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Choreographic
Workshop
Saturday
13th December 2003
It
seemed a mammoth task - to produce a ballet, The Sleeping
Beauty, from scratch in just a few short hours,
complete with costumes and props, and then perform it in front
of the people who matter most - families and friends! But
in the event it was a very enjoyable
and stress-free experience that, although exhausting, was
a pleasure to be a part of.
When
everybody had arrived we all convened in the studio theatre,
later the setting for the finished ballet (which at that point
we hadn’t even started), to split the participants into
groups and hear a welcoming introduction from Elisabeth Swan
(who had organised everything brilliantly and gathered our
team of helpers together).
All
the children were eager to get started so each teacher took
their troupe and a CD away to begin to create a section of
the ballet. I was helping out with two or three sets at different
times, and I was thrilled to
see how many ideas the children had and how their contributions
were incorporated into the finished product. Everyone was
working really hard and enthusiastically to get things moving
and some really interesting patterns and moves were beginning
to come together.
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| The
Christening |
The
pieces of music were each quite long, so it was a bit of a
challenge to get finished before lunch, but we
just about got there, and we were all ready to have a sit
down - children and adults alike.
So,
having refuelled, we all gathered in the theatre again to
piece the whole ballet together and practice the finale, no
mean feat when there are 60 plus dancers to take a bow! It
was great to watch what everyone hadachieved and see how the
elements of the story would fit together before the actual
performance.
After
some last minute rehearsals the stage was set and everyone
got into their costumes ready to begin. The auditorium was
filled to bursting with parents and supporters waiting to
see what we had been working on all day, and it was time to
play the overture -this was it!
Everything went to plan, from when the King and Queen arrived
at court with their new baby, to the Prince waking Sleeping
Beauty with a kiss, adding in courtiers, spiders, good and
bad fairies, friends, attendants and a hunting party along
the way!
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Lilac
Fairy |
Then
came the finale, which went to plan perfectly, everyone taking
their bows at the right time from the right entrances to the
obvious delight of the audience. It was lovely to hear the
hard work of all the dancers rewarded in the applause!
As
we collected up costumes and saw the children back to their
families, it was amazing to think that it had all happened
in such a short space of time.
Credit
must of course go to the excellent strategic planning that
was in place beforehand, organising groups, casting and music,
but also to the work done on the day itself, to all those
helping and the cheerful, creative atmosphere that allowed
for all the unplanned moments and movements that made the
day and the ballet unique.
By
the end of the day we were all exhausted but we agreed it
had been well worth the effort when the end result was so
successful!
So,
a huge thank you is in order to all those involved who made
it such a great day!
Samantha
Moody
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