For this number, I wanted to create a larger spectacle than many of the others, something the sisters had obviously spent a lot of time working on. It was the number for which I had to think on my feet the most because of the challenges of teaching tap, but I tried to retain that vision. Bob Fosse’s work inspired a lot of the instrumental section because the music is reminiscent of a Fosse musical. For the ending, I returned to the non-tap musical theatre style that is prevalent in the rest of the show in order to tie everything together.
Research/ Notes on Lyrics
- “An idle mind is where the devil works” is a phrase thought by some to have originated from the bible noting the dangers of not keeping busy.
- One steps and two steps are dances in their own right, but not typically associated with tap. These mentions may refer to single and double timesteps, in contrast to the triple timestep described by Sister Hubert.
- Sister Hubert sings each step to a triple time step- “Stamp-hop-shuffle-step-fa-lap-ball-change”.
- A buffalo is another tap move.
- Reverend Mother sings “Gotta Dance” from Singin’ in the Rain.
A couple of the Fosse-inspired moves were from Pippin.
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