Learning aim D- Final Evaluation

Betsy final evaluation from Betsy-Jo Warren

Learning aim B- Skills improvments

Annotated photos from Betsy-Jo Warren

Learning aim B- Horton techinque workshop write ups

Workshop 1
What is my target for this workshop: To learn about the Horton Technique and to test my strength, flexibility and control.


What have we done today?
The lesson started off with a series of warm ups that incorporated a few movements I would later have to execute in the Horton style. These warm ups consisted of Lateral stretches, tilts and lunges that are to the done to a beat to help with pace and control of movements. The purpose of these warm ups were to get my muscles stretched out and prepared, so that I could provide the amount of flexibility needed to execute the poses properly. I started with 'Flat Backs' which pulls at your back and upper arm muscles whilst stretching out your spine. The lateral stretches really helped me present my tilts and lunges properly. I then moved onto some sequences of the movements that would combine the entire warm up poses. These sequences consisted of sweeping lateral dynamics and dramatic, precise shapes. After becoming comfortable with these movements I had to put them into my own sequence where I started with a tilted frame with my arms over to the left of my body and my legs parallel  and straight, moving into  'T' shaped stretch slowing moving into a flat back and squat, finally ending with the 'Egyptian walks' which stretches the body in opposite directions.


Strengths: My ability to hit all of the poses, at my own pace in order to have the correct form. My body control was also a strength as I was able to execute all of the movements at a sharp pace.


Improvements: My weakness in this workshop was my inability to do the movements at a quicker pace and keep my balance at the same time.




Workshop 2
What was my target for this  workshop: To focus on Jazz technique such as kicks, Spins and leaps and to learn a short Jazz routine.


What have we done today?
The workshop started off with a series of warm ups designed to stretch out my muscles. I firstly had to jog around the room, while occasionally doing sidesteps and jumps to get my heart rate up and prepared me for some of the jumps I would ;after have to perform. I started to ;learn the technical aspects of different types of dance for example spins and pirouettes. Spins were what I struggled with the most, as I found it difficult to multitask and rest one of my legs on the other while leg while 'spotting' and keeping my gaze on one point in the room. However because I was having difficulty, with the spins, It motivated me to keep practicing so that I would be able to do them in the future. We then started to place all of the basic techniques we had learnt into a dance sequence. The dance sequence started off with Three spins, One of the spins where you had to place your leg behind the other, I practiced It throughout the lesson but still struggled by the end. After That I had to perform a transition where my leg crossed over the other while my arms performed a sweeping motion above my head, This lead to one of the Horton technique warm ups, where you have to roll your body down to the floor starting with your head. This transitioned into one of the lateral stretches I had learned the week prior, where my body had to resemble a 'T' shape. It was at this point that the style of dance changed and I had to start executing leaps. My arms were in a sharp 'L' shape and I kicked with my left leg making sure I had a flexed foot. The sequence of movements after this changed into a Fosse style of dance, seemingly being a very stereotypically Broadway style of dance. My movement ended with a 'Step ball change'. This placed me in the correct position to perform a street dance styled body roll, which added another style into the choreography, This leading into the final steps of the dance where I had to do two kicks, this time with pointed toes, with my final position being crouched on the floor making the ending seem very contemporary and emotional.


Strengths: One of my strengths was my ability to learn and remember choreography whilst hitting the positions with accuracy


Improvements: My weakness in this workshop was my inability to perform the spins a pirouettes at a high and professional standard.

Learning aim B- Skills Audit

Skills Audit from Betsy-Jo Warren

Learning aim B - All That Tango 1st Rehearsal

This was the first rehearsal we had practicing Cell Block Tango from Chicago, we performed the dance in the dance studio, using the mirrors were important as we were able to see if we were being sharp enough and keeping in time with others surrounding us. Within this workshop we had the lyrics playing on the projector in-front of us. This was so that we could concentrate on getting the dance routine right. I am The brunette with my hair tied up in a bun, wearing all black on the back left (From the audience's point of view)

Learning Aim B- Seasons of Love Singing Lesson 3

This was our final rehearsal working on Seasons of Love, In this rehearsal we added a harmony to emphasise what parts we were singing and with practice we made this new section stand out within the showcase. I also supported my self in order to depict that I was capable and comfortable singing that high. After this we all practiced singing in the theatre to make sure that we could be heard from the back, and were projecting and supporting our vocals enough.

Learning aim B- Seasons of Love Singing Lesson 2

This was the second rehearsal we had working on Seasons of Love from Rent. In this lesson it was clear that I needed more practice when singing the final high note as when singing it became flat and wasn't projected enough. In order to improve this I had to keep practicing and keep pulling in my muscles in order to support my vocals.

Learning aim B- Seasons of Love Lesson 1

This was my First Lesson working on Seasons of Love from Rent, In this workshop we chose our different solo pieces and contracted the different harmonies we were going to sing in order to make the song as enjoyable and as close to the musical version as possible. Because I took on a higher harmony I had to work on my projection and support in order to make sure I stay in tune.  

Learning aim B- Little Shop of Horrors & Skid Row Lesson 4

This was my fourth singing lesson with Mrs Guy working on Little Shop of Horrors and Skidrow. This was our final workshop with her and this was the lesson that we would start to polish the little things within the song in order to make it as perfect as we could. In this lesson I practiced My projection and articulation techniques in order to perform as best as I could and prove I was a valuable member of this company. In order to project I pulled in the muscles in my lower abdomen and made sure I kept my diaphragm wide.

Learning aim B- , Little Shop of Horrors & Skid Row singing lesson 3

This was my Third  singing lesson with Mrs Guy, In this lesson we joint Little Shop of Horrors and Skidrow together in order to start practicing the fast paced feeling the showcase will have. In this lesson I had to continue to learn how to project my voice so that I can be heard from the back of the theatre. This was the most important thing for me to practice as I needed to be able to build up the tension and energy within the song so that the solo pieces would stand out for the audience members.

Learning aim B- Skid Row Singing Lesson 2

This Was My second singing lesson, in this lesson I learnt How to change key. How to support myself in order to carry a note, and how to form a harmony in order to make songs sound appealing for an audience.

Learning aim B- Little Shop of Horrors - Singing Lesson 1

This was our first singing lesson, singing Little Shop of Horrors. In this lesson I learnt about projection articulation and what part I was going to be singing within the showcase. For example the tune, alto or soprano.

Learning aim B- Peer Assesments

Learning aim bcd peer observation sheet betsy-jo warren from Betsy-Jo Warren

Peer observation and feedback from Betsy-Jo Warren

Learning aim B- How to care for your Voice

Voiceover advice from Betsy-Jo Warren
I used this research and advice in order to look after my voice when performing my scene of Libretto in Little Shop of Horrors, and to also take care of it in order to sing. It was important for me to look after my voice for my solo song 'Somewhere that's green', as I have no one else to rely on whilst being on stage. I had to make sure I could support myself and project for the whole theatre to hear me.

I used This slide the most as I wanted to apply it when practicing for my monologue in Chicago. One of the biggest aspects of my monologue I had to concider was my accent and if I was going to use on or not. I also had to work on my projection and articulation so that the audience could clearly hear what I was saying.

Learning aim B- My podcast

The plot:
A musical in which a modern day Romeo and Juliet are involved in New York street gangs. On the harsh streets of the upper west side, two gangs, the American gang known as the Jets who have ownership of the land and the Sharks who are the Porto Ricans who have been placed on the Jets territory, battle for control of the turf. the situation becomes complicated when a gang member falls in love with a rival's sister.


In the Beginning of the year the American president launched the first nuclear submarine and was potentially going to war with the soviet union. It later became apparent that a war would break out when he sent ships out to Saudi Arabia. Westside story was relevant in the 1950's when it was released because many Mexicans were brought over in ships in order to work for the Americans as farmers or low paying jobs that the Americans didn't want, resulting in a huge amount of racism in America in that time. Racism wasn't just a problem for the Latina community though as in the 1950's many black men and women were still being segregated laws were deemed illegal. One of the most famous moments that communicated to the audience how much of a problem this had become was the song 'America' depicting that woman wanted to stay living in America because of having more freedom and rights but the men wanting to move back home because of the discrimination. An example of this is when Rosalia sings the line 'Ill give them a new washing machine' and the men sing back ' What will you have to keep clean' Along with other argumentative phrases telling the women that they would fit in more if they get rid of their accents.


West Side Story was the product of a three way collaboration from the practitioners Leonard Bernstein, Stephan Sondheim and Jerome Robbins. This resulted in a musical that included all three art forms, Drama, Dance and Music. Making West Sid Story one of the first musicals containing all three.


Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz was born in New York on October 11, 1918 and raised in Weehhawken, New Jersey. In the 1920's his father and uncle opened a 'corset company' which today along side his sister who also used to be a dancer, can be seen as the start of his love for performing arts. However he was deprived of a school education and with the connections he already had had within the industry from his father and sister made it possible for him to begin his career as a dancer in the experimental troupe of Gluck Sandor. Robbins then began collage studying chemistry at New York University (NYU) but dropped out after a year for financial reasons, and to pursue dance.


He studied at the New Dance League, learning ballet with Ella Daganova, Antony Tudor and Eugene Loring. He also studied Modern dance, Spanish dancing, Folk dance and dance composition, which allowed him to receive a wider knowledge of the different dance styles and techniques. His passion and work ethic enabled him to have the opportunity to choreograph for West side Story and many other musicals after. 


Leonard Bernstein composed the music for West Side Story. He  wrote three symphonies, two opera, five musicals and numerous other pieces. His music was mainly tonal. His style used to be known as jazzy. Bernstein often uses lots of Latin rhythms to relate to salsa and calypso. These all tend to be syncopated and off beat. This can be found in music for Westside Story as it fits with the Porto Rican cast members who have an attitude towards being in America. Stephan Sondheim was the lyricist for Westside Story. He was born March 22, 1930 and is an American composer and lyricist known for more than a half-century of contributions, to musical theatre. West Side Story was one of his most successful musicals ever and pathed the way for his future careers.


West Side Story is known for being one of the first musicals to integrate all Drama, Dance and Music. This also meant that it was essential to have performers who had the ability to do all three. This was because it was too expensive to higher professionals that only specialised in one art from, This added to the notion that this was the start of a new era of musicals as the whole process leading up to the Broadway reveal was completely different to what the practitioners themselves and the actors have ever been a part of.


All three art forms are just as important as each other, as dance can communicate the nonverbal cues that the characters are feeling in an organised and attractive way for an audience. It is important for dancers to be able to act and add characterisation into their dancing as it adds another level of believability.

West Side Story has now become one of the most well known musicals in the world and is still relevant today, as it still shares issues and themes with the modern day world. Some examples of this would be the Black Lives  Matter movement happening in America at the moment and the classic Romeo and Juliet that everyone loves and cherishes. This is truly a work of art and is defiantly something that if given the chance you should go to see because of its originality and forward thinking of integration of all three art forms.


 

Learning aim B- Personal Managment

Students personal management checklist 2 from Betsy-Jo Warren

Students personal management checklist from Betsy-Jo Warren

Learning aim B- Little Shop of Horrors research

Genre of musical- Horror/Comedy rock musical
Composer- Alan Menkin
Writer (Original director)- Howard Ashman
Vocal arrangements/ Musical Direction- Robert Ashman
Orchestrations- Robby Merkin
First performed- July 27th 1982 in the Orpheum Theatre in New York

Cast

• Seymour-Mid-twenties and perhaps balding a little. Insecure, Naive. However sweet and well-meaning.
• Audrey- The bleached blonde, Seymours secret love. Not very educated, no self-worth.
• Mr. Munshnik- Their boss. A failure of an east side florist. His accent is more middle class. Seldom smiles and often sweats.  
• Orin-A talk, dark, handsome dentist with a black leather jacket and sadistic tendencies.  
• The plant (Audrey 2)- An anthropomorphic cross between a Venus fly trap and an avocado. It has a huge, nasty looking pod which gains a shark like aspect when open and snapping food. The creature is played by a series of four increasing large puppets. (The first time we see the plant it is less than one foot tall, The last time we see it, it takes up the whole stage). Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon- Three black female street urchins who function as participants in the action and a Greek chorus outside it. They’re young, hip, smart and the only ones in the whole cast who really know what’s going on.

Synopsis

Little Shop of Horrors is a horror comedy rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman. The music, composed by Menken in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and early Motown, includes several well-known tunes, including the title song, "Skid Row (Downtown)", "Somewhere That's Green", and "Suddenly, Seymour

Musical numbers

1. Prologue
2. Skid Row (Downtown)
3. Da-Doo
4. Grow For Me
5. Somewhere That's Green
6. Some Fun Now
7. Dentist!
8. Feed Me (Git It)
9. Suddenly, Seymour
10. Suppertime
11. The Meek Shall Inherit
12. Mean Green Mother From Outer Space
13. Don't Feed The Plant

 

Performers associated with the show

Original Off-Broadway cast

• Seymour Krelborn – Lee Wilkof.
• Audrey – Ellen Greene.
• Mr. Mushnik – Hy Anzell.
• Chiffon – Marlene Danielle (replaced after two weeks by Leilani Jones)
• Crystal – Jennifer Leigh Warren.
• Ronette – Sheila Kay Davis.
• Audrey II (voice) – Ron Taylor.
• Audrey II (manipulation) / Wino #1 – Martin P. Robinson

Film Cast

• Rick Moranis as Seymour Krelborn
• Ellen Greene as Audrey
• Vincent Gardenia as Mr. Mushnik
• Steve Martin as Orin Scrivello
• Levi Stubbs as the voice of Audrey II
• Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks, and Tisha Campbell as Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon
  

Questions we might have about a chosen musical

Character/ Relationship Analysis