If you’re a dance studio owner looking for a great recital theme, why not try a Circus theme this year? If you’re a person who loves to use props and colors, it’s perfect! Set up the stage so it looks like the inside of a circus tent. Most auditoriums will have a podium. Decorate that to resemble a ticket booth and paint a sign that says “tickets” on it. Stack some colorful boxes in the back corner of the stage. Use props such as hula hoops and beach balls. Balloons make a great addition. Just make sure you get enough so each child can take one home at the end of the recital. Parents will love their little ones dressed up as little lions or clowns. A Circus recital theme is sure to be a hit!
There are songs out there that can fit the theme appropriate for both older dancers as well as your preschoolers. Here are a few song ideas to get you started for your Circus themed dance recital!
1. Clowns – Send in the Clowns (a few artists have versions of this song)
2. Candy – I want Candy (Aaron Carter)
3. Trapeze – The Man on the Flying Trapeze
4. Acrobats – I’ll Tumble for You (Culture Club)
5. Animal Tamer – The Lion Sleeps Tonight
6. Ringmaster – Circus (Britney Spears)
7. Fire Eater – Hot, hot, hot
8. Tigers – Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
9. Dog Show – Who Let the Dogs Out?
10. Magician – Do You Believe in Magic? (Aly & AJ have a cute version)
11. Mime – Body Language
12. Bearded Lady – Bearded Lady (The Colour)
13. Elephant – Babar the Elephant
14. Horses – Wild Horses (Natasha Beddingfield) or Bring On the Dancing Horses (Echo and the Bunnyman)
15. Tightrope Walk – Tightrope (Stevie Ray Vaughan)
16. Circus Girl – Circus Girl (Michael Jackson)
17. Lollipop – Lollipop (Chrodettes)
18. Goodbye to the Circus – Aqua
Also, check out the musical “Barnum” and purchase a copy of the music from Cirque De Soleil. Both of these CDs will contain music appropriate for a Circus recital theme. For children, look into “JoJo’s Circus: Songs From Under the Big Top.”
Another helpful CD to consider is “Under The Big Top: 100 Years of Circus Music.” There are a lot of one and two minute traditional circus songs on that CD you could use either as small solos to highlight some dancers or as “in between” music when you need to do a set change.
