Hello!
As I said in the title these notes should be looked at by principles, as well as everyone else, even if they're not in lots of the big dancing numbers. I can't think of one principal who isn't present onstage for a big chorus number at some point therefore you are as much likely to get a dance related note as anyone else. All you have to do is look down this page for the number you're a part of. Glen and the Robbies for instance, aren't dancing in AATG, but your blocking during it is hugely important to the whole thing. And if I can remind you of something here it is one less thing I have to remember to tell you or fix at the next rehearsal or one less thing that you're unsure about, and the show will be just that little bit better.
Ok, the run tonight was ok. We could put it onstage now and it would run fairly smoothly as a show. But I know that we're capable of making it amazing and all that will take is for everyone to make sure that they know exactly what they're doing at every point and to do it with conviction. You have to take responsibility for yourselves now. If you don't know something, find out, if you don't know it well, practice it. We can't learn the dances and songs for you. It's going to be you, not us, on the stage. Anyway, with that rant over...
IT'S YOUR WEDDING DAY
-Girl dancers group 1-When you form your circle on the dancefloor you should be front centre, directly in front of girl dancers group 2. You were a bit stageL tonight.
-Guys solo in centre-Remember to push up your R sleave first. And remember we're not doing the ripple walks anymore. You're just stepping back. Stepping on your L foot first. So here are the actions that go with your walks
1-Push R sleave up
2-L sleave up
3-fix tie
4-still fixing tie
After that you step and point towards the L and then towards the R and then everyone else joins you on the dancefloor.
-Emma Stewart-I never got round to going over the 'then present the bride and groom' bit with you, I know. Basically the girl dancers form a circle stage L and you join that circle. Start moving on 'He'll invite me over for Christmas Eve'. Your position in the circle should be to the left of Ellen if you're facing inwards. On the 4 beats after 'then present the bride and groom' you all run anti-clockwise round the circle and up the centre towards the front of the stage. Then you dance with Cavey for a bit.
-Everyone remember what you're doing on the 4 drum beats at the end. It goes like this
beat 1 - front group (front 2 lines I believe) jump up, r arm in air
beat 2 - front group land crouched on floor as second group jump up, r arm in air
beat 3 - second group land crouched on floor
beat 4 - if on floor jump up , if standing do little jump on spot. So all here should be in the same arms slightly out, feet apart position you're in for 'LOVE will always find you' in the finale.
-Emma and Cavey-Don't do the jumps I was just talking about. At that point just turn in to each other and look all happy and in love.
-The aisle you created this time was much better. And we didn't even get time to practice it. Go you!
-Those doing the girl part of the final chorus dance (on the oh oh ohs), when you're swivelling your knees from side to side keep your legs together. I realize you've just turned and landed with your legs apart. Bring in your R foot for the swivel. Then your feet should be apart again on the ripples.Move your L foot back for this.
-Everyone doing the girly part of the dance when you cross over in lines you've got 6 counts, a turn and then stretch out with your arm. I don't want you to turn any earlier than the 7,8. Then on the beat right after the 8 your left arm should be stretched completely out diagonally to the left. No bent elbows!
-People dancing in centre in 1st half-Remember when you stand up on 'christmas eve' don't do the twist, make it move of a shoulder move. Shoulders are more 80s.
SOMEDAY
-Dancers who do bridal walk behind Julia. When you do this you're not mocking Julia, you for a moment become a part of her fantasy world that exists in the song. So I literally want the bridal walk to come out of nowhere from you. You should just be chatting away to each other behind her, you don't even need to be referring to her, and suddenly break into it (but in a perfect V ).
-2nd dancers come further forwards when you join the walk across the the bouquet scrum.
-Cara, don't join the girls who walk in time to the music across the stage to the bouquet scrum. Just go straight there.
-Ami, your bouquet expectant moves were perfect.
-And Susanne your bitchy walk off after you got the bouquet was most amusing also.
-If you're near enough to her in the photo push Ami/Julia away around 'it won't be long before you say...'.
-Ami you could afford to hold the bride and groom just a little bit tighter when you sway with them on 'and i'm so jealous'. Like you're hugging them just a little bit too tight because of your bitterness. Your face doesn't betray this though. Your face is still whimsical.
POP
2nd half
-You should be getting in position as soon as the first half of Pop starts.
-The 4 dancers turning around G and J's table on 'revolves around him', this was a bit lacklustre. Walk with purpose towards their table and turn on 'him'.
-People at tables
You seemed unsure of your moves at the end. Here they are:
And there's no reason to stop
----ARMS-R---ARMS-L--ARMS-R
And question his love/question his love/question his love
--------------ARMS-L-ARMS-R--ARMS-L----------ARMS OUT
His looooove
For 4 counts after the word 'love starts' raise arms and then hold them there till end.
-Dancers-Forget the whole flicking your head towards G and J before 'he totally', it's always gonna be too hard to place. Turn your head towards them on 'he totally he', then you've got the hip moves.
-Remember you put your hand to your mouth on the beat before 'popped'. And you start fanning yourself on 'ques' and bend down on 'tion'.
-Whoever ends up table-less in the middle at the end (and it always seems to be Ashleigh) keep your arms soft. The only example I can think of is 2 mins 49secs into this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TOxhzAm7fY.
CASUALTY OF LOVE
-There should be a comic relief/children in need special where the cast of Casualty do a version of this.
-Casualtys
--We're ditching the fall to the floor during the circle of casualtys. So just keep moving in the circle.
--You still all clustered into the centre too soon. While you're doing the walks and singing, still be moving around the tables.
-Chorus
--CHORUS! On the second 'nee-eee-eeeed' you are taking 3 steps in towards the casualtys. Three definite steps, not lots of little ones. I've told you this pretty much every time we've done it but it continues to not be done. More people need to cluster round the front before this bit as well. It was a bit sparce today, though better than previously.
-Don't smile while you're fighting.
-The walks that you do starting on 'love's a trick, love's a trap' are
love's a trick, love's a trap
walks to L
love's a hot chick with the clap
walks to R
love's a wound, watch it bleed
walks back to centre and cluster closer together
And the point of those walks is that you're singing those lines to that side of the room. So look to the L when you walk tot he left etc.
DUMPSTER
-I have written here 'Ami is just the cutest thing'. I'm totally gay for Ami in today's notes.
TODAY YOU ARE A MAN
-Bottle dance
--Niall, in order for Cavey to not walk into people at the side we're doing the walks on 'shake hands with, each tom dick and herschel' more to the front but with you body still slightly sideways on. Sorry, we decided that at a dancer rehearsal and I forgot to tell you.
--Your hands flick up on the word 'like'
--You're up on tiptoes on 'but' and then on the 'mem' syllable of 'remember' you put R foot behind L. Then step L, then stamp R foot in front.
--Guys, practice this, you're still not all getting the timing right.
-Chorus-If you're late standing up at the end, don't do it. It looks much worse you standing up after everyone else than you just staying put.
NOT THAT KIND OF THING
-Good. Could still spread to front of stage more at sides.
SATURDAY NIGHT
-1st wooh-better.
-2nd wooh-Very little improvement. I could see some of you at the back, particularly right in the middle of the back looking to see what the people in front were doing. This isn't a high school production you can't be doing that. Know yourself what you're doing. If you're having trouble with it come ask me, or ask Emma, or even ask one of the dancers as they should know what they're doing.
-Everyone on the 'woohs'-Remember you should be throwing your upper body to the right on the 'tay' of 'citay'.
-Podium dancers, I couldn't watch you all the time but what I saw looked lovely. Make sure you keep in time with each other. Susanne, you look a little unsure. Even if you are don't show it in your face.
-Couple dancers-You need to be clustered closer together on the 'Check out the view' bit.
-Lucy, when you're pushed off the podium you dance in front of it. I suspect you were a little to the side today so as to not block Robbie and Holly from view though.
-Be careful you don't move too fast in the slowmo. Just one person doing that spoils it.
-Last chorus-Again, there are lots of people at the back who don't seem to know this at all. Look at the walkthrough! Practice. Just one person going wrong ruins it.
-On the 8 counts where you're all jumping up from the floor remember you've only got a half beat after the 8 to throw your arms out to the side. So those who jump up on eight may as well just jump up into that position.
ALL ABOUT THE GREEN
-Can we have more people standing at the start at the exec table, in powerful stances as you sing 'wanna be somebody', then you can move and sit when the dialogue starts.
-Rooney, remember to go all the way to the end of the line of people on 'Iococca'. If you don't then people like Yasmin who are on the stage R end of the line are just looking R to no one and it looks ridiculous.
-Group 2 and dancers remember it's the beat right after ron and nancy that you start turning out on and you turn out for 4 beats. On the 5th beat your shoulders should be forwards (I fear I may have said the 4th beat earlier today, sorry).
-Group 2. Practice your moves here, make sure you know them so that you can do them with conviction.
-Group 3-Remember your cluster positions around Glen again. You became almost a line!
-Cavey, You must carry Susanne in front of everyone on the stage. If you go behind the 3 dancing girls you'll walk straight into their partners coming on. Hopefully this'll be less of a problem on the stage with all the space.
-Robbies and Glen-practice the step in the V. It'll just take a bit of practice to get that perfect with the singing.
-Robbies and Glen's again-After the V interact with the people behind you, high five, let them pat you on the back, bla bla bla.
-Glen-bring your arms up on the final 'greeeeeen' then fold them on the beat after.
-Chorus-Your 'wanna be somebody' moves at the end were really good. Very powerful. Excellent.
-The self-congratulatory interlude at the end was v good.
-People coming on to form the circles around Robbie. Do this move with conviction. When you throw your hand up in the air throw your head up as well. This dance really needs to be just a little bit over the top. So if you feel like you look a bit silly then you're probably doing it right.
-Circle people again-You didn't do the sway to one side before walking round each other. Remember you've got 2 bars of 5 after the last lot joins the circle before this. Let's make it 2 sways as I think that'll be easier. So you've got those 2 bars of 5 and then you've got 2 beats swaying one way, 2 beats swaying the other and then you start walking the first way round. And you should be walking to the beat.
RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES
-Ronan try not to click quite so much right nextto Holly's head. This is a result you not being able to come on far enough back though, I believe.
-Always be aware of your spacing.
-Is coming to together nicely though.
-Sammy and Holly-good.
SINGLE
-Most of you seemed pretty unsure of this. I know we haven't done it much but I'm running out of time to be able to go over stuff with you. Read the walkthrough and then practice.
-Having said all that the 'Jell-o' moment is possibly my favourite in the whole show now. The more you make of it the better. Remember you only do 4 sways on 'hooters. As soon as the word hooters stop, you stop swaying.
-On the word 'grave' at the end, right before Sammy sings 'but at times i might...' you hold your hands up in a V shape and bring them slowly down as he sings.
FINALE
-I'm gonna cut the step props on 'love is what'. They often get forgotten and don't look very good.
-This is the most simple dance in the whole show. Therefore there is no excuse to not know it and to not be doing it perfectly.
That's all I can think of. Sorry it was really long again. See you at the theatre!!!
Fieldhouse x
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