Showcase
Showcase Review, Memories and Video
It has been almost a month since our West Coast Swing and Hustle Showcase at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. It has become a a proud memory for me and in a secret place inside, I wish we could perform it again. But, we will have to wait till next year.
In the meantime, please enjoy the public review on ExploreDance.com, the pictures and the video of our performance.
The After Party
I wasn't sure that I was going to write about the After-Party for the Performing in NY Showcase, but after the stellar performance of our Connecticut based, West Coast Swing and Hustle dancers, there is a good story to be told.
Final performance
Looking back, it's almost crazy to think that we spent 7 weeks preparing for a 4 minute and 48 second moment on stage. And at 7pm on Saturday, August 17, 2013, as we waited backstage to be called into the wings, we realized that it would be our final performance of our West Coast Swing and Hustle Showcase piece.
The Matinee Performance
The Platinum West Coast Swing and Hustle After-Party
After our amazing Friday night Opening performance, our West Coast Swing and Hustle cast went to the Platinum Party at You Should Be Dancing on 31st Street in New York.
It was the perfect way for our Connecticut-based cast members to dance the night away with other West Coast Swing and Hustle dancers from the New York City area. They got to tell the story of their performances to everyone, and some even got to chat with the reviewer who attended the show and the after-party.
Most cast members arrived around 9pm and stayed dancing until 12am, at which time a sense of responsibility took over. They realized that they needed to be ready to perform the next day and should get a good night's rest.
Anna and I did not even check in to our hotel until 2am, we hoped the cast would get more sleep than us.
Friday Performance / Opening Night
I can't begin to express the feeling of fulfillment with the West Coast Swing and Hustle Showcase as part of the Performing in NY Showcase at the Ailey Citigroup Theater! Our cast of 20 dancers really did a superb job a reaching a new level of success.
Call
It is hard to describe the greatest challenge of the Showcase process....Call! In the theater world, "Call" is the term that is used to describe the time that all performers are supposed to be at the theater. But try to ask 18 people from Connecticut to arrive at a New York City theater by 5pm on Friday, and you're begging for logistical nightmare.
However, with good preparation, verbal threats ("You will not dance in the show if you arrive after 5pm), and a responsible cast, the most challenging hurdle was overcome. All dancers had arrived to the theater by 4:57pm.
"Hell Week" for the West Coast Swing and Hustle Showcase is in Full Swing
"Hell Week" is traditionally known as the week before the opening night of a theatrical performance. It's when dancers are finalizing their choreography, adding the styling and working through blocking patterns on stage.
"Hell Week" is also the time when choreographers become most demanding, asking their casts for more excellence, refined movement, fluidity of blocking and projection of emotion.
It's the convergence of the cast's push for self-refinement and the choreographer's striving for artistic idealism that creates a performance worthy of the Ailey Citigroup stage.
First Full Cast Rehearsal for Showcase 2013
Hustle and West Coast Swing come together
During the month of July, Anna and I taught our Hustle and West Coast Swing classes their respective choreography for the Showcase. The Showcase is part of a larger Performing in New York Showcase produced by Kat Wildish and being peformed at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York City.
For almost one month, both Hustle and West Coast Swing classes worked independently to perfect their movement. However, it wasn't until our first full-cast rehearsal on July 29, 2013 that both classes were brought together.
Showcase 2012 Reviews
From the Examiner.com:
The most endearing award goes to Novoa’s “West Coast Swing & Hustle Showcase” which spun off the comedy and undeniable popularity of the song “Call Me Maybe.”
From Kat Wildish (the Producer):
I trust and believe in you and what you do!!!
Thank you for stealing the show with that special sarcasm & attention to detail that touches everyone in that dance place...
The Last Show
The final performance is where you see the final result of all the hard work. At this point, the cast did not have to worry about rehearsals, they knew the dimensions of the real stage, they had felt the energy of different audiences. Now, it would be about hitting it out of the park.
The Matinee
Many of our dancers stayed in New York City at after their premier performance and cast party on Saturday night. Some stayed in midtown hotels, as we did, others stayed with friends or family. Fortunately, our call on Sunday wasn't until 2pm so there wouldn't be a rush in the morning to get to the theater for our matinee performance.
