Exploring using props in dance

In recent years there have been many dance reality television shows (such as Strictly come dancing, Dancing on Ice, So you think you can dance and Britain's got talent) which all use props at some point during the show. These television programmes have brought dance to a wider audience, as like Singing in the rain did back in the `1950's with it being one of the first great musicals which showed dance in the cinema (MGM had created a way of putting sound and colour into film and those who could not afford to go to the theatre experienced dance performances for the first time). Having been inspired by one of my dance icon's Gene Kelly, I looked for guidance from his popular "Singing in the rain" routine. In this routine he uses his hat and his umbrella. See link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ

(Other interest may be the George samson version of "Singing in the rain"
 which won him Britain's got talent 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyDnYeUnT7w and the
 more recent Glee "Singing in the rain / Umbrella" medley, which uses the umbrella as the main prop again, but has a strong focus on group/ensemble dancing, different to that of Gene Kelly's solo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3bhQbO63uI).

I have recently been working hard to choreograph our school show "Footloose". I have discovered the use of props in dance to be an exciting challenge. I decided to use props for the Act one Finale number so that these props could then be cleared from the stage during the interval. I choose a variety of props to match the 'gym' theme for the scene. These included basketballs, others hula hoops, a skipping rope and a few sets of pompoms. During rehearsals I encouraged my students to explore ways of using the props and to create techniques for incorporating them into the dance routine (structured improvisation). The students were challenged to master the skill of prop work and I found that mostly they demonstrated an increased enthusiasm and focus during these sessions.

Overall the dance routine was presented with high energy, artistic flair and control during the performance. The audience seemed delighted and gave an outstanding applause. In my experience I have found that bringing props into dance helps to inspire dis-engaged students, maintain student focus and challenges even the most able dance student. I will certainly use props again in the future and hope to explore them further to develop new techniques and skills. Any ideas are welcome?