White walls are a type of transition used in the series.
Description[]
White walls are used as transition scenes at the beginning of an episode for the title sequence and between scenes throughout an episode to move seamlessly from one to the next. As implied by the name, the background is white.
Title sequences[]
In the opening sequence, which happens a few minutes into the episode, all of the members of A-Troupe are introduced amidst the show's theme song, "Stand Up." During this sequence, each character is introduced, with a brief solo routine (or duet, in the case of James and Riley in Season 1) and the inclusion of their name. Two characters share the screen at the same time. Usually, but not always, these characters have or will have a relationship or a friendship. For example, James and Riley are introduced together from Seasons 1 to 4 (they are in a relationship for basically the entire series) while Piper and Amy (they are best friends) are introduced together in Season 5. In the later seasons, sometimes the characters introduced after the two sharing the screen are also related to the aforementioned two. For example, Piper and Alfie are introduced after James and Riley in Season 4, having no relation to one another, but being related to the first two: Piper is James's sister and Alfie briefly became Riley's boyfriend.
It is common for characters to be introduced with different people during the opening sequences over the seasons (whether because of friendship/relationship changes or because a character was written out of the show); the only ones to have the same partners throughout all the seasons are James and Riley, excluding the three episodes when James was not in the white walls opening. All other characters have different white walls partners, for example, Michelle and Emily are introduced together in Seasons 1 and 2, Michelle and Amanda are introduced together in Season 3, excluding the three episodes where Michelle is introduced with Riley, and Michelle and Henry are introduced together in Season 4. Additionally, in the first three seasons, the first four dancers introduced are the characters with the biggest storylines in the season and in later seasons, usually, but not always, the last two dancers introduced do as well. At the latter, the dancers briefly freestyle as a group before posing alongside each other as the song and sequence end.
From Seasons 1 to 4, the opening sequence plays in every single episode. For Seasons 2 to 4, the opening is the previous season's opening sequence until A-Troupe changes. From Seasons 5 to 7, the previous season's opening sequence is not played; there is no opening sequence until the new A-Troupe or main characters are introduced. In Seasons 6 and 7, the competition episodes do not feature the opening sequence. Additionally, in Seasons 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7, not all the characters in the title sequence are on A-Troupe throughout the entire season, although they are on A-Troupe at some point. In Season 5, the important members of TNS East and TNS West are introduced in the opening sequence, although TNS East is the official A-Troupe. In Season 8, for the first half of the season, all the characters introduced are members of Step Inside, with Kenzie being the sole exception, and for the second half of the season, all the characters introduced are the new A-Troupe.
Season 2 is the only season not to feature new introductory dancing shots of the majority of the previous seasons' main cast, with the exception being James and Riley, and to have new footage of the new cast members, these being Amanda, Hunter and Thalia. Additionally, West is the only character to have the same introductory shot for all three seasons where he is in the opening, whereas everyone else's changes. Seasons 2 and 3 also feature some white wall footage from previous seasons, something that all the later seasons do not.
Additionally, for Seasons 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8.5, the starting two dancers in the opening are the ones who are in the centre for the final A-Troupe line-up at the end of the opening, these being Emily and Michelle, James and Riley (for both Seasons 3 and 4), Noah and Jacquie, and Kenzie and Heath, thus indicating that they are the most important characters of the season. In all other seasons, the first two dancers are not in the centre for the final A-Troupe line-up, such as in Season 2, when Emily and Michelle start the opening, but James and Riley are in the centre for the final line-up.
Transition sequences[]
Transition sequences occur sporadically throughout an episode in order to transition from one scene to the next. In these sequences, the character(s) who is/are in that specific white wall transition are usually of relevance to the preceding or following scene. For example, in "Welcome to Miami," after a scene starring Eldon and James, which happens to be before a scene with West, Eldon and James are seen dancing, followed by West. During these scenes, a song is played.
Sometimes when current events are particularly connected to past events, previous season white walls will play, such as when Season 1 white walls of Emily, Michelle and Eldon play in "A Tale of Two Eldons" as a deliberate throwback to very similar events happening in "Just the Two of Us" and when previous season white walls of the old A-Troupe - Riley and James, Kate, Chloe, Stephanie and West, Amanda, Alfie and Eldon - play in "It's a Wonderful Life, Piper - Part 2".
Additionally, sometimes previous season white walls are used in later seasons, even when there is less of an obvious reason, for example, white walls footage of James and Riley from Season 1 is occasionally used in Season 2, white walls footage of them in Season 2 is occasionally used in Season 3 and white walls footage of them in Season 3 is occasionally used in Season 4. Sometimes there is a clear reason, such as the Season 3 footage symbolizing the "old" James and Riley before Alfie entered the picture, but other times, the reasoning is less clear. Sometimes it is logistical, such as when white walls footage of Emily from Season 2 is used in Season 4 and when white walls of James and Piper from Season 4 is used in Season 5; Alexandra Beaton and Trevor Tordjman did not shoot white walls for Seasons 4 and 5 respectively, but other times, the reasoning behind the old footage is unknown.
While white walls transition sequences almost always feature main characters on the show, but sometimes recurring characters (typically B-Troupers) are in transition sequences as well. Most of the time, these characters will proceed to become main characters in the future - such as with footage of Noah and Richelle in Season 2 (both became main characters in Seasons 3 and 4 respectively) - but sometimes not. The four recurring characters who have never become main characters who have been featured in transition sequences are Beth, Gabi, Becca and Abi.
Gallery[]
"Look at that painting!"
To view the White walls gallery, click here. |