When Ive done Fiddler the "tricks" I've heard many people suggest were not used. As Skervald said its much better to do it for REAL.
We used paint on the inside of the
bottle to help hold them together if they broke (we tested first to make sure it was worthwhile, it is), this can also add a little tiny
bit of weight to the bottom (and slightly helps them not to smash, slightly), however the bottom of the appropriate bottles is already much heavier.
A divot in the hat created when you put the
bottle on the hat correctly is all you need, that and a lot of practice.
Ive done fiddler twice and only 3 bottles hit the
stage in performance in all of those performances. One was grabbed by a
bottle dancer who put her own
bottle in one hand, cartwheeled and grabbed the other, then with two bottles in
hand she bowed (surprised us all, none of us knew she could do that) the crowd LOVED it. One smashed, that was unfortunate, however the paint kept most of it from turning into little wee shards. The third rolled off
stage where an ASM grabbed it.
It's OKAY and part of the fun
IMO if a
bottle hits the
deck, however Ideally not to smash. And yes the first time I did the show, I was in highschool and all of the
bottle dancers were too.
Ive heard of tricks ranging from permanently attaching the
bottle to the hat, to magnets, to
velcro. I don't think any of that should be done. Just do the dance for real, and if a
bottle falls, it falls, make it part of the show.