Tuesday 17 May 2011

Diary Entry - Day 5, New Adventures & Sadler's Wells Community Group, Chantal Pierre-Packer, Tuesday 3rd May 2011

Rehearsal started today with another lovely calming and dance inspired warm-up by Rachel. We are all more familiar with the moves now so we are more confident and able to let ourselves go a little further.

We re-cap our journeys from the top (yes, I’m learning more terms as the weeks go by!). All in our respective places, groups 1-4 start on their specific counts in the music. We go through these a few times and people re-cap their ‘encounters’ too. Rachel tells us that we will be doing this first part to a different piece of music that will have preceded our group. We perform the journeys to this piece and there is a moment when we all freeze as the music stops. Animation and other things will be happening here. Some people are moving in the silence, some move when our piece of music starts and the remainder continue their journeys after 8 counts.

This section is rehearsed a few times. The rehearsal room is large with a mirrored wall on one side and windows at the top all along two opposite sides. The light is pouring in. It is a beautiful, bright evening and we are all in a fantastic mood it seems, which makes it even better.

The group phrases are then needed so we get into our groups and Rachel tells us it will only be for two 8’s. We need to choose the most distinctive moves from all those we had and work on this together. Our group goes through it but it looks and feels less fluid. Rachel helps us and cuts the arm movements down and makes the spin longer (when you see it you will know what I mean). It immediately flows and is much easier to do!

Another surprise! For this section we will not be in our groups, as in close proximity to each other, but spread out in the space where we are at the end of our journeys. We will have to do these on our own. This is ok as we can still see each other. We do all indulge in a mini panic when we are told this but this is allayed when we actually do it and see how simple it is and how nice it looks.

The whole piece so far is done from the top. We did it! We have a section of the whole. Our cake is looking juicier week by week. (The whole piece is the cake. So far we have finished a slice of cake. The completed piece will be the finished cake with icing on top. Ok? Analogy explanation covered).

There is a break but everyone is so enthusiastic that most keep working through it. We then realise that we are actually tired and actually need to sit down and have a drink so crash out on the floor for a bit.

The superhero film phrase is then upon us. We re-cap the moves and counts we learned last week. The dynamic is lovely to see and there are levels and various speeds of movement. This is one of my favourite parts. Finally, the ‘workstation’ phrase is needed. We get back into those groups. Ours is the man typing on the typewriter remember? These are rehearsed a few times. Rachel puts us with another group and we have to teach them our piece. It goes well. We laugh, direct, watch and learn. Et voila, c’est bien. C’est vraiment! (Sort of).

Time is up. It has gone so quickly once more. We discuss the rehearsals for this weekend (10am – 5pm on Saturday and 10am – 3pm on Sunday). We have a fun weekend ahead. We take some flyers of our show to give to friends and family and have to rush getting changed as the stage door is closing! 4 weeks to go!



Photos: Gigi Giannella

No comments:

Post a Comment