Oh my gosh! I have to do the song "Matchmaker in front of HUNDREDs of people for a broadway next week! My group BARELY practiced, and i just firgured out that I CAN"T DANCE! Should I quit, or face my ultimate fear?!
2007-06-17 12:52:07 · 7 answers · asked by 1001 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Performing Arts
Who cares if you think that you can't dance? Can you walk? If the answer to that is "yes", then you can successfully perform the number. All you have to do is to move your body in any way that the music takes you. It may sound stupid but it works. I am not noted for my singing ability. After much practice, I can hit 80% of the notes. Only, it is a different 80% for each performance. However, I was cast as Schroeder in "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown". I had a solo portion for the song "The Book Report". For that, I substituted exaggerated movement for singing and many in the audience complemented me afterwards for my new-found singing ability. What you have to do is the opposite. You have to substitute singing for movement. Do it and you will be surprised as to how well it will be received. And, as I said, move your body as the spirit commands while you are singing.
You may not give up. Remember the motto of show business: "the show must go on" and it must go on with you singing your best.
2007-06-17 14:37:46 · answer #1 · answered by MICHAEL R 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
From a longtime performing artist.........
I concur with what others have said. If by "next week" you mean one day this upcoming week, even if it's only one day away you can do a lot of refinement work. Since you stated that your group barely rehearsed, your colleagues may be having the same shocked realization as you. See if you can get them together.
However, if they're a bunch of unmotivated clods and don't share your interest in putting in more work, then your course is clear -- do the work on your part without them. If they want to go down with the ship, don't let them drag you with them. Lock yourself in your room, go over your part repeatedly until it's second nature to you, and step out on that stage and be phenomenal. If your colleagues are wandering around in a daze, you just keep plowing through the number. As a rule I'm very big on collaboration, but that does not mean I participate in mediocrity.
As for your dancing ability, do you know the basic steps? "Matchmaker" is not generally a major production number -- it's a trio with staging. If you're choreographer turned it into some bizarre Fosse-esque dance-tacular, he/she doesn't care much for artistic subtlety [not to mention taste]. Surely the middle section where Tzeitel impersonates Yenta is merely a case of blocking, so rehearse your track [your blocking/pathways] over and over. And do a little advance planning of what you'll do if your colleagues forget their tracks and just stand in place -- it always helps to have a contingency plan.
Should you quit? Of course not! The worst thing to do in life is run away from problems -- all that teaches you is how to run away, which won't serve you well in life. It also annoys your colleagues because they then have to do more work to cover your absence.
Those hundreds of people in the audience will be hoping for a good performance. Give them one. Even if your castmates don't, you can. If you're prepared and give a strong, energetic, confident performance, the audience will love you for it -- and they'll be thinking, "She's great -- too bad she's saddled with those boring dolts who don't know what they're doing." And if you screw up a step or two, who cares? -- The audience doesn't know what the steps are supposed to be, and besides, they watch performers from the waist up. So keep smiling and project an attitude that you're doing everything perfectly. Audiences want to watch artists enjoying themselves.
And for future projects, you'll know what to do to avoid feeling unprepared ever again -- prepare and refine. "Work" is never a dirty word.
Break a leg -- and I do NOT mean that literally! :-)
2007-06-18 06:28:39 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, it seems to me you still have some time to practice. Call people from your group and see if some of them can help you practice. Practice on your own time. Dance in your room. If you have the steps memorized, don't worry about perfect execution. Perform with a huge smile on your face, and if you pretend like you know exactly what you're doing, it will really make a huge difference. Too many times have I watched mediocre performers who didn't look like they wanted to be there, looked frustrated or were just plain boring facially. Use your face. Live performances require your ENTIRE body in order to be successful. I say go for it. Practice, ask for help, and SMILE. It lights up your face and makes all the difference in the world.
2007-06-17 20:02:28 · answer #3 · answered by yavielome 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't quit just do it. I had this fear of failure and walked out at the last minute and have ever regretted that.
2007-06-17 20:00:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Can you practice dancing with someone?
2007-06-17 19:58:14 · answer #5 · answered by Traveler 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You never know how it will go untill you do it. You should face you fear. You never know.... you might be the next star..
2007-06-17 20:00:42 · answer #6 · answered by chriswh90 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
learn it!
if you want to look good, you have to suck it up!
sorry to be so mean, but life takes diciplne and effort
2007-06-17 20:25:23 · answer #7 · answered by Mango Muncher 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋