decided on 3 main duets (Galileo and Scaramouche - Under pressure, Killer Queen - Another, Brit Meat - Want It All) and 2 ensemble songs at beginning and end (We are the champions & Radio Gaga)
originally chose one cast, but changed to performing with double casts to give us all a chance of performing as we didn't know if there would be another, shared experience and adapted blocking/movement for addition of double cast
Worked well sorting out song with megan luke and holly, what bits one cast should sing and what the other should sing. We respected each other's opinions and cooperated well to ensure we were all comfortable with we were performing. It went smoothly as we found both of our casts found the the opposite half of the song in under pressure more difficult, so worked out well as we all got to sing what we preferred. Our strong communication helped us determine how we all feel about the plan.
discussed with workshop group and shared ideas on how we would perform the last ensemble by including them in after doing the workshop, which was getting them to devise movement that linked to keywords in given lines from Radio Gaga.
rehearsing
In rehearsals, me Megan and Luke and Holly worked a lot together, as we were our own small ensemble. We shared and respected each others opinions on how we should support each other well also in our other songs when practising singing them which helps strengthen our own duos as well as the other casts. the group performances comes together especially in the end when we all join together US holding hands. This creates unity and displays the bond between all ensemble members. Even though our duo performances our separate, we are still contributing to a group effort.
some bits we changed such as when me and megan aren't performing, we initially were clicking side to side in the upbeat section of under pressure. However discussing this with kim, it took focus away from the performers as we were technically offstage but had to wait at the back. We changed this to being neutral and crouched down. This gives equal attention to both of our sections, making it a fair performance where we all benefit the same amount from.
when practising radio gaga, talia and emily lead the choreography and guided us in learning the movements. They were thorough and showed a lot of patience and determination in making sure everyone understood the choreo well which sped up the learning process. We changed a movement near the end for the purpose of performing it at durrington, as we wanted to face them and make it more simpler than the box steps.
For We are the champions, this I feel would reflect us most as an ensemble, as it displays us entering the space with a friendly and positive attitude, hugging and sharing enthusiasm with each other as we sing. There is not much rehearsal to this and I think it's more about your performance skills over technical skills.
performance
singing under pressure, changed range on "pressure on people, people on the streets" lower as didn't' feel enough practice in head voice as less comfortable personally. As short time rehearsal for durrington, changed this to feel more confident performing and therefore interacting better with partner (Megan), delivering a stronger performance.
from previous performance at durrington gave me more ensurance on whatt to expect and i used this to ensure others in class that were more nervous and didn't know. When getting really into the character, you forget about people watching you and you ose yourrself more which is really important for nerves
ensembles went really wel as we al maintained the high energy and eye contact with each other supported our strong bond as a team. for workshop, was partnered with one of the Meats (Talia), eeeryone was mixed characters. This was helpful as we had to work with people different to us and may have different ideas and approaches. Our group were boosted by our enthusiasm which we definitely needed to get them on the same level to be creative and experimental. Our friendly and vibrant energy with a positive attitude I feel helped them come out of their shell and led us to creating ideas. This is a perfect example of the importance of working in an ensemble, is that your attitude/approach/energy etc. will travel through the rest of the group, whether it's negative or positive which will affect the outcome of the performance.
