Elevator Pitch: A pair of lonely mismatched shoes try to find each other and dance together.

Character Relationships: 

The main relationship to be explored in this sketch is the relationship between the two shoes. The shoes are lonely and desperate for a connection, but they are from two very different areas of a shoe store and cannot communicate very well. Other characters may include matched pairs of shoes that move in conventional ways (or just stand still) but you can tell that they connect very well. The main 2 shoes try to connect to these pairs before finding each other, but the other pairs of shoes are already complete and don’t want a third member. The two main characters are empathetic and connect to the audience, so they stand out the most from the many shoes. There are also some physical obstacles between the two main shoes in which they are not able to see each other and have to get past those to finally meet and figure out to dance as one performance. The two shoes have different personalities, as one is an extrovert and the other is an introvert. They have different relationships with their environment which remains the same.

Story Beat outline: 

1. The main 2 shoes start off in different locations in a shoe store.
2. The extrovert shoe tries to frantically dance with the other pairs of shoes in the store.
3. The pairs of shoes ignore the extrovert shoe and it trudges away.
4. The introvert shoe tries to interact with the other pairs of shoes in its section.
5. The pairs of shoes scare the introvert shoe and it flees.
6. The introvert shoe hits a wall and makes a really loud sound.
7. The sound of the introvert shoe hitting a wall or an obstacle surprises everyone else. The shoes stop dancing and the extrovert shoe jumps in shock.
8. The extrovert shoe kicks the wall to make a sound in response. The introvert shoe spins with joy to hear something respond to it.
9. The introvert shoe rhythmically kicks the wall and the extrovert shoe moves to the beat.
10. The extrovert shoe responds with a new rhythm and the introvert shoe dances to it.
11. The introvert shoe swivels so far that it accidentally ends up in the other section next to the extrovert shoe.
12. The main 2 shoes are happy as they dance together as one performance.

1.7.3.4. Notes on Realization

The movements of the robots represent dancing and the movement of feet in shoes. The audience doesn’t need to see the shoes as sentient or magical, but the shoes can’t be understood as robots in-universe.

There is no dialogue, but there will be music and Foley effects, especially of the 2 main shoes hitting the wall.

The performance will begin by focusing on the extrovert shoe and not show the other shoe. Then, it will focus on the introvert shoe. Finally, the shoes will come together and both will be visible.

The background characters will be operated from a wall behind the shelves and will have simple tapping movements controlled by joints that rotate in one dimension. The main characters will be on the ground, operated by pneumatic devices that are hidden under the floor. There should be some function that would allow the shoes to tilt back and forth to simulate a walking or dancing motion as they twirl on their toes or heels. It is implied that the environment is a standard shoe store–nothing fancy or exciting usually happens here.

Shelves with many matching pairs of shoes are required. These pairs of shoes do not have to dance, but some small rhythmic movement would help show the conventionality and exclusivity of these pairs. This would also help the main characters of the performance stand out. A spotlight would be necessary to show each main character before they eventually discover each other. There would definitely be music–some simple riffs would help to show the mood of these characters as they try and fail to connect with the other shoes. However, there’d be a more exciting, complete song as the shoes come together and dance.

1.7.3.5. Evaluation

This approach will attempt to answer how two independent robotic characters can eventually group together and move as one performance. It will also attempt to emulate dance-like movements mechanically.