Murder on The Dance Floor
Created | Updated Sep 2, 2004
The countdown begins!
What ARE you wearing????
Right I'll come clean and admit that I am currently sporting Ugg boots, fishnet tights, black velvet shorts, a pink Tshirt and a black cross-over cardigan. I've also just had my hair cut today in a short brunette crop with spiky Liza Minnelli-esque fringe, topped off with a madly swirlly coat in shades of pink, green and yellow. So what's all that about then?
Well, the fishnets are because we're supposed to be getting accustomed to them, since they're de rigeur for every routine. These are industrial strength jobs - I seriously believe it would actually be possible to catch some record breaking cod in them.
The shorts are a modesty-protecting item, as well as being comfortable dance wear. I happened upon an old pair of black velvet leggings during a recent wardrobe purge, and decided to recycle them into a utilitarian new lease of life, using a handy pair of scissors1.
The top half doesn't need much explaining - it's classic dancer gear. I kept catching sight of myself in the mirror and thinking - Chorus Line!
The Ugg boots are comfortable footwear to don when the high heeled peach satin and diamante showgirl shoes just get far too unbearable! Plus I need something to drive home in.
And the coat? Well that was just a moment of weakness today, which seemed to go with the new hair and attitude.
Cabaret
Three rehearsals, on three consecutive nights!!! Yup, it's 2 months to go and the pace is picking up. Cabaret is looking good - all the choreography is done, most of the costuming (that's the underwear number) is sorted, there's just a few final placing adjustments to do. Our 'Sally Bowles' livens up procedings by wearing a bee outfit, while we struggle to maintain our 'bored, cheap Berlin 30s sluts' demeanour.
Chorus Line
This number has suffered enormously from drop-out - at least half a dozen girls have left the routine due to work pressures, illness, whatever. I have genuine sympathy for the choreographer as she struggles to reorganise her carefully calculated moves in the light of a 20% drop in participants. I end up in a different position and so have to do my moves in mirror-image to how I was doing them before - not easy! But we've had some singing coaching on the tricky middle part, plus we've recruited some 'singers in the wings' since it's so hard to sing and dance simultaneously, with the result that the routine as practised is not too bad!
Stepping Out
The finale from Stepping Out is a number that holds a special place in my heart. I was devastated not to be in the actual show last year, and then elated when I was chosen to replace someone in this number for this year's 25-year spectacular. But in practical terms I haven't danced the actual steps in over 12 months and have never done it in the choreographed verison that we're performing! But as I donned my top hat and flashed my brightest smile for the hangers-on that constituted tonights' audience, my feet remembered their moves and I even managed to do the solo turn with the one male dancer, without any rehearsal!
Of all the myriad styles of dancing that I do - from belly-dancing to salsa - tap is my favourite, and doing my thang to the Gershwin medley that is the soundtrack I find my soul soaring to another joyful place, taking me out of myself, filling me with a glorious euphoria. I know exactly why this is my hobby. And I know I could not live in a world without dance.
Broadway Baby
So there we were in the loos, changing into our 'slag' outfits - me in black suede miniskirt and blue sequinned boob-tube, B in denim mini and white knee high boots, knowing we have to go upstairs and face a room full of our peers. OK, we say, let's do it, bring on the wolf whistles! and off we go. I'm not used to such a short skirt and suffer a Sharon Stone moment when I go to sit down on a chair. But the routine goes down well and we get a round of applause. My outfit is missing something though - anyone got a pink stetson? I think that would really set it off!
Murder on the Dance Floor
Archive
