First Full Cast Rehearsal for Showcase 2013

Hustle and West Coast Swing come together

During the month of July, Anna and I taught our Hustle and West Coast Swing classes their respective choreography for the Showcase. The Showcase is part of a larger Performing in New York Showcase produced by Kat Wildish and being peformed at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York City.

For almost one month, both Hustle and West Coast Swing classes worked independently to perfect their movement. However, it wasn't until our first full-cast rehearsal on July 29, 2013 that both classes were brought together.

The first full-cast rehearsal

Although the cast was concerned about executing their new choreography in the best way possible, the real focus in a first full-cast rehearsal is the blocking. The blocking for a routine like ours is the most important part of the production. The blocking is almost as choreographed as the dances.

Even though we were missing two cast members, our first rehearsal went very well. We mapped out transitions between our cast walk-on, the Hustle section, the West Coast Swing section, the second Hustle section and the West Coast Swing reprise.

For the newer members of our dance community, this first cast-rehearsal was the first time that they realized the vision of the entire production. It seemed to give a purpose to their dancing.

More work to do

Our cast has 5 full-cast rehearsals (9 hours) before they ever hit the stage. We still have a few rehearsals to go and the show is almost ready for run-throughs. I'm excited to see how the choreography gets complimented by the blocking. As stage placements and transitions begin to settle, styling and characterization will become the focus.