|
Hello!
The show is becoming really impressive, which is great, however it means I am going to become really nitpicky. This doesn't mean I think you're shit. It, in fact, means I think you're great! and I want you to live up to your full potential on stage. My main general note is that some people know what they're doing all the time, are always acting, never laugh if they make a mistake and hit the floor at the right moment!! These people are holding it together for the people who aren't sure of what they're doing, or aren't doing it with conviction. Even when Laura Bauld was right at the back during Habanera I could still tell from her face that she was a gypsy of the slutty persuasion. I assume that the doubt showing in your faces is because you aren't sure of the steps. In that case go over them by yourself or read the walkthroughs. I am happy to go over stuff with people during breaks of rehearsals. Unfortunately we're rather running out of time for me to go over everything people are unsure of. That's why it's important that you take the initiative yourself to make sure you know things. And once you're clear on what you're doing, do it like a confident gypsy hobag!/flirty soldier! Hold your shoulders back, lift your head up and don't let your doubt/confusion/terror show in your eyes. Anyway, this is all starting to sound a little too much like a self help book so I'd better start actually giving notes.
PRELUDE
-Dancers-Much tighter than before, but the heads still weren't all together
-Basket holding girls-You are the greatest offenders for not looking confident enough. I mean, I know you're not confident, we obvioudly need to go over the moves again-and I know you learnt them pretty late on, but at least pretend you know what you're doing. Although whichever group did it last night was actually better than the group on Sunday.
CHORUS OF SOLDIERS
-Remember the movements here. I've listed them in one of my previous notes. Allen was the only one who started moving confidently to stageR on 'look at the people...', which all the three of you on the left are supposed to do. Although, your lecherous watching of Lucy and Yasmin was good. Ben and ColinF did everything great as far as I can remember.
ONLY SMOKE
-Laura Bauld is wonderful.
-Ha. My notes say 'not as good as sunday but not shit'. Well, there you go. I'm pretty sure it was nowhere near shit actually.
HABANERA
-Carmen's dance with dancers/Fras./Merc.-Everyone great except Louisa and Steph you didn't look as confident as the rest and I think one of you made a mistake. make sure you know the steps. Especially if you are at the front.
-Dancer section-Pretty great. I only saw one person forget it. And that section got an immediate thumbs up from ben. I love your angry walk off Yasmin. Having said that, all of the people having lovers tiffs could afford to be a bit more over the top with their body language so that people are sure of what's going on. The teaching of this section has been quite the fuck up so you're all great for making it look so good now.
-Everyone-Remember we decided your hands go down on 'then' after the hip sways.
-And if anyone's not sure, you start the hip sways on 'like' ('for love is LIKE the gypsy free')
GYPSY AIR
-Victoria and Amy-Try to do the beginning of your dance with a bit more energy. I think my whole-put more weight on the table-things messed you up a bit as it takes longer. I'll talk to you about it on sunday.
-The sue for the front two tables to be moved off is when the dancers start dancing into the middle.
-While the dancers are dancing feel free to move up the sides of the stage so that you're clustered more around them than just in a line behind them. This might also help you be closer to where you need to be to start dancing.
-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(123,223,323,423) 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. There should only be 6 beats of stillness which should be sudden (and thus exciting) after all the movement.
-It is too quiet early on in the dance. There can't be a lot of noise because we don't want to drown out the singing, but at the moment it is all a bit quiet and ghostly until you all go MENTAL after the final tralalalalalaaa(when you all hop forwards). We could do with a few woops so that it's not such a huge contrast. In general the noise needs to be less powerful but more consistent, the first big cheer last night was way too big and made you all mess up the floor hitting and then it suddenly got quiet again. You should be aiming to make a noise when no one else is rather than exactly when everyone else is.
-123floor56 was poorer than ever. Mainly because of the giant cheer right beforehand. Don't get so carried away with being excited that you lose your concentration. You really have to listen to the music here. It won't necessarily be exactly the same speed as I've been making you do it, so just hitting the floor really fast might not be right(you might actually be early!). You need to be counting out the 123floor56 in your head with the music. I have never ever seen you do this bit right in a run of the whole song! I really mean it when I say I don't care if you come up again after 4. Even if you just fall to the floor on 4 I'd be ok with that. You can just pretend to be a drunkard, as long as you get into your next position in the next 12 counts (because you are a musical theatre drunkard who is drunk in time with the music). As long as there is no one standing on 4 I shall be happy.
TOREADOR
-Dancers and Rooney and ColinB-Your positions for the specialist dancer section are this. Sorry about the lines. The forum doesn't let me type large spaces so it's the only way to demonstrate shapes.
SECTION1
Sandy----------------------------Ben
Merty--------------------------Emma
------ColinB------------Rooney-------
------Lucy-------------Yasmin-------
--------------ColinF------------------
--------------Kathryn-----------------
---------F---R---O---N---T-----------
SECTION 2
---------------Sandy-----------------
---------------Merty-----------------
--------ColinB---------Ben-----------
--------Lucy-----------Emma---------
--ColinF----------------------Rooney--
-Suzanne---------------------Yasmin--
----------F---R---O---N---T----------
Colin B you stood in the middle again. It migth have been only you who went wrong actually.
COME FOLLOW US REPRISE
-The people coming on last on stageR are rubbish at this!!! It's really noticeable. I believe you are supposed to be doing the step forward and back on 'heedless of country you will be' or 'a wandring life'(BAR 58). At the moment you just do it when you see the people in the middle doing it which makes you behind.
-The end of this is a particular moment when some people are doing great intense faces (JenM, Lucy, ColinD, Ben, ColinF, Kirsty and Victoria to name but a few) and others are letting them down by looking too uncertain.
RISKY OUR GAME (Or 'that Risky Business' as Ben Miller called it when he was giving us notes last night, teehee)
-Boys at the start-Please please please think about the actions here before sunday. They are not that complicated. And they're listed very clearly in the walkthrough if you're not sure. Or come and ask me on sunday. Kenny, don't face the back when you're singing at the start.
-The first and second little groups were ok, the third was GREAT. Charlie particularly was right into it.
-Whenever you turn during the large circle turn over your R shoulder.
-The large circle gets better every time.
-My notes say 'Jennifer Halliday-good position'. I can't remember when that was but hurray for you.
PASSING THE GUARD
-Place Colin in position firther back so that you've got more room to move forwards with him. You should end up in the middle rather than stR.
-For turning and marching off you step forwards, turn and start marching off on the words I've capitalised below. I think that's what we decided anyway.
'march on march ON, MARCH, march ON'
MARCH AND CHORUS
-Matadors-know when your arms are supposed to go up. It's always a bit hit and miss.
Sorry those were rather long and rambling. See you on sunday!
Amyx
_________________
One by one the penguins steal my sanity.
|
Login
FAQ
Search
