Decidedly Jazz Blog

Here we go into the last weekend of performances of WiseApple.  One of the dancers was vibed out about my last entry. Hmmm.. I've been thinking a lot about this experience of writing this blog and how it makes me look at myself and my work.  It's tricky.  The creative process is tricky too, and it is full of ups and downs and although I have tried to stay kind of neutral it's an odd thing to write this blog and have these weird one sided conversations with an imaginary audience, it's like having a secret diary that anyone can read. And depending on when I've managed to squeeze in an entry you get whatever kind of state I happen to be in at that moment.  When I wrote my last entry, I was a bit down and it came through- to him at least.  Now I'm up again.  The show is beautiful, they rocked it last night, the audience was really into it, it was a real pleasure to watch.  In thinking about how to help people get the references, I've decided the best thing to do is stress the fact that it doesn't matter.  In fact it seems like the people that like the show the most either REALLY get the references- have seen all the movies- or they simply don't care and they just get wrapped up in the magic of it.  That's the way to go. Three shows left, I can't believe how fast it's gone.  I've been doing it all my life but I can never fully get used to the strange ephemeral quality of dance.


K

Today is Monday June 14? Time flies.  The show has been going well,  
the best performance I think was Thursday but Saturday was great too.   
Four more.  I'm exhausted.  I've been taking 3 hour naps in the  
afternoon and I fell asleep at 10 p.m. last night.  The dancers need  
this break too, I know from experience that you think you are going to  
take care of a lot of stuff on your break but you just end up eating  
and sleeping, I hope they are enjoying relaxing.
It's been bit of a roller-coaster ride this last week.  It's  
interesting how some people react to the show.  I thought I was making  
something so accessible and fun that it would be good for everyone but  
I guess some people are "baffled".  That leaves me questioning how or  
if I could let people in more.  I didn't think that it would be  
important to get the references but knew that if you did it would just  
be a different experience.  It's just that many of the references are  
just a movement or a feeling.  I guess you can' t please everyone, and  
many people have told me they love it so I have to learn to let their  
comments be louder than the negative ones.  I am very happy with the  
show, the dancers are amazing and I'm so proud of everyone.  Our  
numbers have been soft so I'm trying to figure out how to sell our the  
last four.  If you have seen the show and liked it please tell all of  
your friends!!!!
K

June 6 feels like a lifetime ago.  Opening night was last night but it  
felt a little more like dress because so much keeps changing every run  
through.  The audience was into it.  I crossed my fingers so hard my  
hand fell asleep.  It has been a wild week and will hopefully settle  
down after tonight  which is gala. Little by little.

K

Holy smoke.  It's been a crazy few days, last I wrote it was Thursday  
at noon- now it's only 48 hours later but it feels like two weeks.   
Today is a day "off" I'm running around trying to find opening night  
gifts, cards etc. and trying to find a few more solutions to  
EyesWapple as it has been renamed by one of the dancers.

We had a couple of really intense days in the theatre.  Somehow I  
stupidly okay'd a schedule that worked out to have the dancers, band  
and tech all happening at once- bad idea!  Too many things to deal  
with, so Thursday afternoon was a little manic as we were trying to do  
too many things at once- I really couldn't have been thinking when I  
approved that-in my defense that schedule was made weeks ago- it was  
still dumb but my head was obviously some place else.  Thursday night  
the artists went away and we continued with setting lights.  Sorry,  
the last post I did was on Friday but all my days are kinda screwy and  
hopefully this is interesting I'm going to continue- anyhow...

Friday afternoon the dancers and I had a precious hour alone on stage  
to block and deal with their problems a little.  It's tough when we go  
into the theatre because it has to be about the tech for a few days  
and it's hard to give the artists what they need in the beginning.   
I'm so lucky that all of the artists are really easy going and they  
are also excellent problem solvers so things have been working out  
quite well.  Yesterday we worked through the show in the day and then  
we were able to run act one- it only took two hours and fifteen  
minutes to get through a 45 minute act- only.  So on Monday we'll try  
to get through act 2 in the afternoon and do a run of everything in  
the evening.  The dancers wore their almost completed costumes ( the  
sewers don't get a day off today).  Natalie has struck again- they are  
amazing and once they get all their hair/ facial hair/ make up sorted  
out it's going to be a pretty crazy looking show.

Gotta shop and maybe then I can take a nap this afternoon.  I have  
been crashing out at night but I wake up early.  My body has been  
really achey from being still and tense so much.  When you dance you  
can release all of the anxiety living in your body, I'm missing it.   
Yesterday I went to the gym at 8:15 am and it helped a bit.  As always  
when I'm not dancing I feel for people who don't move very much.   
Don't get me wrong- dancing hurts- sometimes too much, but being  
stationary and out of touch with your body hurts in a different way-  
go have a dance party in your living room, right now.
K

ps it has been suggested that I post a list of some of my references  
for the show in case anyone wants to nerd out and get a head start so  
here it is:
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Haunted  
Curiosity Shop, Le Voyage dans la Lune, Faust, Nosferatu, Lumiere  
Brothers-L'Arrivée d'un Train à la Ciotat, Serpentine Dance, Exiting  
the Factory etc. Metropolis, Safety Last, Modern Times, The Circus,  
The Kid, The Gold Rush, and many more Chaplin films, Frankenstein,  
Birth of a Nation, Entre’Acte, Sang d’un Poete, L’Age D’or, Un Chien  
Andalou, Flesh and the Devil, The Mysterious Lady, La Lanterne  
Magique, Un Homme de Têtes, many Betty Boop cartoons, Busby Berkley  
films, Alice in Wonderland, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Perils of  
Pauline, Forbidden Images, Meshes in the Afternoon, Aelita, Le Retour  
A La Raison, Anemic Cinema, Ballet Mecanique, One Week, Man With a  
Movie Camera, The General, Steamboat Bill Jr. Afternoon of a Faun,  
Salome and many more.


K

This will be my last post for a few days.  I'm one of those rare  
individuals without a laptop so my computer stays at my desk and I'm  
not going to be here for a few days.  Yesterday in the theatre was  
very intense but things are coming together, I can see it now.  I just  
had an hour and a half with the dancers, finishing the choreography-  
almost.  Now we go to the theatre.  Last night they finished the one  
complicated set piece, okay there are a couple but one was extra  
tricky-anyhow it is so amazingly close to what I envisioned I can  
hardly believe it- fantastique!!!!!!!
K

Today we move to the theatre. Actually I was there last night setting  
lights, the company goes this afternoon.  I'm a little panicked about  
time, as in I wish there was more of it.  Someone once said you always  
need one more week- I could use two.  We did do our last studio run  
yesterday though and it is really coming together.  So many little  
miracles have to happen in the next 7 days.  In the immortal words of  
Joey Ramone- Hey ho, let's go.
k

Tomorrow is the last full day in the studio and then we are in the  
theatre.  We are almost ready.  I'm looking forward to getting farther  
away from the show, when I watch it, I feel like I'm in it. There are  
still so many questions to be answered.   8 days left.  I have to  
pretty up for a photo shoot now.
K

9 days left.  Added an apple to the show today.  We push on.  Two days  
left in the studio, then we move into the theatre.  There is still a  
fair amount of choreography to be made, the days are going to get  
really long for me soon.  There were a few mini dramas today but they  
worked themselves out.  Now is the time that people start to get  
freaky (including me) I am trying to filter out all the extra and  
really listen for what everyone needs and then try to fix it.  I find  
that if I can let the person having the crisis know they are being  
heard, even if I can't solve it that second, it makes them feel better  
and calm down.
K

The music is going to be amazing! The dancers are going to look  
amazing!  Tomorrow is another run but I have been trying to  
choreograph as much as I can in all the spare moments so hopefully  
I'll get a whole bunch more done before the we start the run at 3.   
Now I have to run screaming from the building.
K

Band rocks.  Natalie the costume designer is back.  The costumes are  
being fit.   I managed to choreograph a few more bars here and there.   
Adrenaline level up two more notches, things are coming together, had  
a couple of good laughs. 15 more days 'till  opening.
K