Blog

West Coast Swing to Gangnam Style

PSY - Gangnam StyleThis month, Anna and I wanted to choreograph our West Coast Swing advanced dance class in Norwalk to a really fun piece. There are times when we want to choreograph to Blues or R&B to bring out the essence of Swing, but this month we wanted to be more carefree.

Swing Niagara 2012 - Review and Placements

Swing NiagaraSwing Niagara was a great event. There were people from Canada (Toronto and Montreal), Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) and, of course, upstate New York. It covered a base for many people who love to dance but generally have to travel to the Boston, Chicago or New York City area to attend a good-sized event.

Showcase 2012 Reviews

 From the Examiner.com:

The most endearing award goes to Novoa’s “West Coast Swing & Hustle Showcase” which spun off the comedy and undeniable popularity of the song “Call Me Maybe.”

Read the entire review

 From Kat Wildish (the Producer):

I trust and believe in you and what you do!!!

Thank you for stealing the show with that special sarcasm & attention to detail that touches everyone in that dance place...

 

The Last Show

Showcase 2012 - So Call Me MaybeThe final performance is where you see the final result of all the hard work. At this point, the cast did not have to worry about rehearsals, they knew the dimensions of the real stage, they had felt the energy of different audiences. Now, it would be about hitting it out of the park.

The Matinee

Showcase 2012 - Matinee performanceMany of our dancers stayed in New York City at after their premier performance and cast party on Saturday night. Some stayed in midtown hotels, as we did, others stayed with friends or family. Fortunately, our call on Sunday wasn't until 2pm so there wouldn't be a rush in the morning to get to the theater for our matinee performance.

Opening Night Cast Party

Kristen, Anna, KimAfter our first amazing performance. I barely had time to celebrate with the cast back stage. I changed back into civilian clothes and ran to set up the final aspects for our opening night cast-party, not just for our group but for the entire company.

The First Performance

Ailey Citigroup TheaterThis was our first time participating in all three performances at the Ailey Citigroup Theater for Kat Wildish's Performing in New York Showcase. Last year, the weekend of the show was canceled because of hurricane Irene. We only were able to perform for one of the rescheduled performances. This year, we made it through all three performances in great style.

Final Rehearsals for Showcase 2012

20120823 - Erik Choreographing BowsOur final rehearsals were a lot of work. Time was up! We were no longer focused on actual choreography as much as we were focused on running the piece ad nauseum so that all blocking issues could be smoothed out.

Coming Together at the Gates of Hell Week

Choreography

holding handsThe Showcase choreography is finally coming together!! Our Tuesday Hustle rehearsal cleared up many questions about the core movement and the additional Hustle Waltz section. The Thursday West Coast Swing rehearsal gave the dancers a chance to stitch together all the parts, including the finale.

Pushing the Envelope

Sangria and missing people

sangriaMonday's full-cast rehearsal went very well. Fortunately the sangria was back (thanks Lily) and everyone was raring to go.

Unfortunately, I was missing two cast members who had previously told me that they would have conflicts with this rehearsal. That always makes the blocking more challenging as I have to account for phantom people. It also makes things difficult on their partners who are solely responsible for the changes and nuances that are created in rehearsal.

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