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Max Choreo & Music Notes after week # 1




Update on choreo / dances & music following workshop/rehearsal week 1
Incorporating community Dance group suggestions
NB ‘Done’ under Music = music picked + Max already owns or has bought the track(s). Will post them here soon!
Some suggestions are crossing territory into direction/sound design...

Scene 1: Dance #1: Page 3: The Promenade
Who: Joan
What: Very minimal Foxtrot dance step that turns into a promenade through the space
Music: Foxtrot medley, a compilation of medium-tempo tracks from 1949-1953, including Ken Mackintosh, Geraldo, Billy May, Les Brown, Joe Loss, Ted Heath et al. [Done]
NB end of this scene/Queen portrait: change of music? [Max has downloaded numerous 1953 tracks that could be played around with… Thor?]

Scene 2: Dance #2: Page 7: The Dance Lesson
Who: Joanie, Babs, Vi PLUS Brighton Belles community group.
What: Disco room, women dancing to the mirrors in unison – short solo routine of Swing and Social Foxtrot steps. Three young female characters move it onto the dancefloor, Joan picks up the step with them as she speaks, Belles carry on to the mirror. Maybe image of men learning elsewhere eg spied through window of Ice House?
Music: Continuous medley of big band swing/social foxtrot tunes, late 40s/early 50s: Artie Shaw, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Lunceford et al. [Done]

Scene 4: Dance #3: Page 12: Joe & Babs Jazz
Who: Joe, Babs
What: DJ Joe playing jazz tracks, Babs grooving to the vibe
Music: Track 1 Funky Blues by Barney Kessel, Charlie Parker & Ben Webster; Track 2 Night Train by Jimmy Forrest. [Done]

Scene 5: Dance #4: Page 16: Foxtrot
Who: Community groups: Newhaven Studio Tempo, Brighton Belles, Sussex Swing and/or Brighton Lindyhoppers, Dave Romaine + maybe a few other people tbc, maybe some of the City College better dancers…
What: Proposed that the audience hears the music from outside (end of scene 4) then enters to a big, brightly light, loud and lively dancehall scene, the dancefloor full of eager dancers.
Music: Live by Harry’s Tricks. Tune to be decided. [Max liaise with them]

NB Possibility of audience split for scenes 1–4, in which case scene 5 would need to be jiggled – it would be the meeting point for all, and the Toast to the Queen would come after the Foxtrot, not before.

Dance #5: Page 16 The Regency Blue Tango
[Still scene 5, follows on from the Foxtrot and the toast to the Queen]:
Who: Newhaven Studio Tempo + Joanie, Vi, Babs, Charlie + Dave Romaine and maybe a few other good ballroom dancers + possibly Brighton Lindyhoppers/Sussex Swing and/or Brighton Belles (if they have time to learn this too & if we feel we need them!). Needs to be workshopped to see how it looks/works
What: a newly-choreographed Tango Sequence dance, with partner changing
Music: Blue Tango by Leroy Anderson. [Done]

Scene 6: The Ladies Room
Who: Joanie & Babs
What: At the moment a fairly simple naturalistic scene. Max suggesting that it includes some movement / becomes more abstracted… workshop it with Terry next rehearsal week??
Music: I Believe by Frankie Laine [Done, as in Max has bought it – but maybe it gets fiddled with/deconstructed and worked into the soundscape – Thor?]

Scene 7: Dance #6: Page 24: Charlie and Vi’s waltz
Who: Charlie, Vi. Maybe some community dancers? Possibility of having an outer circle of women dancing solo; or a number of couples dancing (tbc – depends partly on capabilities of community dancers, availability to rehearse with cast, and what’s needed theatrically).
What: Charlie & Vi waltz together, Charlie looking over his shoulder for Joanie.
Music: Patti Page Changing Partners. [Done]

Scene 8: Dance #7: Page 25: Mambo Jambo!
Who: Joe & Babs
What: their big dance scene! Seductive solo rumba-bolero from Babs; ‘I’m tired of pretending’ call to Joe; Mambo-cha together into wild mambo.
Music: medley of three tracks: track 1, Bolero Sonambulo by Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban; track 2 Cherry Blossom Pink by Perez Prado; track 3 Honeydripper Mambo by Alfredito [Done, but Bolero Sonambulo is too recent, so ideally Max will source something as good that is as slow from early 50s)

Scene 9 & scene 10: Dance #8: Page 28: Blue Moon/Blue Skies, or another soulful track
Who: ?? Whole company choreography?? Cast and community??? [Smoochy. What exactly to emerge at a later date…. Not been workshopped yet]. Max has an idea of starting with a slow foxtrot partner step that kind of unravels into a walking/weaving ensemble piece… Max workshop in next rehearsal week.
Music: Live by Harry’s Tricks, possibility of live vocal by Renee, tbc. [Max to liaise with Harry’s Tricks]

Scene 10: Dance #9: Page 29: Magnetic attraction!
(Follows on from above, using same tune)
Who: Joanie and Charlie (+ Joan). Max would like to try adding in Joe & Babs
What: workshopped in week #1 – but Max would like to ponder and maybe start afresh – not convinced this is working too well as is at the moment.
Music: Live? If so, rehearsal times? Suggest possibly that a better solution is that we segue to a recorded version of whatever is played live by Harry’s Tricks in scene 9. 

Scene 11: Dance #10: Page 33: The Stroll
(i.e. the so-called ‘original stroll’ not the ‘rock n roll stroll’)
Who: Young community dancers: City College + Shoreham Academy girls, + Charlie, Vi, Babs, Joanie bringing up the rear
What: Deconstructed version across the floor from different corners. Ends with Charlie & Joanie facing each other.
Music: Have been using Diamonds The Stroll, but this is a 1957 track, and also Chuck Willis Don’t Deceive Me (1953) – Chuck Willis is credited with inventing the Stroll). [Max likes Don’t Deceive Me; Terry likes The Stroll and doesn’t mind that it is 1957 and used in American Graffiti etc. Max is going to find some alternative options, and asking Veronica for her thoughts!]

Scene 12: Fantasy Wedding
Who: Joanie, Vi, Babs?
What: Not yet workshopped…
Music: Patti Page I Went to your Wedding [Done, as in track purchased – but not tried out yet]

Scene 13: Joe & Babs Denouement
Who: Joe, Babs
What:? Dance involved? Maybe not, or only minimal…
Music:??

Scene 15: Dance #11/12: Page 41: Ballroom Champions
Who: Charlie & Vi
What: Flashy show-off hi-octane Ballroom Dance medley
Music: Ted Heath’s Vanessa, a Quickstep/Waltz/Swing medley! [Done]

Scene 16: Dance # 12/13: Page 45: Joan & Joanie face-to-face
Who: Joan & Joanie
What: lipstick, mirrors, advice… simple waltz facing each other
Music: Using Vaya Con Dios. [Version we’re using might be too modern – Max to research alternative versions]

Scene 17 Dance #13/14: Page 46: Grand finale
Who: Three young women + Joanie initially, then all.
What: Joanie, Vi, Babs – solo abstracted dance steps around Joan, leading to Jive/Lindy: all company – girls together, then spin out to partners (Vi to Charlie, Babs to Joe, Joanie to Joan). Then all the community groups, each group entering as a unit with their own style.
Music: First part is to recorded: Ken Mackintosh Harlem Nocturne.
Jive/swing is live, Harry’s Tricks [Max to liaise]

Then: Curtain call – all, cast then community
Harry’s Tricks then play on for 15 mins or so – all dance. [Max to liaise?] OR switch to DJ?



This post first appeared on Our Dancing Feet, please read the originial post: here

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Max Choreo & Music Notes after week # 1

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