Stage performance ideas to excite a cultural or school festival

piano four hands

Sing Sing Sing piano duet

When it comes to opportunities to play the piano at school, it often means accompanying a chorus or performing classical pieces solo.

But as a culture festival–specific act, I also recommend piano duets.

If you take turns playing solo parts so each of you has a moment to shine, it will be even more exciting.

Let’s learn history in a dance class

The Shimabara Rebellion — Dancing Lesson Series [I Tried Dancing, You Know]

Let’s express the Japanese history we usually study—like the Shimabara Rebellion, the Incident at Honnō-ji, and Perry’s Arrival—through song and dance! Wouldn’t it be exciting to perform it live? Jumping straight into original songs and choreography can be challenging, right? So let’s start by performing some covers.

Mario dance with the whole class

We tried dancing Mario with the whole class.

Since it’s a character everyone knows and a famous game sound, both the dancers and the audience are sure to enjoy it! If you have a large group, the sense of unity alone creates plenty of impact, so even simple choreography is impressive.

This way, even people who aren’t good at dancing will be fine! It’s perfect for a school festival where you want to boost team spirit, and it’s easy for the whole class to take on together.

puppet show

2014 Sanno Island Performing Arts and Culture Festival Program: Puppet Show “The Story of Buying Parents”

Puppet shows, which use puppets to perform plays, are a great option for cultural festivals or school festivals where there are many young children.

As for the story, you can perform a traditional Japanese folktale, and if you have the time to create one, you might try doing an original piece as well.

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Saitō Ayumu

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Live performance by a popular artist

MONGOL800 / Urasoe High School 50th Anniversary Surprise Live

A live performance by a popular artist at a school festival is a perfect chance to hear the music of well-known bands and artists in person.

If you love music, of course you’ll enjoy it, and even if you don’t usually listen to much music, you might become a fan of how great it is—or even get hooked on live shows.

If the artist is extremely famous and mainstream, the budget might be an issue, but up-and-coming bands or artists with ties to the school or the local area might be happy to take part.

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utatane

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lip-sync karaoke

Lip-Sync Hit Studio

Many people host karaoke contests or “best singer” championships as stage performances or acts.

It feels great to watch someone who can really sing, and you can’t help thinking, “I wish I could sing like that.” That’s why I recommend lip-sync karaoke, where you go all out pretending to sing.

Pick songs you normally couldn’t handle—like those with insanely high notes—and perform them as if you’re that artist! Of course, it’s lip-syncing! Dress the part, too, and express yourself on stage with full emotion.

It’s guaranteed to be a hit!

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utatane

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pantomime

A certain high school’s cultural festival — A solo performance — Pantomime and tricking (acrobatics)

Pantomime refers to a form of theater that uses the body and facial expressions instead of spoken lines.

A common kind of pantomime performance involves gesturing as if imaginary objects—such as walls, doors, stairs, escalators, ropes, or balloons—actually exist on stage.

Practice regularly and be sure to showcase it at the school cultural festival.