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Hello!
Here are my notes from tonights rehearsal. Before I start, may I just say that you are all making my post-show Cecilian love arrive a little early this year with how awesome you've become in the last 3 rehearsals.
PRELUDE
-The girls coming on with the baskets-you still seem very unsure of yourselves. Maz did this bit so I can't remind you of what you're supposed to be doing, but, please make sure you know. AND, if you think you've gone wrong, don't show that in your face. There were a few 'oops, I just did that bit wrong' faces which just make mistakes even more noticeable.
CHORUS OF SOLDIERS/1ST SCENE
-Sandy and Kenny. Just to make things more symmetrical, can you stand exactly either side of the st R archway (like the two guys on the other side are doing)
-Colin Fyfe remembered to point etc. at Lucy and Yasmin as they walked past. Others take note. Also remember your movements here. They still weren't as confident as I want them. I think I listed them in the notes from Sunday.
ONLY SMOKE
-All I have written is 'great'.
HABANERA
-Specialist dancer section-I was expecting thsi to totally fall apart and end in chaos as we've done it so little, but actually everyone ended up where they were supposed to. Suzanne, Lucy and Steph did excellent saunters off. I think it's important that we practice this with more space and everyone there, which we'll hopefully do on tuesa and thurs.
-I think I told you to put your hands down after the swaying section on the word 'there'. Some of you may have noticed when you were singing it that the word 'there' isn't actually there. I, of course, meant the word 'then' (in the line 'ah then take care). Sorry. I am a confusion-monger (as in a person who creates confusion-not a confusion mong-er....)
GIPSY AIR
-This was SO MUCH BETTER after our drilling session on it before the run! The tavern scene in general just makes me so happy.
-Amy Glover I saw you do that clap how I mentioned in my last notes. You are a star student.
-Amy and Victoria. This is a tiny thing but when you hit the table can you put more weight on your hands. So that you actually put your weight on the table and then push yourself back off to do the claps. At the moment it's more like a tap but it should be more emphatic. Obviously today you didn't have a table which rather limits your ability to lean on it. I totally love Victoria doing the dancer's step and Amy walking around her.
-Spec. dancer section-Better than ever before. Suzanne Maclean was making lovely stamping sounds with her character shoes. Very flamenco. I liked it. You also had great energy dancing around Carmen, Frasquita and Mercedes. Keep it like that.
-Chorus. You can actually start moving into position earlier than you have been doing. You can probably start as the dancers circle Merc, Carm and Frasq for the second time. Then hopefully everyone should get to their spot by the end of the tralalalalalalalaaaaa(123,223,323,423,stand).
-If you get to your spot early, don't stand still with your arms down until the 'stand' moment. There should be a hubbub of activity as you all move in to dance on tralalalalalalalaaaa(123,223,323,424) which then abruptly ends. Then you're all still for 6 beats, and then you're into 123-flamenco hands/bring your hands up and throwing them down. So if you get to your spot early talk to your partner, fidget, be drunk, clap. Do anything to not be still.
-This whole beginning section would make me dileriously happy if everyone would only stamp on the 'and'!!! I can't think of any new way to explain it. Practice on your own if you feel that you're getting it wrong, and I'll probably torture you with it a bit more on Thursday.
-SMILE! You are dancing joyously in a tavern! Also, I think there could be a bit more noise at the start of the dance. Not that much, as you'll drown out the singing, but it's all a bit silent and ghostly at the moment and then you all suddenly go MENTAL.
-123FLOOR56!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-See my notes from sunday for more on this as nothing has really changed, mainly because we didn't manage to go over it closely today due to my obsessive V-perfecting.
-The final circles were really great and energetic today!! Some people unfortunately didn't get into their circle quickly enough. But you've got 12 counts so it's totally possible. Guys remember you're in the inner, back stage L circle taking a sip of your drink and then clinking your drinks. I wonder if we've actually got glasses...And, also, how the logistics of you getting them in your hands for this bit will work. maybe you could just dance the whole dance with glasses (tankards?) in your hands. That might add a nice debauched touch actually.
TOREADOR
-The positioning of everyone in the V was perfect, as were the stamps. The down,up,down,down steps were pretty close, but still not as tight as I would like them. Remember, when you move to the R you land with your legs apart and bent, looking R, your L arm in front and R arm behind (and you can be holding your skirt if you like), and when you move to the L you land with your legs apart, looking left, with your R arm in front and left arm behind.
-The arm movements from 'mind well' in the V were pretty poor. I'll get Sarah Daly (who understands technology like adding word files to posts) to post a kind of walkthrough for your hand movements. I tried typing it here but the forum didn't care for my formatting.
COME FOLLOW US REPRISE
-Only the people in the middle seem to do the step forward and step back as soon as you get on. Practice and know what you're supposed to be doing!
RISKY OUR GAME
-Boys. Again it wasn't perfect. And it's because you're not sure of the movements. So practice please.
-Final positions-It's not just your head that should be facing one of the corners, it's your whole body. Some people are still facing the front.
-Move into your positions for the big circle right after the 2nd little group have done their thing in the middle. After the lines 'never heeding the gale or the torrent descending'.
-Spread out in the circle. I don't mind if the circle becomes a bit of an oval as long as it means you're not squashed when you move in.
-People still aren't sure of the walks adn turns. Lots of people are, but nto everyone. There is a very thorough walkthrough. Read it. Or you can just come and ask me. Although, having said that, you all seem to uniformally do the skippy step at the end perfectly.
FATE
-You freeze on the word 'death'. Not quite everyone did.
PASSING THE GUARD
-I was expecting this to be a bit shambolic as we haven't done it for ages. But it wasn't. It was pretty great! Victoria and Kirsty-When you place Dobie in his position place him a bit further back so that you've all got more room to walk forwards.
MARCH AND CHORUS
-...kind of makes me want to cry with joy.
See you on thursday!
x
_________________
One by one the penguins steal my sanity.
Last edited by Fieldy on Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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