I've been taking lessons from the pretty darn wonderful David Weise at the Metronome for the past four years. We decided to dance a Smooth Foxtrot. My training has been focused on Standard, although I have done a very small amount of Latin and of Smooth. I compete in Pro/Am and Amateur Standard events, so my training is completely centered on competition. Preparing for a show was a big change of pace for me, and ultimately was a much-needed challenge and break from my usual dance studies.
Since the theme of the show was "The Spirit of Broadway" I had to choose something from a Broadway play. I picked "Old Devil Moon" from "Finian's Rainbow" (which was also made into a movie with Fred Astaire as Finian). The movie is quite unremarkable, but the song is great, especially since I chose Frank Sinatra's version of it rather than the Broadway or film version.
The choreography was rather complex for me because the amount of Smooth training I have can be measured in months, but David and the show's director worked together to create something fun and challenging that made me grow as a dancer. I even choreographed a small section of it. If you know the song, it's on the repeat of the chorus, where Frank sounds like he's building up to a big finish "I wanna cry, wanna croon, wanna laugh like a loon" -- I just knew that I wanted to be dancing back feathers and reverse waves across the stage at that point, and so we did.
I am an aspiring seamstress, so I designed and made my costume. The dress is of dark red velvet, the same color as dark Siam stones. It is an eight-panel princess seamed gown with a jewel neck in the front and a deep wide open "U" in the back. There were no sleeves, but I made matching shoulder-length gauntlets. The fabric is amazing, it shimmers and glows under the lights. I'm extremely proud of it!
I can't tell you how different and exhilarating dancing on stage is compared to dancing in competition, or even in a showcase at the studio. During the technical rehearsal I was terrified that I'd fall off the stage because the choreography barely fit. I'm used to dancing Standard with David and he's seven inches taller than me so when I swing for a Feather I really move. I didn't fall, though, and with that hurdle removed I figured everything would be okay and I was barely nervous at performance time.
I got to watch the entire show from the audience during the technical rehearsal. and was thrilled by how well everyone performed. The numbers were entertaining and challenging enough to give people, no matter what their level, something to sink their teeth into. However, nothing was so challenging as to make the beginners look bad. In fact, the beginners looked GREAT. In my favorite number a suavely-dressed beginner asked his teacher, who was playing a nerdy cocktail waitress, to dance. He removed her glasses and she shook her hair loose from a bun. He untied her apron and a long green silk skirt unrolled from under her simple black cocktail dress. Suddenly she was no longer a nerd, and they danced a simple yet very sweet Foxtrot.
I usually do my own hair and makeup, but for the show the Metronome had professionals come in to make up the students. My hair was simply amazing: there were two rolls on each side, and the ends of the rolls were pulled back through a curly scrunchy-style hair piece I sometimes wear. The stylist curled my natural ends and worked them into the hair piece. I could never re-create this on my own because it took four hands -- the stylist had an assistant. When it came time for the makeup I told the artist she had to make me look as beautiful as possible because I had to be able to stand up to David on stage -- and sure enough the artist did! I got some great make-up pointers out of that, for sure!
The stage and the lighting made it magic. We danced against a deep blue background, and there was a pattern projected on the stage like the moonlight shining through leaves. We came onto the stage during a blackout, and I had to find my mark in the dark. I knew it was 8 steps from where I was waiting in the wings; if I missed it I wouldn't be in the spotlight when the lights came on. I was downstage, stage right. David entered from the opposite corner, and I had my back to him. When the song started we were both lit from behind so our sillouhettes showed against the backdrop...a spot came on him...the music hit a highlight and a spot came on me and I turned to him...and then Sinatra's orchestra kicked in and off we went. I didn't dance it perfectly -- I'm saw the tape afterwards and I was much too fast in the second half -- but I felt great and kept smiling. It's hard to smile when you can't see the crowd because of the footlights!
It was all over so quickly, and I was not just a little sad because that was the end. I met so many nice people backstage and experienced wonderful feelings of energy and comraderie. It was so much fun helping the other women in my dressing room with their costumes and false eyelashes. And while watching the show from the wings with the rest of the cast you could feel everyone appreciating and supporting each other. So while I'm sad that it's over, it's also a new beginning -- I've gotten back to my regularly scheduled program of Standard training, feeling refreshed and with newfound experiences to bring to my competitive dancing.
Ballroom dance worked very well on stage. The lighted color backdrops made the dancing really stand out. Also, the dancers were lit from the sides rather than just from overhead, so they danced awash in light that was very different from at a competition or in the studio. The framing of the stage made everything look really professional, and I'm sure the high-quality setting contributed to making everyone look as good as they did. The applause sounds different when you're on stage, too. It comes out of the dark and is focused by the shape of the theater onto the stage.
The only problem with ballroom dancing on stage is that it's just not the same size and shape as dancing in the studio or even on a competition floor. We had to re-block my routine several times to get it to fit, and it still only just barely did. And then of course I messed up during the performance anyway, and didn't curve something enough so we rapidly ran out of room. The next time we do this we're going to get the stage dimensions before we start choreographing!
The show was a smashing success. It sold out, and they were turning people away at the door. It had been listed in the dance calendar of the San Francisco Chronicle, so was a mix of general public plus Metronome students and other Bay Area ballroom dancers. The Metronome is already planning on doing another staged showcase next Summer. I'm definitely doing it again!