Murder on the Dance Floor
Created | Updated Jul 9, 2003
Acting the fool
Acting Workshops Begin
As if the dancing were not difficult enough, we now have to demonstarte our other talents - namely acting. Well it would be OK if the director just told you what to do and what to say and where to go... but most of it is improvisation. And we're nothing like as good as those guys on Whose Line is it Anyway.
You are at a bus-stop
The favourite pastime of the director is to ask us to imagine we are of a certain age or from a certain profession. Then we have to show the audience - by our general demeanour and posture - what we are, all whilst sitting at an imaginary bus-stop. Now it's very tempting to go for something obvious - 12 year old boy playing with gameboy, or old lady struggling with shopping, or a Nun. But is that what the director wants? What if I could be a really convincing person of my own age and profession - would that do? Or would that be cheating? And of course you want to stand out from the crowd, so the director will notice you, so something quiet, tame and understated isn't going to make much impact.
Maybe next time I'll do a 60 year old working girl.
I did get my own back on him in a warm up routine though. Each person in turn in the circle had say a word beginning with the letter the previous person had given them, then say a letter for the next person. Seated beside the director, I gave him X! Oh, how we all laughed!
Meanwhile, for those of you playing along at home, go throw a
pretend ball at a pretend wall. Go on, really see that ball!
Back at the dance studio
The choreography for Happy Feet is now complete, and we've even managed to try it out in small groups on the stage. The Finale - a medley of
Gershwin songs - is a more difficult routine, and contains one very fast double-toe tap that seems to have everyone tearing their hair out. I practise it while waiting for the lift, or in a queue at the bank.
Sometimes people give me funny looks.
And sometimes a fellow tapper is there and will join in.
How to make friends and influence people
We have become a unique unit, and it's with a little sadness that we
realise that the final casting is going to be done soon, and our merry band of twenty plus will be chopped in half. So we're making the most of each other's company while we can. The rehearsal hall was double booked on Sunday so we unfortunately (yeah right!) had to retire to the bar downstairs earlier than planned. And there's a big barbecue coming up...
Murder on the Dance Floor Archive
