WRITTEN 6/03/11 (Only got round to sticking it up now as my laptop hates me)
Not only were numerous small children wailing this, but a lot of us in our late teens.
So last week we had the annual dance show for our studio, which after many months of rehearsing, achy muscles, sweaty leotards and the occasional tantrum (mainly from choreographers) it went off with a jazz hand filled success.
Everyone feels the pressure for this, as unlike amateur dramatics groups or other dance schools, we have the one show as the rest of the year is spent preparing for soiling yourself before exams. Beautiful...
We didn't have the luxury of a rehearsal either, so it really is one shot to make it (OK, I'll stop the theatrical phrasing...dahhling).
The theme this year was right up my 42nd street as it was songs from Broadway, and anyone who knows me, knows that I'm never happier than doing a little kick, kick, step ballchange lunge splits, jazz hands.
The show kicked off with a big tap group number to, would you have it, 42nd street (makes my previous comment seem a bit rubbish now..pfftt...). I felt like I'd forgotten the choreography which made me wonder why I was having a brain fart, in things I'm normally hot on remembering (could never remember mathematical equations at school, but if you asked me Grade 5 Modern Stage dance I'll be up faster than you can say Fred & Ginger). Anyway, the following tap dance involved a red feather boa, which left the stage looking like a camp man's bedroom floor but finally saw myself well and truly in my 1920s alter ego flapper dancer to Bob Fosse's 'Sing Sing Sing'.
The second section of the show was Ballet, another big group number to 'Phantom of the Opera' with the tiddlers of the group doing a very cute vampire bat impression with black capes and the oldies with the famous half mask, which my weird, Tim Burton side quite enjoyed, much to the horror of my friends. Sorry Katie and Liz :)
This dance involved a number of lifts, including at the start with a little munchkin that I help teach. It involved a number of children entering the stage before the older dancers, for them then to walk on in a dramatic fashion to lift them up. However, the smart kid thought she's play a trick on me, and plonk herself over on the other side of the stage. Part of me thought little swine..the other quite impressed with her sense of humour...
Costume changes are constantly a source of chaos and horror. I guarantee, you will not have known fear until tackling toddlers with tutus and other pieces of costume that you're not sure whether they should have on their head or hanging out of their ear. Calm and collected I entered the mayhem that was dressing room 5. The babies room. Cue dramatic dun da dun dun duuuunn! music....
Half were supposed to be dressed as lions and the other as zebras/monkeys/elephants/any other brown/sandy coloured tunic type thing, as they were doing a dance to 'The Circle of Life' which I was quite gutted I wasn't allowed on stage for. The zebras etc. were fine and dandy dressed and ready like true pros. However, the lions costumes had gone walkabout.
There's plenty of time I kidded myself, as the little munchkins were on a couple of dances before my solo. Running down to the wings, I quizzed our teacher where they were, too which she said they were in a plastic bag. Great. Let's play find the ASDA bag kids!
Constant calls for 'Circle of life please" were announced over the tanoy, as small children played around with animal print headpieces that looked alarmingly like something the Chippendales would whip off. We found some other animal looking costumes and prayed to God there were enough to go around for the lions. All kitted and ready to go with our abnormal coloured lions (No discrimination against bright orange or grey lions please), we found the tunics they were supposed to be clad in. Cue a quick change in the corridor, as one girl, who I'm sure has the spirit of an old lady kept asking "excuse me..why are you wearing that?" and "excuse me, but I need my costume". At long last, they were plonked in the wings, and all panic disappeared as they got plonked on stage. Nawwh..bless their little nylon tights.
The even younger kiddywinks stole the show as per, with their delightful toddle on stage, wave to mummy, can't see mummy, start to cry or wander around the stage. Why bother with first position and spring pointes when you know looking adorable in a fairy costume will get the biggest applause. Doubt it works when you're nineteen...
The show finished with the modern/jazz big number of Oliver! which naturally I was in my elephants. Twenty seconds of Nancy's intro of Oom Pah Pah saw my childhood dreams of playing a Victorian prostitute who gets clobbered over the head were realised. Wonder what my connexions interviewer would have said to that....
All in all, the show was a great success and yet again everybody enjoyed themselves and performed brilliantly.
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