In today's lesson we had the task of vocally arranging and choreographing an ensemble number from WWRY in our double cast pairs. As Scaramouche I was paired with Amber and our two Galileo’s, Megan and Luke. This task was good practise for everyone as it allowed us to work in a group to figure out how each pairing wanted to perform their character. Everyone's interpretation of their character will be different and varied; this was the first chance we have had in the process so far to work with our partners and to see how we bounce off each other whilst performing.
We chose the song Under Pressure to perform to choreograph and perform to the class we all felt it gave each character, Scaramouche and Galileo an equal amount of song to perform and explore. The song also includes duet parts which enabled us to explore the dynamic of us performing as a pairing. As a group of four we went through two stages of rehearsing our chosen song, Under Pressure. We started off with the vocal side, practising who will sing each part and working out the emotion behind the song. Secondly we moved in to the dance studio and rehearsed the movement we were going to put with the vocals. This is when the performance came to life as we were able to interact within or pairings to achieve more chemistry and emotion on stage and through the song.
Today we spent roughly 40 minutes preparing the vocals of the song and within this time from start to finish, I could definitely hear an improvement from all four of us. The first couple of times we sang the song through, we all sounded okay however we soon picked up on the parts we needed to improve on before performing later in the lesson. We worked on developing the harmony sections of the song, which were towards the end. At first we had trouble figuring out where to pitch the female harmony note. We seemed help from our teacher who helped us find the note, which technically worked however sounded slightly odd when we first tried it. This was because it wasn't exactly 3 notes above the base note however was technically correct. Once Amber and I got used to singing this note against the make part, we became more confident with it and each time we rehearsed, it improved in quality. The volume and confidence of all four of our vocals improved through out the rehearsal time we were given today. We started off singing the song well however as the time went on, I could notice a difference in emotion and confidence behind the lyrics. As we became more comfortable with the song, the volume of our vocals improved which brought such character to the song.
Next we developed the movement side of the number, once we had finished developing the vocal side. We decided to stage it in our casting pairs, Luke and I and Amber and Megan. We made this decision so we were able to explore the interaction with our partners. This will help the process building up to the show week as the more time we spend in our pairings ok stage, the better our presence and chemistry will become to our audiences. Working with our casting pair on the number also allowed us to learn how the other moves on stage. This is a positive as the more practise we get with our partner on stage, the more developed and comfortable we will look on stage on show week. Luke and I decided to do slightly different movements compared to Megan and Amber however this worked as the movement was similar however it showed the difference in how both pairings will play the characters. For example Luke and I did a simple walking movement which saw me walking backwards and him walking towards me whilst both of us were singing. This showed the chemistry and connection between the two characters. We showed this with facial expressions showing happiness and enjoyment, demonstrating to audiences their positive relationship. We held hands at several different points and walked forwards together, to show unity and confidence as a couple. Audience interaction was another element of the choreography that we included. This is a brilliant way to ensure the audience know they are a part of the content on stage and is always necessary in musical performance. We used clapping, eye contact and positive facial expressions to express to the audience that their participation is valid and welcome.
The feed back we got after performing was positive-
- You could see the chemistry between Luke and Holly starting to blossom through their body language and facial expressions whilst performing.
- The way the two couples performed on stage at the same time however interacted in their pairings worked well as you could see how both couples will interpret to roles differently.
- The harmony sounded strong and confident.
I feel today's lesson was successful as I have firstly learnt more about Luke and how he interacts with me on stage and I have picked up how to correctly execute a difficult harmony. Next lesson I plan to develop my quality of performing and take my stage presence to the next level by combining my movement and vocal skills in a more professional and accurate way. I will do this by learning the Under Pressure lyrics fully, this will allow me to fully concentrate on my movements and vocals, which will bring our characterisation naturally.
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