When Sam first brought up the idea of me choreographing such a large amount of the musical, I was thrilled but intimidated. Having such a large role in this production unexpectedly thrust upon me was exciting, but put me under a great deal of pressure. Sam encouraged me to let her know if I felt that it was too much or would like her to do any of the songs I was assigned, but I was certain I wanted to make the most of this opportunity. We met only a couple of weeks before rehearsal began, so my first challenge was preparing all my choreography and making sure I was ready to start rehearsal. Last year, when I was only responsible for creating three numbers, I didn’t have trouble making sure I knew each dance like the back of my hand and was fully prepared for the challenges of teaching it. This year, doing more than three times that amount, I realized much more fully how difficult it is to be responsible for such a large body of work and how vital it is to take care of yourself and be organized and prepared. Though the challenge was initially daunting, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity, and I feel I learned a lot about what choreographing a musical requires.
Another challenge with this musical was the style of the show. I initially felt that it was not a very good match with the type of choreography that I am good at, and I had to shift my mindset to see how these two pieces could fit together. I had to embrace a more easy-going style of choreography than my own to fit the concept of the show, that this work was created by nuns. After that, I stopped being afraid to lean into the cheesiness and goofiness of some of the numbers. This allowed me to choreograph more freely, and I had a great time coming up with the choreography for each of the songs I did.
I felt more prepared when it came to teaching the choreography. The small cast made choreography rehearsals simpler than it has been for other projects I’ve done. Still, there were times when I faltered in my preparation, and rehearsals didn’t always run as smoothly or efficiently as they could have. Although these moments disappointed me, I believe I did the best I could and adapted well when I needed to. I always try to push performers to become better and more confident dancers when teaching my choreography, and I think I succeeded at that. I also think I did well with assisting Sam with her numbers and fulfilling my duties of taking notes and giving them to the actors. I’ve learned a lot about the responsibilities of a choreographer in this position, and have come to better understand what areas I can still grow in. After this experience, I have a better grasp on how to be assertive and know what my work can benefit from in rehearsal, although that is something I would like to keep working on. I’ve also realized I have a lot of room to grow when it comes to teaching technique to new dancers.
As a whole, I’m very proud of the work that I’ve done, and I feel that the dances are visually engaging and suit the show well. As with any creative pursuit, there were things that I was pleased with and things that I was unhappy with in the final product. Every mistake that remained uncorrected when I saw the show on opening night stuck out to me, and although I’m proud of all the choreography I created, I do think that a lot of it was more complex than it needed to be to serve the show.
This Saturday, I had the chance to see the show one more time before it closed, and I felt that I was able to see it with fresh eyes after having time away from it. Watching the show, I felt enormously proud of the work that I put into it. I believe I’ve created something new and lively, guided by the text, the music, and the performances to build a stronger production. Though I know there are still areas where I can grow, I look forward to these further opportunities as well as the chances I will get to further practice what I’ve learned.