom and beauty, dance is sacred. It is a prayer for the future, a remembrance of the past and a joyful exclamation of thanks for the present.” – Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
“With that, we have now come to the conclusion of the event. I hope that you enjoyed all the dance performances that our students had so meticulously prepared. Thank you for attending this event and making it successful.”
“Thank you all for your time, encouragement, love and support. I would like to especially thank our chief guests who took time out of their extremely busy schedules to attend this event and boost the morale of our students. Thank you so much. Also, our Academy Head, our teachers, all the staff members, organisers and our hardworking students without whose help and input, this event wouldn’t have been possible – Thank you!”
“Thank you, everyone! Have a good night!”
Note: This is a sample script meant to provide you with a basic idea of how to write an anchoring script for a dance performance. Feel free to use this script and edit it as per your needs.