Friday and Saturday Shows

Yesterday I arrived at college at 5 o'clock  to do some extra rehearsals with the 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' group in the dance studio. I also ran through the other two dances. Although I practise at home, I was able to see the bottom of my legs and feet in the dance studio mirrors, which allowed me to make some changes to the position of my feet in the dances.

My performance in 'When I Grow Up' went as I intended it to go. However, I could feel my voice going, so I need to remember to look after it by going on vocal rest and warming up before shows. My performance in 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' felt like it was the best one yet. This may have been due to my extra practise in the dance studio. I forgot to spot during some of the first few turns. Usually I automatically spot when I spin, but it is important to do this all the time. I made no mistakes during 'Nicest Kids In Town' and I put a lot of energy into it. Overall, I felt like I performed much better than I did in Thursday. 

This morning I practised for the comparing by testing myself on my knowledge of the running order. Luckily, I could remember all the details each act and the name of each act. I further developed my character by watching my facial expressions in the mirror and by using gestures to convey whatever I needed to say. However, I found out that I had been replaced and so I was not allowed to compare tonight.
 

During 'When I Grow Up' I made a little mistake with the timing. However, I put all of my energy into it and I managed to carry on as normal. I felt that 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' didn't go as well as yesterday. This could have been because the audience were less lively and didn't clap along like they did in Friday. This left me feeling less pumped, though I still tried to get them going by smiling and looking as though I was having the time of my life. I could have put a little more energy into the dance though to make sure that it was at the same level as yesterday. Fortunately, I remembered to spot this time. I felt that 'Nicest Kids In Town' didn't go as well as yesterday, I forgot to adopt the correct technique (e.g. I forgot to use my core and extend each movement) and my posture was bad (at times my head wasn't up and I wasn't always upright). I also could have put in a lot more energy. Overall, I feel that my performance yesterday was much better than it was today. In the future, I need to be more consistent.

Below is a picture of me smiling during a rehearsal of 'Step In Time', which I tried to maintain throughout all rehearsals and performances of the variety show.

 

Dress Rehearsals and First Show

Yesterday we rehearsed all the group numbers. I finally got the correct timing for 'When I Grow Up' and I projected as much as possible while singing, remembering to use my anchoring muscles. We went through 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' and although the formation got sorted out, my energy levels and use of the correct technique suffered (e.g. I didn't lift my leg as high as I could have and I didn't move as fast as I could have). This was because I was concentrating too heavily on the formation. I must focus on all elements of the dance in the future. I felt that I still needed to put more energy into 'The Nicest Kids In Town' dance. I also need to project a lot more during this number.

Then we had our first dress rehearsal. I felt that it was my best run through of 'When I Grow Up', as I remembered the movement, the timing and the technique (e.g. I remembered to extent right down to my finger tips and toes. I also remembered to move with a child-like persona, while still maintaining the necessary elegance by remaining light on my feet). 'Supercalifragilisticespialidocious' felt like it went a lot better than earlier. I felt that I needed to work on turns and steps at the beginning. I also travelled too forward in the 'step over your feet part', which I could have improved by taking smaller steps forward. 'The Nicest Kids In Town' went well, but I need to adapt to wearing jeans in the dance.

Today's 1st full show rehearsal went okay for me. I put all my energy into every number that I was involved in. The first time we rehearsed 'When I Grow Up' everyone's timing for the movement was different which confused me. However, the second time we ran through it, I managed to get the correct timing. I worked on the turns at the beginning of 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' last night. I realised that the trick is to spin as fast as possible, so that I have time to step. I still need to improve on this, but I've managed to do it before, so I just need to make sure I don't stress about it too much. Also, no matter how exhausted I am half way through the last two dances I need to apply the same amount, if not more energy than the first half of the dances, to the last half of the dances.

Later today, we had dress rehearsals. I need to remember to bend down before we run into the second part of the movement for 'When I Grow Up'. I will try to remember the use of 'the flat back' during this part of the dance. I also need to use my whole body more, which is best achieved my using my core. In addition, I need to remember to think low when I'm singing the high notes, as this has proved to be the best technique for me. 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidociois' felt like the best run through yet for me. I still messed up on the first turn, which I need to work on further, but my energy levels were high and I felt as though I really performed it. I need to beware of my facial expressions, I don't want my smile to be as big as the one I used during Panto but I still don't want my face to be neutral, as this puts me in danger of appearing moody or evil (as I learnt during Panto). I need to keep my head up more, maintaining an upright posture and put more energy into the first part of 'Nicest Kids In Town'.

Afterwards we had our first show. 'When I Grow Up' felt like the best run for me. I remembered to bend and then run and I got the timing right, used my whole body and put all my energy into it. I also really embraced my childish side for this run, which is something I need to do in the next two shows. Although I remembered all the moves for 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious', none of the moves were executed as I had intended them to be, nor were they executed as I had rehearsed (e.g. I didn't move my arm across my body with the strength I intended to have (I didn't tense my arm enough)). Therefore, I felt that my movement was a lot messier than it usually is because I usually like to 'tidy up' each move. I also forgot to begin centre stage, but I did remember not to travel too much. I made a mistake during 'Nicest Kids In Town' as I accidentally pointed to my partner rather than to the audience. However, I quickly resolved this by swiftly pointing to the audience. I managed to get through the rest of the dance without making further movement mistakes. Though I did forget to sing at times. I am therefore setting myself the task of performing a lot better tomorrow. I aim to resolve the mistakes I made today and to put even more energy into the dances. 

When I returned home, I worked on memorising the running order by saying it as though I was speaking to an audience. I remembered some of the things the original people who were comparing had said and practised saying them. I also worked on developing a character for comparing, as if I present the show as myself It will be boring and dull for the audience. Therefore, I have developed a much more charismatic character. I find that by practising with the running order, I can focus more on the character rather than whether I will make mistakes or not.

On the following web page, there's a link to a rehearsal of 'Nicest Kids In Town':
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/574232582612318/

Although I am pleased with the way I executed some of the movement (e.g. the part where we're all in a cluster), I feel that at other times my movement is messy and weak. For example, when sang 'Woo..!Woo!Woo!' my arms were weak and my posture was poor. I could improve this by having a better posture and making my arms more tense and body more tense. However, I will change my movement and work on something better (as it's freestyle) for this part, so that I won't make the same mistake again.
 

Tech Rehearsals

Yesterday I arrived at college at 10:15, in order to help Chris to come up with an alternative idea for his Variety Show act. I suggested an alternative, slightly more comedic Magician's song called 'You're Playing With The Big Boys Now' from The Prince of Egypt. Then Chris suggested that we do a 'The Cheese Shop' Monty Python sketch. I watched the video in order to study the character that I would have to portray. I read the script over and over again and worked on developing the character. Although I thought that I would be able to learn the whole script, after going through it all night and not even being able to successfully recall the first page, I realised that I would not be able to learn the lines by Thursday. I have never had to learn a script in such a small amount of time before and I know that I find it very difficult to learn dance routines, scripts and lyrics. I should have realised that I would not be able to learn the script in time much earlier.   

Our lesson began with a rehearsal of 'The Nicest Kids in Town'. I put all of my energy into it and I remembered to use the necessary technique (e.g. I engaged my core muscles, used pointed feet and extended where necessary). However, the second time we ran through it, I made a mistake. I got one of the moves confused with another. This happened to me during panto, when I had practised the dance so much, that I kept making silly mistakes. On the other hand, I never made a mistake during any of the actual performances. So, I must remember this in future rehearsals and I should concentrate on each move individually.

Afterwards we ran through 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'. I had practised it earlier, by helping others with the choreography. I was given feedback and was told that a combination of knowing what I was doing and smiling made it seem like I was really performing to the audience. I remembered the moves and remembered to use the necessary technique. I also put all my energy into it, which made me out of breath. I need to put this amount of energy into the dance, but I must remember to keep hydrated. I will also engage in a 15 minute exercise routine every night before the show in order to improve my fitness.

Today's lesson began with a vocal warm up. We did breathing exercises and worked on improving our breath capacity. I was able to inhale for 4 seconds and exhale for 32 without going staccato and I still had some breath left in me. My record is 70, so I will aim to improve on this in my free time. 

Afterwards the technical rehearsals began. First, we went through 'When I Grow Up'. I definitely know the correct choreography now, but I still need to work on my timing. The formation has been changed, so I need to remember these changes when I rehearse. Then we went through 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'. A lot went wrong. Specifically our formation was wrong and everyone has different timings for the dance moves. I don't help the formation issue, because I travel too much and I tend to end up in front of some people in my line and in line with others. Then we went through 'The Nicest Kids In Town'. I had helped people to learn this dance earlier, which helped me to remember it as well. I remembered to engage my core muscles and focused on my posture. 

The girls in my group went through 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' together. We were in the dance studio, so i notices my 'foot problem' again. I always dance on the balls of my feet, which is necessary a lot of the time, but for this particular dance style it hinders my performance and my feet and legs are always awkwardly placed. I need to break this habit quickly, so that I can perform this dance the best I can. For future dances, I might have to invest in a full length mirror so that I'm not just concentrate on my upper body and thighs. We tried to work on our formation, timing and the moves that people were struggling with. I tried to help the best I could by showing people what I believed the original choreography was. Though some of it was adapted to help people overcome some of the difficulties they faced in the dance. Then we went through it with the boys.

During a break, I copied the running order onto a few sheets of paper, so that I could memorize the names of the acts and the people performing them. Although this will not be exactly the words that I will say on Saturday, it will give me an idea of basics and I will be able to memorise the running order.

Then we ran the whole show again. 'When I Grow Up' went okay for me, but I forgot when to begin the short dance. I remembered the rest of it but, I need to remember to adopt better dance technique during this number (e.g. I need to focus on extending and my posture). 'Supercalifragilisticexpialudocious' went better than it did earlier but the formation issue remained (which is once again a lot to do with my travelling, so I need to take smaller steps and strides). Also everyone is doing the 'step over your leg move' at different times still. I know I start that bit of right, but then I get confused with the timing and I also travel forward too much. 'The Nicest Kids In Town' went alright for me. I also felt less out of breath than I did Yesterday, probably due to my evening exercise routine. So I will continue to do this every evening, until the shows begin.

Here is an example of poor legwork. I could improve om this by extending the movement down to my toes and by adopting a better posture.

He's Got Friends On The Other Side

On Monday we went through the dance to 'The Nicest Kids In Town' a few times. Some minor changes had been made last week, so I remembered to include these in my weekly additional rehearsals. I didn't make too many mistakes, but I still feel as though I need to polish the routine further and I need to work on getting into position and staying in line with the other dancers, as well as getting my timing exactly right. Last week I choreographed 8 sets of 8 to add to the end of the routine and I got to practise these with my dance partner, Michael, on Monday. My inspiration for the choreography was from other moves in this dance as well as from dance moves from the 'You Can't Stop The Beat' choreography and 'Hairspray' the musical. I feel that taking inspiration from previous dance routines is a good way of choreographing and I will remember this if I have to choreograph a short routine again.

Today's lesson began with a warm up. I managed to complete all the exercises, including the 'core strengthening excercises'. I still feel as though I could be more elegant in the 'ballet-type excersises'. The best way to achieve this is by improving my posture and extending movements all the way to my finger tips. I also need to engage my core more.

We went through 'The Nicest Kids In Town' and although I remembered all of the dance moves, I barely remembered the lyrics and harmonies to the song. I definitely need to go over the lyrics to this over and over again, until they fixed in my head. I am setting myself the target of being able to sing all the chorus parts to this song, without stopping to think of the next words, by Sunday. We also went through 'When I Grow Up'. I am still getting the choreography wrong, so I did not complete last weeks target as, once again, I was learning the wrong choreography. I desperately need to go through this dance with someone who knows it, so I must remember to ask someone. Despite going through the lyrics for this song through the week, I kept mixing the verses up. It might help to watch and listen to the video of 'When I Grow Up', as I will be able to remember the visual imagery that goes with each verse. I am setting myself the target of being able to sing this entire song, without stopping to think of the next words, by Monday.

Afterwards we went through 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'. I remembered the first half of the dance, but since part of the dance changed, my timing for the second half of the dance was completely off. Therefore, I am setting myself the target of being able to go through this entire dance, with the new changes and timing, without stopping, by Sunday. I intend to achieve this by continuing to go through each dance 5 times a day, paying extra attention to the new changes. I stayed at college late again today, as I said I would last week. I helped others to learn 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' and I asked them for help on the changed moves. I feel as though I now know the exact timing, and so I am better able to practise at home.

Chris asked me to help him with his magic act. He planned to sing 'I Got Friends On The Other Side' from The Princess And The Frog, while performing magic tricks. I was originally suppose to be one of his comical assistants. As research, I watched the film, to get a better idea of the original song's context and I watched the video 5 times in a row to better understand my role in the act: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZAY-78zhmw. I listened to the magician's instructions and worked on developing my character, taking the direction of the magician.

Later, however, it was suggested that we take this act down a more comical route. This way lack of resources and time wont be such a hindrance. I put forward some ideas for comical and obviously fake magic tricks. I will also do some research throughout the week to see if I can find any more of these types of tricks. Here are some examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJY_2rHpekQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjowJxK4lfk
I was also asked to compare on Saturday. So I will rehearse for this at home by learning the running order and practising being more charismatic.

The Variety Show Dances

On Tuesday we went through 'When I Grow Up' and 'The Nicest Kids In Town'. I am still struggling to learn 'When I Grow Up', as I keep forgetting the correct dance moves when I rehearse at home. It might be helpful to record someone else doing this dance as I keep getting it wrong. Therefore, I am setting myself the task of being able to go through the whole dance, with music, without stopping to think of the next move by next week Thursday. I aim to achieve this by continuing to go through the dance at least 5 times a day. Also, during my additional rehearsals, I've been singing the song over and over again to make sure that it sticks in my head while I dance.

I made countless mistakes during the first two runs of 'The Nicest Kids In Town', despite easily executing the whole routine, with music throughout my weekend rehearsals. This could be due to a change of environment, as I am use to practising the dance in my room in front of a mirror and so it is just as important to rehearse at college during my free time as it is to rehearse at home (this may aid my movement memory).

Today's lesson began with a warm up. Today I was disappointed with the lack of energy I put into the warm up. Although I did everything I was instructed to, I could have done it with a lot more energy, elegance and precision. On the other hand, I completed my task of being able to go through the entire 'core strengthening' part of the warm up without stopping. Also, due to the fact that I've added balancing on one leg to my weekend exercises routine, I was better able to complete the balancing part of the the warm up. I still need to do more balancing exercises in order to master the technique. It helps to look at a certain point and to keep my eyes fixed on it.
 

During today's rehearsal of 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' I spent a lot of the time helping others with the dance. This helps me to become more confident with the dance and allows me to put my time spent doing additional rehearsals to good use. I know this dance very well now (I completed my target of being able to run through it, with music, without stopping by Sunday) and my timing has improved significantly, as has the amount of energy I put into each run, as well as my posture and technique. I still need to polish the dance moves, especially the turns at the beginning, as my feet are all over the place. Therefore, I am setting myself the task of going through each move slowly and polishing them twice a day, up to next week a Thursday.

After lunch, when we were asked to practise for The Variety Show, I helped others with the dances. When we had to perform the dances, it turned out that I had once again been rehearsing with the wrong sequence of movements for 'When I Grow Up'. However, my practise of 'The Nicest Kids in Town' has been beneficial, as I can now go through the entire routine with music, without stopping (I have been able to do this since Monday, so I didn't manage to hit my target of Sunday. This means that my movement memory is worse than I predicted and I should either give myself more time to complete a target (when possible) or spend more hours a day practising). I haven't managed to find a partner to add on an extra 8 sets of 8 to the end of the routine with as of yet. So therefore, I am setting myself the task of choreographing an additional 8 sets of 8 to add to the routine and to know it well enough to be able to perform it with music, without stopping to think by Sunday. 

I stayed back today, in order to do some additional dance rehearsals at college instead of at home. This is beneficial as I am able to practise in the college environment on the actual stage that the dances will be performed. I am also able to run through the dance with other people who are in it, so that I have a better idea of the space I will have to move in and I can ask them for help if I am unsure of a dance move e.g. I asked for help with 'When I Grow Up' and so now I can practise something closer to the real routine than before, at home (hopefully it will be correct, though the timing still confuses me. Listening to the music and counting in my head should help with this). Although I know from experience that I learn dance routines quicker on my own, doing at least some of my additional rehearsals at college is also helpful. So, if we are allowed, I will spend a few hours rehearsing at college after lessons next week Thursday.

Here is an image of me putting all my energy into a dance. Engaging my core helped me to sit down, stand up and sit down again.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

On Monday we were taught the choreography to Hairspray's 'The Nicest Kids' in town. It's quite an intense, fast-paced dance, so I need to make sure that each movement isn't thrown away and is executed to the best of my ability. This dance also has a particular style, as it is from the musical Hairspray (set in the 60s). Therefore, I must remember to remain fully aware of this, especially when I have to find a partner and choreograph 8 extra sets of 8 to add to the end of the routine. I was quite slow to pick up the choreography for this routine, probably because it is such a fast-paced dance. I made numerous mistakes, but as long as I remember what I've learnt I can work to improve my performance. Here is a video of a rehearsal of 'Nicest Kids In Town:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSzuZk7i4Vg
As we were only introduced to it on Monday, I struggled to pick up the choreography. As shown in the video, my timing is off and I'm not putting as much energy into it as I would like to because I am concentrating on the next move. Sometimes I completely skipped moves. So I need to be careful not to do this in the future. 

Over the weekend and through the week I have been rehearsing the songs 'No Good Deed' and 'All Of Me', so that I am fully prepared if I have to re-audition. I also worked on improving on the things that I was given feedback on during the audition. I practised singing 'No Good Deed', using mostly my higher vocal tone (as was suggested), and recorded myself. I also practised singing 'All Of Me' more quietly, I listened to the song more and I recorded myself singing it alone (as was also suggested). In preparation for the accapella song, I practised singing 'Iris' by listening to the song, going over the lyrics and recording myself singing accapella.

Over the weekend and through the week, I also ran through 'Step In Time', but without the music as I knew that the song might change. At first, I went through it twice a day, but since Tuesday, I've gone through it 5 times a day, which has significantly improved my movement memory. I have been working on polishing each movement by going over each of them a number of times in front of a mirror and by putting all my energy into each run. I have also ran through the dance while smiling, as I find that this enhances my performance. Since Monday, I have been running through 'The Nicest Kids In Town' 5 times a day without music. I am finding it quite hard to pick up this routine, which is why I have not gone through it with music yet. However, I am currently working on polishing each movement and I aim to be able to run through the whole routine, with music, without stopping to think of the next move, by Sunday.

Today we began our dance session with a warm up. I managed to participate in most of the exercises and pushed myself, even when I felt warn-out. However, for weeks now I have been mainly struggling with the core strengthening exercises. I haven't managed to plank for the duration we have been instructed to, all this year. Therefore, I am setting myself the task of lasting for the duration of the core strengthening exercises in our next session, even if I have to work out more at home. I am also working to improve on the more 'dancy' exercises in our warm up session, by trying to be more elegant and by paying attention to timing. This is good practise for real dance routines.

I went through the dance with my group before the dance session, for extra practise and to refresh my memory on the timing. The song we are dancing to has now changed from 'Step In Time' to 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious', which is also from Mary Poppins. This means that the style is practically the same, except that during the acted parts of the song, I have to act a lady who is off to the races with her partner. Due to my extra rehearsals at home, I remembered most of the routine, even with the music, but I have to remember to adapt to the timing of the new song during my next additional rehearsal. I struggled a little with the new choreography for the dance, but with practise, I managed to remember most of it. I did feel that, as we ran through the routine, I put in less energy and my body was less tense and therefore, my movement wasn't very sharp. It is important that I put in all of my my energy into every run-through and that I maintain a 'tonic body'. Just as with 'The Nicest Kids in Town', I will be practising this dance at home through the week. I am setting myself the task of, being able to run through this routine with music, without stopping to think of the next move, by Sunday.
Here is the link to a video that I have watched for inspiration of characters and for studying the dance style:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZZelYLr0Zk

In the image below Doris (my character), being the cheerful, posh lady she is, is happy to hear that the words 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' were the cause of a marriage.


Today we began learning the choreography for 'When I Grow Up'. Our first task was to get into groups of 4 or 5 and to come up with a short routine for 1 set of 8. I was in a group of 4. I suggested some ideas for the routine, including making our formation that of a trapezium shape, and I listened to the ideas and followed the instruction of others. When learning the rest of the choreography, I found it extremely difficult to pick it up. This contrast to earlier rehearsals, is probably due to the fact that I was a little tired, so it might help to give myself a boost by drinking coffee (for example), so that I stay alert for the next time when I feel tired before learning new choreography. I also need to really concentrate on using my core and making my movements more child-like. Also, due to my concentration on the movements, at times, I forgot to sing. It is important that I remember to sing throughout this number, so I need to run through the lyrics more and through the new dance routine, which should help me to become confident enough with both, so that I can do them simultaneously. I managed to project, which is likely due to the amount of vocal rehearsals I've done throughout the week, which have helped me to remember how to project. I also remembered to sing from my diaphragm, but my breath control still needs more attention.