Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I hope you’re having a lovely last-Friday-in-June!

Last week’s tip got me thinking about group acts and simultaneous movements.

Vary group movements with cascades.

Instead of everyone moving on the beat one, just the first person does, the next starts the movement on beat two, and so on down the line. It’s trickier, but looks great!

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 28 June 2024 at 4:54 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I *think* the heat here in New England has broken. I’m grateful it was only a few days over 90F. For those of you in more balmy climes, stay cool!

Here’s your tip:

When creating group acts with performers in synchronized movement, the lowest common denominator wins.

When you’ve got multiple people performing the same moves at the same time and one or more are clearly struggling, the act is not succeeding. If the goal is unified movement and if the way to get it is to simplify a section, there’s no shame in that. Performers all have different skills, which can be highlighted elsewhere in the act.

Obviously, everyone should practice to bring their level up to the same place, but if it’s just not working, take the choreography down a notch. In this way, you respect all your performers’ abilities and everyone looks good.

 

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 21 June 2024 at 5:17 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! We just had a lovely torrential downpour. I do love rainy afternoons in the summer.

Here’s your tip:

Contrast is important.

To quote Scratch, contrast is what makes photographs great, Twilight Zone twists effective, and jokes funny.

Having some sort of contrast between the story and the music makes your act interesting. Letting the music dictate the story throughout the entire act can flatten your performance.  Do something unexpected. Surprise the audience.

I don’t want to use a negative example from an actual act (so many come to mind), but I can’t think of a hypothetical right now, so I’ll just give you a positive example instead. If you saw The Wrathskellar or Vamps After Midnight, you might have seen an act to  “If I Can’t Sell It”, a double entendre-laden song about a second-hand chair. Many performers have used it in chair dances, not surprisingly. However, our version, for Halloween shows, uses a coffin and a seductive undertaker instead. The contrast between the expectation of the lyrics and the actuality of the choreography is very entertaining (at least according to our audiences).

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 14 June 2024 at 5:04 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! It’s also the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend. 

And in that spirit, here is your tip:

Know the history of our art. You can only truly move forward if you know who came before you.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 7 June 2024 at 4:39 pm  Leave a Comment  
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