Under Pressure doublecast ensemble

Today we choreographed a chosen song from the WWRY set in our separate groups, which were with our double casts (Me and Holly with Luke and Megan).

We chose 'Under Pressure', as it involves the duet between Scaramouche and Galileo which works perfectly for our pairs. We decided to sing the parts for Scaramouche/Galileo in our double cast pairs, as well as singing as an ensemble for the choruses etc. This way we could bounce off each other's vocals and build our energy for when we have to perform these songs on our own. We switched between singing to our partners and singing to our double casts, which was effective as it further brought a sense of unity which is ideal for an ensemble; showing a connection between all members of the group.

When blocking the choreography, we made sure we used the whole space by spreading out, circling around the stage with our partners and would also rejoin in various formation, interacting with each other. Harmonies and solo lines were also chosen for each other. For example, Holly sings a short verse before I join her for the "let me out" line which is powerful and punchy. We also tried choosing solo lines for "Pressure on people - people on the streets", however we didn't sound strong enough on our own so we decided to sing it together. This gave an idea for the actual performance, where we could have offstage singers who would join in for certain lines that needed a more wholesome sound, such as this line in particular.

We interacted well with the audience by directing lines and our eyeline towards them to transfer our energy to them as they focused on us. The chemistry between our partners and our double casts were strong as we had eye contact and sang to each other. I think we could have had stronger and more exaggerated facial expressions, as this is such an expressive, passionate song about being coerced.

When watching other groups' performances, we also found the energy was very high and powerful which brought the ensemble together particularly in Emily's group who performed 'I Want It All', where their collective spirit grew stronger as the song reached it's climax. I thought with Bryleah's group they also had a lot of energy and a strong contrast of the characters, with great use of facial expressions. Sometimes I felt some people were more involved than others, which can affect the overall balance of an ensemble.