Step-by-step guide
EirDance
See recital conflicts, find an order with fewer tight changes, then issue matching run-order and dancer sheets from one local project.
You organise a recital or showcase and need an order in which every dancer has enough time to change between routines, plus sheets for dancers and backstage helpers.
See it in use
Plan a 42-routine dance showcase
A screenshot walkthrough with fictional practice data. Select a step to explore.
1. Start with
Plan a 42-routine dance showcase
The fictional showcase has 42 routines and 90 dancers.
Sample files and contents
The built-in sample and samples/sample-roster.csv contain 42 routines and 90 fictional dancers. The opener, finale and routines beside the Act I intermission are fixed.
Practice files and guides are free. The complete app is included only where the product page says so.
2. In the app
Try it in three steps
- Load the synthetic sample and inspect 157 hard conflicts.
- Find a lower-conflict order and review ten quick changes.
- Export the run-order CSV and PDF packet.
Show every click and setting
- Open eirdance.html and choose Try the synthetic sample.
- Read the card: 157 hard conflicts across 38 groups. In Rules confirm the sample’s two-routine / five-minute minimum, quick-change thresholds, 30-second transitions and intermission after #21.
- Keep Standard effort, then choose Find a lower-conflict order.
- Choose Review tight changes, inspect the ten remaining dancer changes and review all fixed routines.
- Export run-order CSV and the complete PDF packet; use File → Save project file for a backup.
3. The result
Inspect the result
The example reaches zero hard conflicts while retaining all 42 routines. The packet shows the reviewed order and staff timing.
What to check in the practice result
With the documented default sample settings: 157 → 0 hard conflicts; 33 → 10 quick-change flags. All 42 routines and all 90 dancers remain. The run order lasts 2:28:15 from 6:00 PM, including the 15-minute intermission. The complete PDF contains 19 pages: two run-order pages, 16 dancer-sheet pages and one quick-change page. The free pack contains the actual CSVs, PDFs and saved project. This synthetic result does not guarantee an order for a real show.
This fictional example is shown in the working interface and in the supplied result. Review the guide before using your own files.
See the workflow at a glance
Choose a short explanation, then follow the worked example below. Check the requirements and compatibility before using your own files.
Show the quick changes before show night.
A running order needs room for the dancers who appear more than once. EirDance reviews a recital roster against your change-gap rules and helps you adjust the sequence before exporting run-order and change sheets. In the fictional nine-routine example, the optimizer reduces eight hard conflicts to zero while keeping the opening and finale fixed. That is a sample result, not a guarantee: review remaining quick-change flags, every conflict and the exported packet before a live show.
55-second silent illustrated overview. Reference images and educational illustrations explain the documented workflow; this is not a new recording of it.
Read the complete video transcript · Download MP4
View the illustrated card
Before you start
- Desktop Google Chrome. Tested in Chrome 152 on Linux; other browsers and operating systems are unverified.
- A roster CSV: one row per routine with columns such as ID, Title, Class, Style, Duration and Dancers (names separated by ;). “Download CSV template” gives you a starting file.
Your first result
Buy, download and open
Download EirDance-0.1.2.zip from checkout, extract the whole folder, and open EirDance-0.1.2/eirdance.html in desktop Chrome. No server or account is required. Start with docs/manual.html or choose Try the synthetic sample in the app.
Prepare the roster
Use one row per routine with a Dancers column (names separated by ;), or one row per routine and dancer with a Dancer column. Recognised columns: ID, Title (or Routine), Class, Style, Duration (m:ss, or minutes like 3.5), Dancers/Dancer, Fixed (first, last, a position number, before intermission, after intermission), Part (1 = before the first intermission), Notes and Position. Comma, semicolon and tab separated files are detected automatically. The “Help & CSV format” tab shows the same rules.
Import
Click “Import roster CSV” (or File ▾ → “Import roster CSV…”), then “Choose a file”, or paste CSV text into the box. A preview lists the routines, dancers and which columns were used. Enter a “Show name” if you like and click the “Import … routines” button. Importing replaces the current routines; Undo (↶) goes back.
Set the rules
Open “Rules” in the side panel. “Minimum change time (hard rule)” needs both a number of “Routines between” and a “Time between” two routines of the same dancer (new shows start at 2 routines and 5:00; 0 turns a limit off). “Quick-change flag (soft)” marks tight changes that are still allowed. Also set “Transition between routines”, “Show starts at”, intermissions (“+ Add intermission”), style preference and the PDF page size (US Letter or A4). For the 12-routine Winter Showcase example, a fresh import adds a 15-minute intermission after #6. In Rules, confirm its position and length. The default “A change across an intermission always has enough time” option is on; turn it off if it does not fit your show.
Check and optimize
The card above Run order shows the current hard-conflict count. Choose Find a lower-conflict order to run the local search with the selected effort, or open Optimize for effort and starting-order options. The result compares Before and Result; Undo restores the earlier order. Choose Review tight changes to inspect the backstage list after the sample search. Manual moves are re-checked. Fixed routines stay constrained; the bounded optimizer does not guarantee a conflict-free result.
Export and print
Use Export for run-order, change-sheet, quick-change and roster CSV files, or PDF sheets and a complete packet. When hard conflicts remain, the export menu warns you; review the output before use. Direct PDF export uses built-in Latin fonts. For non-Latin names use Print and Chrome’s Save as PDF, then inspect every name. Downloads go to your browser’s download folder.
Saving and backups
EirDance saves the show in this browser automatically (the status bar shows “Saved in this browser at …”) and reopens it next time. Browser storage can be cleared, so also use File ▾ → “Save project file” to download a .eirdance.json backup, and “Open project file…” to load it. “Clear data in this browser…” removes the stored show.
A worked example
A complete fictional showcase, from conflicts to crew sheets
Input: The built-in sample and samples/sample-roster.csv contain 42 routines and 90 fictional dancers. The opener, finale and routines beside the Act I intermission are fixed.
- Open eirdance.html and choose Try the synthetic sample.
- Read the card: 157 hard conflicts across 38 groups. In Rules confirm the sample’s two-routine / five-minute minimum, quick-change thresholds, 30-second transitions and intermission after #21.
- Keep Standard effort, then choose Find a lower-conflict order.
- Choose Review tight changes, inspect the ten remaining dancer changes and review all fixed routines.
- Export run-order CSV and the complete PDF packet; use File → Save project file for a backup.
Expected result: With the documented default sample settings: 157 → 0 hard conflicts; 33 → 10 quick-change flags. All 42 routines and all 90 dancers remain. The run order lasts 2:28:15 from 6:00 PM, including the 15-minute intermission. The complete PDF contains 19 pages: two run-order pages, 16 dancer-sheet pages and one quick-change page. The free pack contains the actual CSVs, PDFs and saved project. This synthetic result does not guarantee an order for a real show.
A clear next action at each step
Actual EirDance 0.1.2 screenshots in desktop Chrome 152 on Linux. All names are fictional.
1. Start with the conflicts
2. Improve the order, then review it
3. Inspect the tight changes
4. See unresolved problems before exporting
Troubleshooting
Checks says the rules are “Proven impossible”.
Some dancer is in too many routines for the show length with the current hard rule. Lower “Routines between” or “Time between”, add an intermission, or change the casting; the optimizer cannot fix it.
Conflicts remain after optimizing.
Run again with a higher Effort or a fresh shuffle, check that fixed positions are really needed, and review remaining conflicts by hand. The optimizer is a bounded search and does not guarantee a conflict-free order.
Durations or dancers were not recognised.
Use m:ss (3:05) or minutes (3.5) for Duration and separate dancer names with ; in the Dancers column. Check the import preview before clicking Import.
Names with non-Latin letters look wrong in the PDF.
Direct PDF export uses built-in Latin fonts. Use Print ▾ and choose Save as PDF in Chrome's print dialog instead.
My show is gone.
The browser's stored data was cleared or you used another browser or profile. Use File ▾ → “Open project file…” with your saved .eirdance.json, or import the roster again.
The quick-change count differs from the number of table rows.
Checks counts individual dancer changes. The Quick-change list groups dancers who move between the same pair of routines, so seven flagged dancer changes can appear in five rows. “No hard conflicts” still requires backstage review and rehearsal.
Compatibility & limits
- Tested with desktop Chrome 152 on Linux and synthetic rosters. Real school rosters, other browsers/OS, physical phones and physical printing are unverified.
- The optimizer does not guarantee a conflict-free order; review every conflict and exported sheet before a live show.
- One show per project; no per-dancer exceptions.
- No cloud sync, email to families or studio-software connection.
- Browser storage can be cleared. Save project files. Direct PDFs use built-in Latin fonts; inspect non-Latin names with Print / Save as PDF.
Need a hand?
Tell us the product, host application and version, what you tried, and the exact error. Contact support with a fictional example; keep private customer files and passwords out of your message.