Saturday, July 09, 2005
Keep your eyes open for...
...a dance move inspired by a cast member.
You know most directors and choreographers are open to a teeny bit of input from the cast. Usually the input is more along the lines of "I can't sing that long, high note while I'm running back and forth across stage...sorry."
Actually I think I used those very words with Brigadoon choreographer Tyler when we did Kiss Me Kate almost 10 years ago (yikes!)
But occasionally, cast creativity takes a more front seat role, as it apparently has for a wonderful moment in the Bonnie Jean dance break. According to a little dancing bird:
"Patrisha, one of the dancers, has tons of ideas...she got so excited the other night about a "swoop" that she jumped up and down clapping her hands, and convinced Tyler to put the swoop into a dance. So, watch for "The Swoop" at the end of Bonnie Jean...it comes right after 5 couples do a fan kick lift. The women then get "swooped" by the men."
OK, not being a real dancer that was pretty much Greek to me. I'm picturing that move they do in pairs figure skating when it looks like the guy is going to drop the gal right on her head? I'm betting that's not it though!
This reminds me of one more choreographer story. Back when I was 18 I did a production of Pippin. The choreographer was a modern-dancer type, not a theatre type, and she didn't seem to give steps by beats in the bar. Instead she would make all sorts of sound effects. "First, you pow-pow, then you whoop, then eeeeeee---ahhh."
Can you imagine?
I got assigned to actually keep track of the actual beats because her cast of tees and young adults were completely flummoxed!
But she never told us to "swoop"!
You know most directors and choreographers are open to a teeny bit of input from the cast. Usually the input is more along the lines of "I can't sing that long, high note while I'm running back and forth across stage...sorry."
Actually I think I used those very words with Brigadoon choreographer Tyler when we did Kiss Me Kate almost 10 years ago (yikes!)
But occasionally, cast creativity takes a more front seat role, as it apparently has for a wonderful moment in the Bonnie Jean dance break. According to a little dancing bird:
"Patrisha, one of the dancers, has tons of ideas...she got so excited the other night about a "swoop" that she jumped up and down clapping her hands, and convinced Tyler to put the swoop into a dance. So, watch for "The Swoop" at the end of Bonnie Jean...it comes right after 5 couples do a fan kick lift. The women then get "swooped" by the men."
OK, not being a real dancer that was pretty much Greek to me. I'm picturing that move they do in pairs figure skating when it looks like the guy is going to drop the gal right on her head? I'm betting that's not it though!
This reminds me of one more choreographer story. Back when I was 18 I did a production of Pippin. The choreographer was a modern-dancer type, not a theatre type, and she didn't seem to give steps by beats in the bar. Instead she would make all sorts of sound effects. "First, you pow-pow, then you whoop, then eeeeeee---ahhh."
Can you imagine?
I got assigned to actually keep track of the actual beats because her cast of tees and young adults were completely flummoxed!
But she never told us to "swoop"!
// posted by ElisaC @ 7:12 AM 
