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Grimsby Institute

FDA in Performing Arts

572800

Live Performance Production

Word count: 2098

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Flashdance the musical, (2024) states that flashdance was released on tour in 2008 and then set to be released on the west end in 2010. Appleton, A (2020), tells us about ‘flashdance the musical’ and supports my understanding of the show by stating that the musical is about ‘the story of Alex, a 19-year-old welder at a steel mill whose ambition is to obtain a place at the renowned Shipley Dance Academy.’ The lead ‘Alex’ goes on to fall in love with ‘Nick Hurley’ who is the nephew of her boss at the mill. Flashdance is set in the 80’s and includes dance styles like; Ballet, burlesque, jazz, and contemporary which creates a fun and energetic show.

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During our very first rehearsal for (Tom Hedley and Robert Cary 2008) ‘Flashdance’, we started learning the choreography for (Robbie Roth and Robert Cary 2008) ‘Chameleon girls.’ Before the rehearsal, we were all told to bring our character shoes with us as this is going to be the footwear we will be dancing in. By the end of the rehearsal, we had learnt the full routine and knew what we needed to work on to make it better. When reflecting on myself after this rehearsal I knew that I needed to work on my confidence, especially with the improvised part at the back as I am not as confident with dancing as some of the other girls. To build up my confidence, I will work with the other girls to get ideas for improv and keep practicing with them and ask for help. This week we also learnt (Joan Jett 1982) ‘I love rock and roll’ and ran acts 1 and 2 with the level 5’s joining in for the dances that we knew. The rehearsals went well, however, I needed to work on remembering timing for choreography which I will do by practicing with the other girls and to keep practicing in heels.

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As seen in the videos of week 1 and 2 we ran through ‘Chameleon girls’ to work on timing. During this rehearsal, we changed a little bit of the dance that me and Poppy do as I could not keep up with the Pas de Bourree, so we made it a little bit simpler which can be seen in the video. To make it simpler, we decided to change it to make it sexier as that was the vibe for this dance by moving our hips and circles and little shoulder movements. Our choreographer gave us feedback to work on more tension in the arms and confidence. However, she also said that she could tell that we had been working on it from the week before and was improving. This week, we also made a start on (Umberto Tozzi 1979) ‘Gloria’ and finished the routine. Within this routine, we are still the ‘Chameleon girls,’ so we used Motifs, carrying moves from ‘Chameleon girls’ over to ‘Gloria.’ Although we finished the routine, we had ended up doing it to the wrong version of the song meaning that we needed to find the right one that was going to be used and either make the routine fit or change it over the next couple of weeks.

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This week's rehearsals consisted of choreographing (Robbie Roth and Robert Cary 2008) ‘Steel town sky’ and singing through ‘Chameleon girls’ to sort harmonies and which bits we need to sing. As ‘Steel town sky’ is the opening to the show, we wanted it to be strong, so I gave a suggestion of adding in a jump which worked for what we wanted it to look like. In this routine we added levels and cannons as our other dances did not have any of this yet, so we wanted it to be different. Also, we had a rehearsal with level 5’s so we ran Act 1 which was the first time we had ran ‘Steel town sky’ with the backing track, so we did not go on in time as was unsure where it came in. This meant that we needed to practice with the backing tracks more this was also the same for ‘I love rock and roll’ as we missed the cue for that too and it also needed spacing. To make sure that the timing is fixed we will continue to work as a group on all the dances we currently know, helping each other out with spacing and when we go on and off stage. I will also use the recorded videos to help me with the choreography.

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This week we had a rehearsal with level 5’s so we ran the full show and spaced ‘I love rock and roll’ as everyone was there. By the end of the rehearsal, we all knew that dances needed to be run again with everyone together more often because the groups are usually split so timing is sometimes not the same for both groups as we do not have many rehearsals with everyone together. The rehearsal went better than expected and I felt more confident with the dances as we had been running them every week, so I felt more confident with what I was doing. However, I still need to work on timing and a few steps in each dance where I know I am going wrong. To do this, I will watch back through the videos and practice with the rest of my group and ask questions to the choreographer about where arms, spacing and timing are to ensure that I am doing the same as everyone else.

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During rehearsals this week, we worked closely on ‘Chameleon girls’ and the timing near the end of the dance where we all come forward which can be seen in the video as when looking back at the older videos, we are not in time with each other, but this week was better and more in time. My confidence with this dance is so much better as I am keeping up with the other girls and when looking back at the week 1 video to this week, I can see that we have all worked hard on this routine to make it the best it can be. Also, this week, I was asked to play the role of Harry due to the original cast being cut due to not turning up for rehearsals, which was a little bit daunting due to the show only being in 3 weeks. Although the show was in 3 weeks, I felt confident that I could learn the lines in time for the show day. I will learn my lines by going through my scenes with the other cast members and looking at it in my own time.

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By rehearsals this week, I had the lines for Act 1 learnt and I felt good about having Act 2 learnt for the week after. Our rehearsal feedback was to ensure all lines were learnt with no scripts on stage and that we all knew the words for ‘Steel town sky.’ Also, this week, we learnt (Richard Gilbert and Doug Cotler 1983) ‘Manhunt’ as you can see in the video and learnt the finale. With ‘Manhunt,’ I had already learnt it the week before however everyone else in my group had not, so we went through it again for everyone. Although I am not as confident as other people with dancing, I feel like my confidence with knowing ‘Manhunt’ made me able to help the choreographer with teaching it to the rest of the group.

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For rehearsals this week, I wanted to have my lines for Act 2 learnt however, I was struggling to keep the lines in my head I kept looking at the scenes through rehearsals and reading through them but as you can see from the video above, I need prompting and some of the scenes were changed with lines being cut. Due to the show being the week after, I asked if my character could carry a clipboard round so that I could have my act 2 lines with me on stage if I needed it for the show. However, I kept looking at the scenes and working with the cast to ensure that I would not have to do this. This week, we also ran the whole show, which was difficult as some of the cast members were not there this week due to personal reasons. Although some cast members were not there, we still managed to run the show. By the end of rehearsals this week, I knew that I needed to work on the finale (Irene Cara 1983) ‘what a feeling’ by looking back at the video and practicing with the rest of the cast.

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During our rehearsals for tech and dress, I made sure that I knew when to get changed into different outfits and when I needed a mic as for some of my lines like introducing songs, I needed to do it through a mic due to music playing and the audience would not be able to hear me. Although the rehearsals went well there were a few things that could have gone better for example, with chameleon girls the cast member playing C.C. could not hear the music properly and was struggling with the words so it ended with the dance being out of time. To fix this, we decided that everyone would sing the full song with C.C to make it easier. Also, I did not wear the right costume for ‘Gloria’ and ended up going on in my Harry outfit. Instead, I am going to keep my Chameleon girls costume underneath my Harry costume to make it easier for my quick changes in Act 2. Looking back at last week's rehearsals and not knowing my lines for Act 2, this week I had them learnt and felt confident in not having to take on a clipboard with my lines attached.

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At the end of the show, I felt like it went well because, the audience where clapping and cheering all the way through and they laughed at some of my scenes which meant that I was portraying my character properly and that I was able to bounce of the other cast members. I also feel like Act 2 went better than Act 1 this is because we were all excited after Act 1 due to the ending as the water drop worked and looked amazing. However, I could have done better knowing when to change my outfits for the scenes because in Act 2, I have three very quick changes after each other, and I nearly missed my cue for ‘Gloria’ as I had forgotten to change. Also, my confidence during the show went up due to the excitement from Act 1. My confidence was better because I just decided to go for it like the rest of the girls rather than not do it and look silly next to them. Although everyone was singing, I feel like some of the songs did not sound as good as they could have and this is because during the rehearsals, we focused more on the dances and going over them and never really went over the songs as a group. This could have been fixed by making sure to do rehearsals all together on songs that we all needed to join in on.

During Act 1 there were a few things that did not go as well as they did in tech rehearsals like getting set on and off and people could not find props as they had been moved. At the end of the show with the mega mix, I had learnt that a couple of days before meaning that I did not dance as well as I could have but I made it work alongside everyone else by just having fun and clapping. Another thing that could have gone better for me was the ending with ‘what a feeling,’ as I forgot that after the first run round there was supposed to be a leap and I ended up leaping on the wrong leg because I forgot the choreography.

In conclusion, the show went very well, and we all know what we need to work on for next time we do a show. Also, the audience enjoyed it, and we had a lot of compliments on the show and people said it was exceptionally good, one of the best shows the university has done.

(See Appendix 1 for character profiles)

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Candy girl: Candy is 20 and works for a club owner named C.C. and dances alongside the other chameleon girls that work in his club. Candy is extremely outgoing and wants to be the center of attention fighting with the other girls to get the main spot in C.C.’s shows. Calypso room (2024), states that burlesque ‘Performers often use elaborate costumes, props, and even comedy to engage the audience and tell a story.’ Calypso Room (2024) also tells us that burlesque is more of a ‘provocative musical act or cabaret-style variety show.’

Harry: Harry is a 55-year-old club owner competing with a new club up the street owned by C.C. Harrys bar is very classy unlike C.C.’s as Harry's dancers do not do extra favors unlike the girls at the new club down the road. Harry is very stern towards his nephew even though he secretly wants him to do well in life.

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Appleton. A (2020) Flashdance the Musical. Available [online] from: https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/12737/flashdance-the-musical accessed: [28/04/2024]

Calypso Room (2024) What is burlesque dancing? Meaning, brief history, and best dancers ever. Available [online] from: https://www.calypsoroom.com/burlesque-dancing.html accessed: [11/05/2024]

Delaney, D (2024) The Meaning Behind The Song: Manhunt by Karen Kamon. Available [online] from: https://oldtimemusic.com/w3/the-meaning-behind-the-song-manhunt-by-karen-kamon/ accessed [01/05/2024]

Flashdance the musical (2024) Biographies. Available [online] from: https://flashdancethemusical.com/biographies/ accessed: [30/04/2024]

Hayden, M (2024) The Meaning Behind The Song: I Love Rock And Roll by Joan Jett. Available [online] from: https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-i-love-rock-and-roll-by-joan-jett/ accessed: [01/05/2024]

Holt, J (2024) The Meaning Behind The Song: Flashdance… What a Feeling by Irene Cara. Available [online] from: https://oldtimemusic.com/w3/the-meaning-behind-the-song-flashdance-what-a-feeling-by-irene-cara/ accessed: [10/05/2024]

Theatrical Rights (2024) Flashdance the Musical. Available [online] from: https://www.theatricalrights.co.uk/show/flashdance-the-musical/ accessed: [28/04/2024]

Trimmel, M (2024) The Meaning Behind The Song: Gloria by Laura Branigan. Available [online] from: https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-gloria-by-laura-branigan/ accessed: [30/04/2024]