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.

The Variety Show Auditions

Today we went through our group dance pieces for the variety show. I practised 'Step In Time' 5 times a day last week and a few times the week before, so that I wouldn't forget it. I helped others with the dance by going through the moves with them and by performing the routine to the rest of the group with 2 other male group members. Despite my previous practise, I forgot the last part of the routine. I also could have more sharply executed the performance. I found that helping others to remember the dance made me feel more confident with it myself. When we performed to the other group, it went very wrong, my timing was off, I forgot some of the choreography and I could have danced a lot better. During panto, with practise, my technique was a lot better and so I need to remember to put a lot of energy into the dance, to have tense muscles and better posture. I also I need to allow my head to move more freely.

Afterwards, we practised singing 'Pure Imagination' and 'When I Grow Up'. I'm now in group 1 instead of group 2 for 'When I Grow Up', so I must learn the new lines and harmonies. My throat is very soar from practising for the variety show auditions over the holidays. I forgot to use the correct singing technique (singing from the diaphragm), which is why my throat is sore, and also because I continued to strain my voice when practising even with a sore throat. I need to take better care of my voice, especially when I have a sore throat/cold. Here are some suggestions:
http://www.singwise.com/cgi-bin/main.pl?section=articles&doc=CareForVoice

For the variety show, I decided to audition a solo piece. I chose to sing 'No Good Deed' from Wicked, because I really liked the song, I felt like I could put my emotions into it and that I could put my own stamp on it. I practised it over the holidays by first listening to the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUj2bgMEPJI), then I learnt the lyrics acapella (http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/wicked/nogooddeed.htm), then I learnt the song with a backing track ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypRLruV9Vqk) and after that I recorded myself singing with and without the backing track.

During the audition, I chose to sing acapella as the last few times I had rehearsed with a backing track, I was out of time. This was likely to be because I spent more time recording myself accapella, in order to attempt to improve my delivery, than rehearsing with the backing track. It was definitely the least nervous I had ever felt while singing at an audition, as I managed to successfully hit most of the notes. I could have sang the whole song all the way through, but I thought that my bad throat was likely to make me crack on the high notes. 

I was given feedback that I had two separate vocal tones, which I've noticed when recording my voice. I also have a break in my voice between the two tones, which makes them sound very different. I will practise more scales to try to sing through the break. I also need to work on my breath control, to support my voice. I was told to audition again next week using more of my higher vocal tone and with a backing track. I will practise this as much as possible, recording my voice and making sure that I don't damage it.

After that I auditioned a duet with Jasmine, 'All Of Me' by John Legend. I had practised for this by listening to the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=450p7goxZqg), learning the lyrics (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/johnlegend/allofme.html), singing it acapella, singing it with a backing track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbAU8JTvCRc) and then recording myself. Then I spent Tuesday lunchtime and two hours after the college trip on Wednesday going through the song with Jasmine. 

I was more nervous about this audition than the solo audition as I struggled with it a lot more because of my throat and because my singing lisp had returned. For some reason in 'No Good Deed' the lisp is not as apparent put in Sole/Pop/R&B songs it becomes a hindrance, as some words become very difficult to pronounce. Before the holidays, I seemed to have gotten rid of the problem, which was mainly thanks to the vocal siren (the 'NG' sound). So I must remember to do this warm up more often. I sang out of tune a few times, which was likely to be due to nerves and insufficient breath support. I also couldn't stand still, as I couldn't control my nerves. In the audition we had to sing the song twice though. Both times, I couldn't pronounce all the words properly and it was mainly the consonants that I struggled with, so I need to work on these by doing more 'tongue twisters' to help to improve my diction. 

We were given feedback that the song didn't sound quite right, which I recognised while rehearsing it, but failed to pinpoint the exact problem. We were told that our voices didn't sound too bad together, though they are significantly different. I was told to sing more quietly, as Jasmine has quite a soft, delicate voice. So I need to practise singing at a much lower volume. We were asked to practise the song on our own and to record ourselves more, to get a better idea of how we should be singing it. We were also told to work on our staging. We were asked to audition the song again next week, with all of this in mind.

Acapella Groups

In today's dance lesson we were split of into 2 groups. I am in the lowest group. I found it a lot easier to pick up choreography and it was probably the fastest I have picked up a dance routine at college so far. This may be due to the fact that we were able to learn the routine at a slower pace. However, it is a very fast-paced routine and so, often my timing was off. To correct this, I have practised the routine at home in front of a mirror (to polish each movement) twice and then twice again with music (for the correct timing). I will do this as often as I can, so that I am ready for the next half of the dance.

In today's singing lesson, we had to get into our acapella groups. My group split in half and so we are now singing 'Iris (I just want you to know who I am)' by The Goo Goo Dolls. 

Our task was to choose a group that we thought our voices would blend well in. I find this to be a difficult task as my voice and singing style is very different to anyone's in the class. I went into the original group because I was asked to join them and when we split, I looked to others to tell me what group I was in. I need to pull myself together and make these kind of decisions on my own, with confidence. Even if my voice is different to others', I should choose the group that I am most vocally similar to and not just go the group that is nearest to. Therefore, if we are ever told to choose a group that best suits us again. I am setting myself the task of making the decision confidently on my own.

Below is an image of me dancing with my dance group. This dance move would probably look better if I kept my chin up.

Duets

As homework, we were asked to prepare a duet with another person in the group. I was paired with Megan. We decide to sing 'There Are Worst Things I Could Do' from Grease. We prepared for our performance by singing it again and again. Rehearsals went well, as I played around with the notes in the song and sang loudly. However, as always, I struggled with concentrating on my own singing, when I sung with someone else. I am therefore setting myself the task of singing with other people whenever possible, while concentrating on my own voice.

During the actual performance, although I made a conscious effort to appear less nervous than usual, I sang the song completely differently, than the way in which I had practised during rehearsals. I was flat all the way through the song. I have concluded that, when I'm nervous, I just can't seem to reach the higher notes. I automatically sing really low. This is likely to be because my whole body is tense. The best way to solve this is by stretching, doing breathing exercises and shaking my whole body out. I also sang more quietly than usual, which is something that tends to happen when I'm not singing solo. I should sing at the same volume whether I sing solo, in a duet or in a group. I am also setting myself a goal to sing higher, to not sing flat and to play around with notes more next time I am asked to sing solo/ in a duet. On a positive note, I do feel more confident singing in class, now that I've sung with someone else.