First off was the dance portion. My long-time director got up on the stage, and the record-breaking thirty auditioners crowded behind her, trying to see her feet as she quickly walked us through a nine-bar routine to "Tradition." No one got it, despite the large portion of it which was walking, and even the typical stars became confused in their rehearsals and small group presentations of the dance. I was assigned to the last group, so I had lots of time to scream inside. Along the way, I gave the rest of the stragglers lessons in the grapevine and in how to be Jewish for a freestyle at the end. The instructions for the freestyle were "dance in a Jewish way," and as a folk dancer and half Jew, I was the expert. Finally, we were up: seven of us, four in the back and three in the front. I was in the back. The first time through, I simply stood for a bar because I forgot what to do. Then, though, the second time, when I was in the front: I nailed it, even with my neighbor crashing into me in the middle! Well, I'm really busy practicing for part two, so I must go, but here is the choreography for those who care:
grapevine behind and to the right, 3 steps and then together
walk in a small circle on the spot
grapevine behind and to the right, 3 steps and then left heel out
grapevine behind and to the left, 3 steps and then right heel out
ball change, kick, cross the right leg in front
hold hand up with bent elbow and turn wrists once
walk 3 steps in a semi-circle back and to the right, then hop on that foot
repeat going forward
Jewish freestyle
No comments:
Post a Comment