Friday 21st November 2014
Fat Sams Grand Slam
I quickly learnt the movements for this dance, but as i only had a short amount of time i didnt finish learning the choreography. Over the next week i am going to spend time with the other fat sam dancers to learn this.
During rehearsals I finished learning the dance and practised it with the other dancers on the stage. We also did this whilst singing so that we could get used to singing and dancing at the same time. At first as a group we had trouble making it as energetic as it needed to be but then we went back into the dance studio so that we could see what w were doing in the mirrors. This helped me as I could see which facial expressions worked best with the theme of the song.
As well as facial expressions we worked on timing and projection of the dance moves, this meant that we could see if we had the correct timing with each other and that we all had the same sized movements. We had to focus on this because in rehearsals some people in the group had big, over the top movements whereas other people has much smaller. We had to work together to make sure that we all looked the same.
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Thursday, 20 November 2014
Thursday 20th November 2014 - Variety Show
Thursday 20th November 2014
Variety Show
The History Of The Music Hall
Song And Supper Rooms - In the 1830s song and supper rooms were popular among the middle-class, they served hot food for the audience and provided them with entertainment until the early ours of the morning. In supper rooms in Covent Garden like "Evans song" singers were paid £1 a week and were given free drinks, the star of "Evans song was Sam Cowell who was famous for his song "The rat catchers daughter".
Music Hall - The music hall originated in 18th century London where workmen gathered at the end of a long work day to socialise. Many of the acts that were performed for these people were about how the rich exploited the poor, this gave the workmen a chance to express their opinions about their bosses. To control these events there was someone sitting side stage on a chair, this was know as the chairman. Music halls were a difficult place to perform in as the audience often engaged in their own conversations and were loud and disruptive, sometimes the audience even threw things at the performers if they didn't like the act. Things that were thrown included bottles, old boots and even a dead cat. In some halls waiters carried bottles that were chained to trays to prevent them from being stolen or smashed, as well as this the orchestra was protected by steel grilles that were stretched over the pit to make sure that they were not injured.
Green Gate Tavern Theatre - This was a victorian theatre hall on London's city hall, entertainment included comedy and music. This image is from 1854, it shows that not many of the audience seem to be interested in what is happening on stage. This suggests that the entertainment is just used as background noise to their conversations.
The First Music Halls
The Canterbury Hall - Mr Charles Morton, opened the first purpose built music hall called the Canterbury Hall in 1852. It could seat up to 700people and the audience were seated at round tables were food and drink was served during the performances. The performances took place on a platform at one end of the music hall and were watched by the chairman, Mr John Caulfield. The star of the performance was Sam Cowell and the entrance into the Canterbury Hall cost each person a sixpenny. Because of Sam Cowells success Charles Morton built a larger Music Hall which opened in 1856 with chandeliers, a balcony and an art exhibition.
Ladies Thursday - Charles Morton wanted to encourage more women into the music halls, he introduced ladies Thursdays, this is where women could accompany a man to the hall, however this did not have to be the mans wife. These halls developed a bad reputation as there were prostitutes walking up and down the auditorium waiting for the men.
New Music Halls - Because of the success of the Canterbury Hall, many other music halls opened up across London. By 1875 there were 375 music halls in London, this meant that more performers were required to perform on stage, many women wanted to do this as it was a way of being independent for working-class women. Performing at the music halls was a way for making a decent way that they could live off of.
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West End Music Halls
As music halls had become a very popular type of entertainment it had branched out into the west end, this then created more of an upper class audience. Music hall entertainment became a night out for the more wealthy people that would behave respectively and dress up in evening gowns and suits. Some of these music halls were managed by Oswald Stoll.
The Alhambra - This was a west end music hall situated in Leicester square and was among the most famous and biggest music halls these had seating like theatres in rows facing a proscenium stage rather than tables and the bar and refreshments were served in a seperate room. This was to avoid food and drink being thrown at the performers, as well as this it also kept socialising and watching the entertainment separate to avoid the performance from being interrupted or disturbed.
The Performers
Because music halls were become more and more popular, the main attraction was so that the audience could watch the performers rather than the food and drink that was being served. Some of the performers were so successful that they would perform in a number of different music halls each night, they would cross London in-between appearances. By performing in a range of different venues each night the most popular entertainers earned a lot of money.
Sam Cowell (5 April 1820 - 11 March 1864) - Sam Cowell was born in London and was brought to America by is father "Joseph Cowell" in 1820, he became a child actor in Boston and starred in many plays. He later appeared in many theatres across America. At the age if 20 he returned to Britain working in Edinburgh before London performing in song and supper rooms. He became popular quickly and was a well known act that performed in music halls around London. In 1860 he returned to America however he suffered with poor health so he was unable to perform, therefore he came back to England in 1862 still with failing health and he was declared bankrupt in 1863 and died in the following March.
Champagne Charlie - This is a music hall song that was popular in the 19th century, it was originally sung by George Leybourne in 1866 in Leeds. This was one of his most famous songs, so much so that he was called "Champagne Charlie" rather than his actual name. He was employed at the Canterbury hall in 1866, he was payed £30 a week, over the next year because of his success his wages increased from this to £120 a week. The theatre manger William Holland told him that he could only drink champagne in public so that customers would recognise him and his song.
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The Music Hall Strike Of 1907
Because music hall became so popular, managers decided to introduce contracts for the performers, these became strict, the main clause was the exclusivity clause. This meant that the performers were not allowed to work in another theatre before or after an appearance, this also meant that they were not allowed to work in another theatre that was a certain distance away from their first performance. This limited the amount of money that the performers could earn as they couldn't perform in more than one theatre in the same night as they had previously done before. Most of these contracts included that the performers had to work at least one matinee a week without any additional payments.
On the 22nd January 1907, the performers and stagehands at the Holborn theatre went on strike, these were followed by other music halls in London. These strikes were lead by the "Variety Artistes Federation" who were first formed in 1906. Higher payments were demanded for the extra performances that they had to appear in, the managers tried to keep the music halls open by employing less well known acts or encouraging retired performers to come back. Even well paid performers went on strike too, this was to show their support to the other music hall stars and the "Variety Artistes Federation". Eventually the managers of the music hall agreed to give the performers additional wages for extra performances.
Types Of Acts
Aerial Acts - These are performed on ropes above the audience, one example of a performer who did these is "The Great Leotard". He invented the flying trapeze act, this was performed in the Alhambra theatre. Another example is a tightrope walker called "Blondin" he walked from the one balcony of the Canterbury Music Hall to the other. The acts became popular in music halls across London as the audience were intrigued in the act as they were more interesting to watch compared to a singer or a dance group.
Character Songs - In the first music halls, comic singers were the most popular type of acts, this is because these songs were focused around social issues and working class life. This was often to engage the audience, who had been at work all day in the factories where they had been paid an unfair wage by the factory owners. The songs varied between topics such as mother-in-laws, overdue rent, unfaithful husbands and wives, drink and debt.
Burlesque - This is a form of dance which was used to engage the audience, it involved risque movements and costumes. These dances could either fats or slow and were sometimes performed by the opposite sex, for example a man would dress up as a women and dance around the stage as if he were.
War Recruitment - At the beginning of WW1 music halls were used to recruite men to join up to the army. They would do this by having women dancing on stage and offering them a reward when they did such as a kiss from one of these women. Once the men had signed up they were not allowed to back out, these shows would make them think that that joining up to the army would make them seem desirable to their families and women. One example of this is in the musical "Oh what a lovely war".
American Vaudeville - This was a type of entertainment that became popular after the civil war, it created an industry that was managed by a number of white collar workers. It also increased the average working class persons leisure time and changes the tastes of what people wanted to watch, both working and middle class. American vaudeville started after the Europeans had discovered variety theatre before 1850, audiences could enjoy presentations of dance, comedy, acrobats and readings of Shakespeare in the same evening. As this became more popular more places began to open and more acts became available to the audience such as travelling circuses, riverboats and amusement parks. These places often featured a cleaner forms of variety theatre in saloons, music halls and burlesque houses.
Variety theatre in America became known as vaudeville after 1871 with the formation of "Sargents Great Vaudeville Company" of Louiseville in Kentucky, this provided variety theatre to the middle class. In the early 1880s Tony Pastor who had previously been a ringmaster for a travelling circus but had become a theatre manager ran many theatres in New York that began to provide programmes, which would feature a polite introduction to each of the acts that were going to perform. He wanted to attract customers that were female and family-based shoppers from the uptown, he banned alcohol and any risqué acts from his theatres. This had become successful and soon many other theatre managers had followed. One journalist wrote at the opening of B.F. Keith's New Theatre in Boston, 1894
Modern Variety Shows
The Royal Variety Performance - This performance takes place each year in a different UK theatre each time, the Queen and the Prince of Wales attend on alternate years. All of the money that is made from this performance is donated to the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund, this helps hundreds of performers in the UK who need help and assistance as a result of old age etc. The royal variety performance began in 1912 when King George 5th and Queen Mary agreed to attend a "Royal Command Performance" at the Palace Theatre in London. In July 1919 the second Royal show was performed held at the Coliseum also in London, this was celebrated as a celebration of peace after the first world war. In recent years the winner of Britains got talent (a talent show that allows anyone to audition with any type of act to compete against each other) gets to perform at the royal variety performance. Other performers include Ed Sheeran, Michael Macintyre and Shirley Bassie.
Britain's Got Talent - This is a talent show that is played on ITV1, the show holds the guiness world record for the most successful reality tv show. Its first series was in 2007, the judges have changed over the years but currently the judges are Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams. Applicants include dancers, singers, acrobats and comedians among many other types of acts, the performers can be any age, gender or ethnicity and from any type of background and talent.
Charity Variety Shows - Charitys such as "Children in need" and "Comic relief" host annual variety shows to raise money, "Children in need" 2014 raised £32.6m, it was hosted by Sir Terry Wogan, Tess Daily, Ferne Cotton and Nick Grimshaw. Many different acts performed such as One direction and Susan Boyle as well as special editions of tv programmes such as Eastenders. These shows gain audience members as many different perfomers are featured, therefore people who are interested in a particular performer will want to watch just because they want to see them, this performer may have a different audience to another performer. Because of this more people will want to donate to this charity.
Michael Mcintyre - He is a stand-up comedian who has been featured in the royal variety show, this is an example of a modern day variety theatre performer. In 2012 he was reported to be the highest grossing comedian in the world of the year. He has performed at the royal variety show three times including hosting it, making him the youngest person to ever host the performance.
Musical Theatre - This is a successful industry that used character songs, monologues and dance into a show that tells a story to an audience. Unlike variety theatre musical theatre shows are not lots of short unrelated performances but incorporate these things that were used to be create an on-stage story. Many musicals such as "Wicked" and "Billy Elliott" have been very successful and have shown on Broadway in New York as well as the West end in London.
Chicago The Musical - This musical is set in 1920s America where many speakeasies held variety shows during the prohibition era. The opening scene shows the audience many different acts that are waiting to perform in the corridors, there is one successful act - Velma and her sister. They travelled around different venues and performed In many different in one night. One girl - Roxie, dreams of being able to be on stage and perform like these other performers. Eventually after auditioning by herself at many different venues, at the end her and Velma join together to form a combined act that they travel around with.
Burlesque The Musical - This is a modern day musical that was made for film, it is focused around a burlesque house in LA. Burlesque was a popular type of entertainment that was used in variety theatre, it is based on one girl who moves from a small town and hopes to be a dancer in the shows, she eventually changes the show by being the main singer and dancer.
This suggests that variety theatre still has an impact on many different types of modern entertainment that is very popular now, these include music, film and on-stage shows.
V&A:The story of the music hall http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-story-of-music-halls/ (20th November 2014)
V&A: Character Acts http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/music-hall-character-acts/ (20th November 2014)
Variety Show
The History Of The Music Hall
Song And Supper Rooms - In the 1830s song and supper rooms were popular among the middle-class, they served hot food for the audience and provided them with entertainment until the early ours of the morning. In supper rooms in Covent Garden like "Evans song" singers were paid £1 a week and were given free drinks, the star of "Evans song was Sam Cowell who was famous for his song "The rat catchers daughter".
Music Hall - The music hall originated in 18th century London where workmen gathered at the end of a long work day to socialise. Many of the acts that were performed for these people were about how the rich exploited the poor, this gave the workmen a chance to express their opinions about their bosses. To control these events there was someone sitting side stage on a chair, this was know as the chairman. Music halls were a difficult place to perform in as the audience often engaged in their own conversations and were loud and disruptive, sometimes the audience even threw things at the performers if they didn't like the act. Things that were thrown included bottles, old boots and even a dead cat. In some halls waiters carried bottles that were chained to trays to prevent them from being stolen or smashed, as well as this the orchestra was protected by steel grilles that were stretched over the pit to make sure that they were not injured.
Green Gate Tavern Theatre - This was a victorian theatre hall on London's city hall, entertainment included comedy and music. This image is from 1854, it shows that not many of the audience seem to be interested in what is happening on stage. This suggests that the entertainment is just used as background noise to their conversations.
The First Music Halls
The Canterbury Hall - Mr Charles Morton, opened the first purpose built music hall called the Canterbury Hall in 1852. It could seat up to 700people and the audience were seated at round tables were food and drink was served during the performances. The performances took place on a platform at one end of the music hall and were watched by the chairman, Mr John Caulfield. The star of the performance was Sam Cowell and the entrance into the Canterbury Hall cost each person a sixpenny. Because of Sam Cowells success Charles Morton built a larger Music Hall which opened in 1856 with chandeliers, a balcony and an art exhibition.
Ladies Thursday - Charles Morton wanted to encourage more women into the music halls, he introduced ladies Thursdays, this is where women could accompany a man to the hall, however this did not have to be the mans wife. These halls developed a bad reputation as there were prostitutes walking up and down the auditorium waiting for the men.
New Music Halls - Because of the success of the Canterbury Hall, many other music halls opened up across London. By 1875 there were 375 music halls in London, this meant that more performers were required to perform on stage, many women wanted to do this as it was a way of being independent for working-class women. Performing at the music halls was a way for making a decent way that they could live off of.
West End Music Halls
As music halls had become a very popular type of entertainment it had branched out into the west end, this then created more of an upper class audience. Music hall entertainment became a night out for the more wealthy people that would behave respectively and dress up in evening gowns and suits. Some of these music halls were managed by Oswald Stoll.
The Alhambra - This was a west end music hall situated in Leicester square and was among the most famous and biggest music halls these had seating like theatres in rows facing a proscenium stage rather than tables and the bar and refreshments were served in a seperate room. This was to avoid food and drink being thrown at the performers, as well as this it also kept socialising and watching the entertainment separate to avoid the performance from being interrupted or disturbed.
The Performers
Because music halls were become more and more popular, the main attraction was so that the audience could watch the performers rather than the food and drink that was being served. Some of the performers were so successful that they would perform in a number of different music halls each night, they would cross London in-between appearances. By performing in a range of different venues each night the most popular entertainers earned a lot of money.
Sam Cowell (5 April 1820 - 11 March 1864) - Sam Cowell was born in London and was brought to America by is father "Joseph Cowell" in 1820, he became a child actor in Boston and starred in many plays. He later appeared in many theatres across America. At the age if 20 he returned to Britain working in Edinburgh before London performing in song and supper rooms. He became popular quickly and was a well known act that performed in music halls around London. In 1860 he returned to America however he suffered with poor health so he was unable to perform, therefore he came back to England in 1862 still with failing health and he was declared bankrupt in 1863 and died in the following March.Champagne Charlie - This is a music hall song that was popular in the 19th century, it was originally sung by George Leybourne in 1866 in Leeds. This was one of his most famous songs, so much so that he was called "Champagne Charlie" rather than his actual name. He was employed at the Canterbury hall in 1866, he was payed £30 a week, over the next year because of his success his wages increased from this to £120 a week. The theatre manger William Holland told him that he could only drink champagne in public so that customers would recognise him and his song.
The Music Hall Strike Of 1907Because music hall became so popular, managers decided to introduce contracts for the performers, these became strict, the main clause was the exclusivity clause. This meant that the performers were not allowed to work in another theatre before or after an appearance, this also meant that they were not allowed to work in another theatre that was a certain distance away from their first performance. This limited the amount of money that the performers could earn as they couldn't perform in more than one theatre in the same night as they had previously done before. Most of these contracts included that the performers had to work at least one matinee a week without any additional payments.
On the 22nd January 1907, the performers and stagehands at the Holborn theatre went on strike, these were followed by other music halls in London. These strikes were lead by the "Variety Artistes Federation" who were first formed in 1906. Higher payments were demanded for the extra performances that they had to appear in, the managers tried to keep the music halls open by employing less well known acts or encouraging retired performers to come back. Even well paid performers went on strike too, this was to show their support to the other music hall stars and the "Variety Artistes Federation". Eventually the managers of the music hall agreed to give the performers additional wages for extra performances.
Types Of Acts
Aerial Acts - These are performed on ropes above the audience, one example of a performer who did these is "The Great Leotard". He invented the flying trapeze act, this was performed in the Alhambra theatre. Another example is a tightrope walker called "Blondin" he walked from the one balcony of the Canterbury Music Hall to the other. The acts became popular in music halls across London as the audience were intrigued in the act as they were more interesting to watch compared to a singer or a dance group.
Character Songs - In the first music halls, comic singers were the most popular type of acts, this is because these songs were focused around social issues and working class life. This was often to engage the audience, who had been at work all day in the factories where they had been paid an unfair wage by the factory owners. The songs varied between topics such as mother-in-laws, overdue rent, unfaithful husbands and wives, drink and debt.
Burlesque - This is a form of dance which was used to engage the audience, it involved risque movements and costumes. These dances could either fats or slow and were sometimes performed by the opposite sex, for example a man would dress up as a women and dance around the stage as if he were.
War Recruitment - At the beginning of WW1 music halls were used to recruite men to join up to the army. They would do this by having women dancing on stage and offering them a reward when they did such as a kiss from one of these women. Once the men had signed up they were not allowed to back out, these shows would make them think that that joining up to the army would make them seem desirable to their families and women. One example of this is in the musical "Oh what a lovely war".
American Vaudeville - This was a type of entertainment that became popular after the civil war, it created an industry that was managed by a number of white collar workers. It also increased the average working class persons leisure time and changes the tastes of what people wanted to watch, both working and middle class. American vaudeville started after the Europeans had discovered variety theatre before 1850, audiences could enjoy presentations of dance, comedy, acrobats and readings of Shakespeare in the same evening. As this became more popular more places began to open and more acts became available to the audience such as travelling circuses, riverboats and amusement parks. These places often featured a cleaner forms of variety theatre in saloons, music halls and burlesque houses.
 |
| http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma02/easton/vaudeville/vaudevillemain.html |
"The age of luxury seems to have reached its ultima thule. The truth of this has never been impressed upon one so forcibly as in a visit to Keith's dream palace of a theatre . . . .It is almost incredible that all this elegance should be placed at the disposal of the public, the poor as well as the rich."
 |
| Keith's New Theatre, Boston 1894 http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma02/easton/vaudeville/vaudevillemain.html |
"The age of luxury seems to have reached its ultima thule. The truth of this has never been impressed upon one so forcibly as in a visit to Keith's dream palace of a theatre . . . .It is almost incredible that all this elegance should be placed at the disposal of the public, the poor as well as the rich."
This new theatre was heavily decorated with stained glass, marble pillars and gargoyles outside, on the inside the lobby and foyer was decorated with leather furniture, paintings and brass. There were balconies and private boxes for the more wealthier audiences. This theatre also had strict rules for its customers, these included:- "Gentlemen will kindly avoid carrying cigars or cigarettes in their mouths while in the building."
- "The Management Gentlemen will kindly avoid the stamping of feet and pounding of canes on the floor, and greatly oblige the Management"
- "All applause is best shown by clapping of hands."
- "Please don't talk during acts, as it annoys those about you, and prevents a perfect hearing of the entertainment"
Modern Variety Shows
 |
| http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/barry-humphries |
Britain's Got Talent - This is a talent show that is played on ITV1, the show holds the guiness world record for the most successful reality tv show. Its first series was in 2007, the judges have changed over the years but currently the judges are Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams. Applicants include dancers, singers, acrobats and comedians among many other types of acts, the performers can be any age, gender or ethnicity and from any type of background and talent.
| https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/herohub/m edia-centre-downloads?category=journalists |
 |
| https://twitter.com/mcintweet |
Musical Theatre - This is a successful industry that used character songs, monologues and dance into a show that tells a story to an audience. Unlike variety theatre musical theatre shows are not lots of short unrelated performances but incorporate these things that were used to be create an on-stage story. Many musicals such as "Wicked" and "Billy Elliott" have been very successful and have shown on Broadway in New York as well as the West end in London.
Chicago The Musical - This musical is set in 1920s America where many speakeasies held variety shows during the prohibition era. The opening scene shows the audience many different acts that are waiting to perform in the corridors, there is one successful act - Velma and her sister. They travelled around different venues and performed In many different in one night. One girl - Roxie, dreams of being able to be on stage and perform like these other performers. Eventually after auditioning by herself at many different venues, at the end her and Velma join together to form a combined act that they travel around with.
Burlesque The Musical - This is a modern day musical that was made for film, it is focused around a burlesque house in LA. Burlesque was a popular type of entertainment that was used in variety theatre, it is based on one girl who moves from a small town and hopes to be a dancer in the shows, she eventually changes the show by being the main singer and dancer.
This suggests that variety theatre still has an impact on many different types of modern entertainment that is very popular now, these include music, film and on-stage shows.
V&A:The story of the music hall http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-story-of-music-halls/ (20th November 2014)
V&A: Character Acts http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/music-hall-character-acts/ (20th November 2014)
Wikipedia:Sam Cowell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Cowell ( 29th January 2014)
Vaudeville:A dazzling Display of Hetereogeneous Splender can be found at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma02/easton/vaudeville/vaudevillemain.html (Tuesday 17th February 2015)
The official website of the British monarchy:The royal variety performance can be found at http://www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/TheRoyalVarietyPerformance/TheRoyalVarietyPerformance.aspx
The official website of the British monarchy:The royal variety performance can be found at http://www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/TheRoyalVarietyPerformance/TheRoyalVarietyPerformance.aspx
(Tuesday 17th February 2015)
V&A:George Leybourne http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/g/george-leybourne/ (Tuesday 17th February 2015)
BBC News:Children in Need 2014 raises £32.6m for charities http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30041599 (Tuesday 17th February 2015)
Thames:Britians got talent http://www.thames.tv/our-shows/britains-got-talent (Wednesday 25th February 2015)
V&A:George Leybourne http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/g/george-leybourne/ (Tuesday 17th February 2015)
BBC News:Children in Need 2014 raises £32.6m for charities http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30041599 (Tuesday 17th February 2015)
Thames:Britians got talent http://www.thames.tv/our-shows/britains-got-talent (Wednesday 25th February 2015)
Wednesday, 19 November 2014
Wednesday 19th November 2014 - Showbusiness
Wednesday 19th November 2014
Showbusiness
I learnt the choreography for the song showbusiness for when i am not playing Blousey. I found parts of this dance hard to lern as the tempo is quite fast to fit with the song. For example there was a clicking section that fitted with a traveling motif. I found this difficult to learn as i kept getting confused as to what leg i was supposed to be on.
We had to aulter the spacing of it so that i would fit around the audience. To do this we had to change some of the movements to make them smaller or travel less.As well as this we found that the song was shorter than we originally thought it was to fit with the choreography so that we had enough time to create a finishing position around Beth(Lena).
My targets for the next rehearsal are:
Showbusiness
I learnt the choreography for the song showbusiness for when i am not playing Blousey. I found parts of this dance hard to lern as the tempo is quite fast to fit with the song. For example there was a clicking section that fitted with a traveling motif. I found this difficult to learn as i kept getting confused as to what leg i was supposed to be on.
We had to aulter the spacing of it so that i would fit around the audience. To do this we had to change some of the movements to make them smaller or travel less.As well as this we found that the song was shorter than we originally thought it was to fit with the choreography so that we had enough time to create a finishing position around Beth(Lena).
My targets for the next rehearsal are:
- Practice the movements slower - This is because i still get confused when doing some of the foot movements. Therefore i am going to practice them slower so that i can get used to them and then gradually increase the tempo untill it is the correct speed for thr song.
Wednesday 18th November 2014 - My Name Is Tallulah
Wednesday 18th November 2014
My targets for the next reharsal rehearsal are:
My Name Is Talulah
We choreographed this dance so that we can be back up dancers and rather than just standing there swaying, we can do some simple choreography. Firstly me, Paige, Charley and Amber choreographed this dance and then once we had finished we taught it to the other dancers. Once teaching it we decided to change some of the movements that didnt work so well. For example there was an arm movement that we repeated twice and we changed it slightly so that it would look different. This is so the dance doesnt get too boring or repeatitive. My targets for the next reharsal rehearsal are:
- Timing - In parts of the dance some people in the group were slightly out of time. It is important that this dance is in unison because it is supposed to show how Tallulah is the "star-of-the-show" and therefore if it is out of time it would draw too much attention to the back up dancers rather than Tallulah.
- Facial expressions - Characterisation in this dance is particulary imporportant to the mood and atmosphere of the song. The song is quite "flirty" and therefore we have to look as if we are making eye contact witht he audience rather than just looking dull and disengaged.
Wednesday 18th November 2014 - Filming The Picnic Scene
Wednesday 18th November 2014
Filming The Picnic Scene
We needed to film one of the scenes in Bugsy Malone because it is going tio be projected onto the back of the stage, this is because it is going to be like a flashback of Blousey and Bugsys best times together. we had some problems whilst doing this because it was raining. However some things did go well, these included that we were able to finish the video within a few takes. Although in the first take i forgot my lines, in the final filming we were both able to finish the scenes with all of the right lines.
However we should have been more prepared, this is because the camera kept on running out of memeory. We should have made sure that there was enough memory to film the whole scene, because it took longer because George had to keep going through his files and deleting some to make space it took up extra time. As we went on the rain was getting heavier and it mas making it harder for us to film.
Filming The Picnic Scene
We needed to film one of the scenes in Bugsy Malone because it is going tio be projected onto the back of the stage, this is because it is going to be like a flashback of Blousey and Bugsys best times together. we had some problems whilst doing this because it was raining. However some things did go well, these included that we were able to finish the video within a few takes. Although in the first take i forgot my lines, in the final filming we were both able to finish the scenes with all of the right lines.
However we should have been more prepared, this is because the camera kept on running out of memeory. We should have made sure that there was enough memory to film the whole scene, because it took longer because George had to keep going through his files and deleting some to make space it took up extra time. As we went on the rain was getting heavier and it mas making it harder for us to film.
Wednesday 19th November 2014 - Production Roles
Wednesday 19th November 2014
Production Roles
My production role is to focus to props, we have made a mind map of all of the things that we need to have for the show.
After we made this list we went into the costume cubbord to look for things that could be used in the show. We found:
Production Roles
My production role is to focus to props, we have made a mind map of all of the things that we need to have for the show.
After we made this list we went into the costume cubbord to look for things that could be used in the show. We found:
- Blouseys suitcase
- The telephone for Fat sams
- Glass bottle for the bar
- Fizzys broom and bucket
- Old fashioned radio
- Silver tray for Dandy Dans
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
Tuesday 18th Novemeber 2014 - Homework Questions
Tuesday 18th November 2014
Homework Questions
How does the context of the play affect your role?
Blousey is quite a nervous character the way that she acts in ordinary situations implies that she is always intimidated by everyday things. This could be because she is living in 1920s Chicago and there is a high crime rate, one of the reasons that she may be nervous is because she is generally scared of getting hurt by the people that are involved in crime.
As well as this the costumes that she wears are typical of the 1920s era, for example when she is a dancer of Fats Sam's Grand slam she wears a flapper dress. These were very fashionable and popular of the time and many entertainers wore these as they add effect when you move and dance. She also wears a drop waist dress, these were also fashionable for everyday wear in the 1920s as many women wore them.
Because the play is set In America we have to put on accents. This is important that we do so, because the prohibition era only exited in America, therefore if we were talking in British accents it wouldn't make sense. As well as this it wouldn't be as effective as putting on accents.
How does the play fit into the musical theatre genre in general?
Bugsy Malone fits into the musical theatre genre because it featres a range of different songs and dances. For example the song "fat sams grand slam" features dancing. This is then used as a theme tune for Fat Sams and therefore it helps the audience remember different scenes as they usually rembember scenes with the songs that they are in. The songs in Bugsy Malone also fit the musical theatre genre as they also reflect the mood and atmosphere of the scene. Another example would be the song "Tomorrow" carries a low mood, this contrasts with the song "Show business" which carries an energetic mood.
As well as this in the film the characters are played by a young cast, this also makes it memerable as it is unusual for children to be involved in things such as gang crime and alchol. Therefore this makes the audience remember it because this hasnt been done in many other films.
What do you need to rehearse more?
I need to work more on my song "Ordinary fool" as when i sing it at the moment my pitching is a bit off, i am going to work on this so that i sing the correct notes on the performance. As well as this i need to also work on the dance "Tomorrow" this is because i often use the wrong arn on one particualr section of the dance. I need to work on this so that i do it right and it will fit in with the rest of the dance.
I am going to rehearse the dances "Showbusiness" and "My name is tallulah", these are the dances that i learnt yesterday, and as it was the first rehearsal a lot of things went wrong. However hopefully in the next rehearsals we will be able to perfect these dances so that they look as good as they can in the performance.
Are you supporting those less confident or less expreianced learners?
When we were doing chair duets i contributed some ideas when we joined another pair and added transitions into it. This included adding levels, this meant that our chair duets were more interesting to watch. Another idea that i contributed was when we were choreographing the dance to tomorrow, me and paige with the help of kat have nearly finished the dance and we have included different movements that fit with the theme of the dance.
Are you developing confidence in your performance?
After each rehearsal i feel more confident in my performance, this is because i am spending a lot of time practicing so that i will we well rehearsed on the day. This is important so that i continue to gain confidence.
Are you attending production meetings?
I am attending production meetings to discuss different things to do with props and scenery. We have found where we are going to buy splurge guns and silly string from for both gangs and the last scene. As well as this we have found different things that we can use in the prop cubbord that can be typical of the era that the play is set in.
We still need to look for spray paint that is silver, this is so that we can make the scenery silver and grey, to make it look like it is set in a black and white film because it is set in 1920s.
Are you prepared?
I have learnt my lines for the whole play and i am rehearsing my songs and dances that are in the show weekly. This is so i will feel confident for the final performance.
Homework Questions
How does the context of the play affect your role?
Blousey is quite a nervous character the way that she acts in ordinary situations implies that she is always intimidated by everyday things. This could be because she is living in 1920s Chicago and there is a high crime rate, one of the reasons that she may be nervous is because she is generally scared of getting hurt by the people that are involved in crime.
As well as this the costumes that she wears are typical of the 1920s era, for example when she is a dancer of Fats Sam's Grand slam she wears a flapper dress. These were very fashionable and popular of the time and many entertainers wore these as they add effect when you move and dance. She also wears a drop waist dress, these were also fashionable for everyday wear in the 1920s as many women wore them.
Because the play is set In America we have to put on accents. This is important that we do so, because the prohibition era only exited in America, therefore if we were talking in British accents it wouldn't make sense. As well as this it wouldn't be as effective as putting on accents.
How does the play fit into the musical theatre genre in general?
Bugsy Malone fits into the musical theatre genre because it featres a range of different songs and dances. For example the song "fat sams grand slam" features dancing. This is then used as a theme tune for Fat Sams and therefore it helps the audience remember different scenes as they usually rembember scenes with the songs that they are in. The songs in Bugsy Malone also fit the musical theatre genre as they also reflect the mood and atmosphere of the scene. Another example would be the song "Tomorrow" carries a low mood, this contrasts with the song "Show business" which carries an energetic mood.
As well as this in the film the characters are played by a young cast, this also makes it memerable as it is unusual for children to be involved in things such as gang crime and alchol. Therefore this makes the audience remember it because this hasnt been done in many other films.
What do you need to rehearse more?
I need to work more on my song "Ordinary fool" as when i sing it at the moment my pitching is a bit off, i am going to work on this so that i sing the correct notes on the performance. As well as this i need to also work on the dance "Tomorrow" this is because i often use the wrong arn on one particualr section of the dance. I need to work on this so that i do it right and it will fit in with the rest of the dance.
I am going to rehearse the dances "Showbusiness" and "My name is tallulah", these are the dances that i learnt yesterday, and as it was the first rehearsal a lot of things went wrong. However hopefully in the next rehearsals we will be able to perfect these dances so that they look as good as they can in the performance.
Are you supporting those less confident or less expreianced learners?
When we were doing chair duets i contributed some ideas when we joined another pair and added transitions into it. This included adding levels, this meant that our chair duets were more interesting to watch. Another idea that i contributed was when we were choreographing the dance to tomorrow, me and paige with the help of kat have nearly finished the dance and we have included different movements that fit with the theme of the dance.
Are you developing confidence in your performance?
After each rehearsal i feel more confident in my performance, this is because i am spending a lot of time practicing so that i will we well rehearsed on the day. This is important so that i continue to gain confidence.
Are you attending production meetings?
I am attending production meetings to discuss different things to do with props and scenery. We have found where we are going to buy splurge guns and silly string from for both gangs and the last scene. As well as this we have found different things that we can use in the prop cubbord that can be typical of the era that the play is set in.
We still need to look for spray paint that is silver, this is so that we can make the scenery silver and grey, to make it look like it is set in a black and white film because it is set in 1920s.
Are you prepared?
I have learnt my lines for the whole play and i am rehearsing my songs and dances that are in the show weekly. This is so i will feel confident for the final performance.
Friday 14th November 2014 - Singing Techniques (Ongoing)
Friday 14th November 2014
Singing Techniques
Singing Techniques
|
Vocal
Technique
|
Progress
To Date
|
Target
|
Date
|
Progress
To Date
|
Targets
|
Date
|
|
Intonation - The pitching of each note,
this refers to weather someone is singing in tune or not.
|
Repeating
the same note whilst singing staccato, this helps improve accuracy of
intonation.
|
From when i started doing this i have noticed that my accuracy
has continued to improve, however i need to continue to keep working on this.
|
Friday 8th May 2015
|
Singing
arpeggios at different octaves and strengths to improve intonation over time.
|
My intonation
is continuing to improve and therefore I am able to sing more challenging
songs and be more accurate in my pitching.
|
Friday
1st May 2015
|
|
Flexibility – The ability to sing a range
of different notes in a phrase.
|
Singing
intervals gets your voice used to changing notes easily
|
Since
doing this I have noticed that I do not slide up or down to notes any more I find
it more easier.
|
Friday
1st May 2015
|
I have
continued to sing intervals
|
I have
continued to see improvement’s in my flexibility in my voice I am going to
continue to work on this.
|
Friday
8th May 2015
|
|
Range - Refers to how high or low
someone can sing.
|
Singing
a song that has one high note that is slightly out of my range
|
This
has given me something to work on as I am comfortable with the rest of the
song as it is in my range.
|
Friday 8th May 2015
|
|
.
|
|
|
Diction – The way a singer pronounces
each word or syllable.
|
Focusing
on “s”s this is helping my diction improve
|
I am
notising improvements as I found it hard to pronounce this letter but this is
improving
|
Friday
15th May 2015
|
Tongue
twisters such as “unique New York”
|
My
singing is becoming more clearer now
|
Friday
1st May 2015
|
|
Articulation -
The
different ways you use your voice for example legato (smooth), staccato
(short).
|
. Tongue
twisters such as “unique New York”
|
As well
as improving diction this is also helping my articulation.
|
Friday
8th May 2015
| |||
|
Projection – The ability to sing loudly
and clearly.
|
Singing
a song through really quietly and then louder and fully projecting, this
shows the difference between the two and helps project fully.
|
This
has helped as i can see where i need to improve in terms of projection and
this has improved from a few months ago.
|
Friday
17th April 2015
|
Sing a
scale, starting off quietly and creating a crescendo effect.
|
This
helps improve projection over time, I have noticed that I can sing louder
when performing.
|
Friday
24th April 2015
|
|
Breath
Control – The
way a singer uses their breath to support the notes they are singing.
|
Laying
on the floor, placing your hands on your diaphragm whilst singing “ha”
|
I
can find it easier to control my breathing when singing now, this still has
room for improvement though.
|
Friday
17th April 2015
|
Panting
whilst placing hands on diaphram
|
This is
also helping me keep control of my breath when singing.
|
Friday
24th April 2015
|
Vocal Technique
|
Progress To Date
|
Target
|
Date
|
Progress To Date
|
Targets
|
Date
|
Intonation - The pitching of each note, this refers to weather someone is singing in tune or not.
|
I have continued to use accompaniment when singing as it helps me stay on the correct pitch when singing.
|
I have noticed my pitching is better but i still need to work on it to make it more accurate all of the time.
|
Friday 20th February
| |||
Flexibility – The ability to sing a range of different notes in a phrase.
|
Singing on a "brrr" on a scale allows your larynx to slightly tilt and all the voice to become more flexible and move easier.
|
This has allowed me to sing songs that change more and therefore allow me to sing better.
|
Friday 27th February
|
When singing a n ascending or descending scale alternate between an "aw" and "ee" sound.
|
I noticed that since i have been doing this i have found it easier to sing different phrases easier, to further improve on this i need to continue.
|
Friday 20th March 2015
|
Range - Refers to how high or low someone can sing.
|
I have been practising scales including an octave or a filth, these include both high and low scales.
|
I am going to continue to practice these but occasionally going higher or lower that Is comfortably in my range.
|
Friday 6th March 2015
|
Singing songs that are inside my range but some of the top and bottom notes are a little bit uncomfortable, this allows my voice to practise singing notes that are not comfortably in my range.
|
I want my range to keep expanding so that i can sing more challenging songs well enough to perform.
|
Friday 13th March 2015
|
Diction – The way a singer pronounces each word or syllable.
|
When singing a scale apply constanant sounds such as "d", "k" and "t"
|
This has helped me
|
Friday 27th February
|
Singing doh, ray, me, far, so, la, te, doh helps your voice gets used to singing different sounds.
|
My diction has continued to improve but there are some sounds that could be clearer.
|
Friday 20th March 2015
|
Articulation -
The different ways you use your voice for example legato (smooth), staccato (short).
|
Repeating the same note whilst singing staccato, and then followed by legato this helps improve articulation.
|
This has improved the clarity of my articulation, however this could still be improved.
|
Friday 6th March 2015
| Tongue twisters like "she sells sea shells on the sea shore" | Friday 27th March 2015 | |
Projection – The abilty to sing loudly and clearly.
|
I have stared singing in front of a mirror so that can see what i look like when i sing.
| .This has improved my projection, since doing thi i have been usng different things to improve such as facial expressions and better posture. |
Friday 6th March 2015
|
Friday 3rd April 2015
| ||
Breath Control – The way a singer uses their breath to support the notes they are singing.
|
Singing “ha ha ha” in a scale imporves breath control as it helps control the amount of breath escaping.
| Since i started doing this months ago i have noticed that my breath is easier to control when singing. |
Friday 27th February 2015
| Friday 27th March 2015 |
Vocal Technique
|
Progress To Date
|
Target
|
Date
|
Progress To Date
|
Targets
|
Date
|
Intonation - The pitching of each note, this refers to weather someone is singing in tune or not.
|
When singing i have been using backing tracks rather than singing A Capella. This is because if you sing without accompaniment it is harder to hear when you are singing the wrong pitch.
|
I need to continue to do this because i tend to go out of tune a lot when singing. If i keep singing with accompaniment i will improve my intonation over time.
|
Friday 6th February 2015
| |||
Flexibilty – The ability to sing a range of different notes in a phrase.
|
When singing a n ascending or descending scale alternate between an "aw" and "ee" sound.
|
I noticed that since i have been doing this i have found it easier to sing different phrases easier, to further improve on this i need to continue.
|
Friday 6th February 2015
|
Singing on a "brrr" on a scale allows your larynx to slightly tilt and all the voice to become more flexibile.
|
Since doing this I have noticed that I can move between different notes and sounds more easily.
|
Friday 27th March 2015
|
Range - Refers to how high or low someone can sing.
|
Singing songs that are inside my range but some of the top and bottom notes are a little bit uncomfortable, this allows my voice to practise singing notes that are not comfortably in my range.
|
If i sing songs that continue to stretch my range over time it will expand and i will be able to sing higher and lower notes.
|
Friday 13th February 2015
|
Singing staccato and legato notes at the top and bottom of your range helps to expand your range.
|
This is helping me feel more comfortable singing in these parts of my range and therefore improving the quality of my singing.
|
Friday 3rd April 2015
|
Diction – The way a singer pronounces each word or syllable.
|
Making a "brr" sound before singing to warm up my voice, improves diction over time.
|
Each time i do this i find it easier and i have noticed an improvement in my diction. I am going to continue to do this.
|
Friday 6th February 2015
|
When singing a scale apply constanant sounds such as "d", "k" and "t"
|
Since doing this I shave noticed that i am able to pronounce different letters and sounds more clearly.
|
Friday 10th April 2015
|
Articulation -
The different ways you use your voice for example legato (smooth), staccato (short).
|
I have been focusing on staccato notes on scale so that i can improve them to make them louder and clearer.
|
I am going to continue to do this to make sure that these notes sound different to legato notes.
|
Friday 13th February 2015
| singing 3 staccato notes followed by one legato note of the same length to improve my articulation. | My articulation is improving and therefore my staccato and legato notes are becoming more clear. | Friday 17th April 2015 |
Projection – The abilty to sing loudly and clearly.
|
When singing making sure that my posture is up right all the time so that I can sing clearly and out to the audience.
| My singing is a lot more clearer when I stand up right, compared to when being slightly slouched. |
Friday 20th February 2015
|
When singing picture yourself singing along a piece of string and along the sound to travel to the end of it.
|
I continued to do this as last time I did it I noticed a bit changed in the amount that I projected my singing and how much it had improved.
|
Friday 3rd April 2015
|
Breath Control – The way a singer uses their breath to support the notes they are singing.
|
Putting my hand on my diaphragm when singing "ha" to improve this, so that I can sing longer.
| I have noticed when singing particular songs that I don't take as many breaths as I usually do, this therefore improves my fluidity. |
Friday 13th February 2015
| Singing a scale where each note is held for 4 counts, start with 2 and each time you do it add one more. | Since starting this I have noticed that I can sing these scales for longer, therefore I am noticing an improvement in my breath control. | Friday 10th April 2015 |
Vocal Technique
|
Progress To Date
|
Target
|
Date
|
Progress To Date
|
Targets
|
Date
|
Intonation - The
pitching of each note, this refers to weather someone is singing in tune or
not.
|
I have been practising intervals by using notes that are
associated with different notes. I have been able to develop the gap
inbetween the numbers for example 1-5.
|
I am going to practise my intervals each time further apart so
that my intonation improves as well as my range. I want to be able to sing an
octave interval successfully.
|
Friday 14th November 2014.
| |||
Flexibilty – The ability to
sing a range of different notes in a phrase.
|
Singing scales is also improving my flexibility as my voice is
getting used to changing each notes frequently.
|
I am going to carry on working on scales as it helps with my flexibility
and my range. This is because I am singing higher and lower notes.
|
Friday 16th January 2015
|
Singing a "aw" sound "ee" on a scale to allow my voice to get used to changing sounds.
|
I found this easier in lower register, however when I started to get higher I noticed that I found it harder.
|
Friday 13th February
|
Range - Refers
to how high or low someone can sing.
|
I have been practising scales including an octave or a filth,
these include both high and low scales.
|
I am going to continue to practice these but occasionally
going higher or lower that Is comfortably in my range .
|
Friday 14th November 2014.
|
Singing a phase at the top and the bottom of my range to expand it further.
|
I need ot continue doing this regulary to make sure that my range imporves.
|
Friday 30th January 2015
|
Diction – The way a singer
pronounces each word or syllable.
|
I have been singing different consonants sounds to get better diction
of “d”s and “t”s
|
Singing different sounds on a scale improves the quality of diction
whilst singing.
|
Friday 16th January 2015
|
Singing different tounge twisters when warming up such as "unigue New York" to improve diction.
|
I have got better at this, i can now say them faster and still pronounce them correctly, continue practising this to be able to say them faster.
|
Friday 30th January 2015
|
Articulation
-
The different ways you use your
voice for example legato (smooth), staccato (short).
|
I have been practising my articulation by specifically
focusing on staccato and legato notes separately. I have been using scales to
do this.
|
I am going to practice my legato and staccato notes to higher
and lower scales so I can sing these at different pitches well.
|
Friday 14th November 2014.
| Singing melodies with staccato notes followed by legato notes to make sure that there is a clear difference in the way that they sound. | This is going well, i need to continue to practise this so that i keep improving. | Friday 23rd January 2015 |
Projection – The abilty to sing
loudly and clearly.
|
When singing a scale whilst pronouncing “ha ha ha” it improves both
projection and breath control as it helps add to the volume of singing.
| This is going well, i have noticed that my singing has become louder since starting this. |
Friday 16th January 2015
|
When singing visualise singing along a long piece of string, the louder the voice the further it will travel.
|
Over the last week my dynamics have improved as my singing has got louder and therefore my projection has got better. Continue doing this to further improve.
|
Friday 30th January 2015
|
Breath Control – The way a
singer uses their breath to support the notes they are singing.
|
Singing “ha ha ha” in a scale imporves breath control as it helps
control the amount of breath escaping.
| I am finding it easier to control my breath whilst singing other songs as i have been working on this. |
Tuesday 20th January 2015
| Breathing in for 1 count and then singing "ah" for 1 note, continue doing this until 6 counts. | I find it harder to sing a clear note when i get to 5 and 6 counts, i need to keep practising this so that i will find it easier each time. | Friday 23rd January 2015 |
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