The companion post:
Did I say something about the photographer? The new photography schedule eliminated tears and chaos. The parents were ecstatic.
Maybe those spotlight channels were need for the four new spotlight volunteers that got trained. (One of whom has outed herself as a trained professional theater tech specialist. This is how you get sucked into my web, you know. Never reveal an actual skill that you don't want me to exploit, that is to say, ask you to share.)
Did I mention the group that had the wrong music? Freestyle 1 girls, average age 8, learned an additional 30 seconds of choreography in 5 minutes.
Despite their harried helpers, tots were awesome, inasmuch as they made it off before their music ended. This may be a first for a dress rehearsal.
All those 12 groups doing re-skates at the dress apparently paid off, because today's show went without a glitch.
Volunteers didn't show? Several awesome moms and dads stepped in and handled the backstage organizing.
This is the amazing thing about performing: I've worked in performing arts for 30 years-- classical music, theater and figure skating--and I am continually amazed at how everyone, literally EVERYONE performs "up"-- they do better when the spotlight's on-- no matter how disastrous the rehearsal period is, or how unprepared they seem to be.
Rock on, Nutcrackers! Two down, four to go!
Showing posts with label nutcracker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutcracker. Show all posts
Dec 10, 2010
If someone says there's bad "chi", then there's bad "chi"
It all started with one of the pros going all skating mom on the poor photographer's assistant. (Um, if they say that was me, don't listen to them, they have no idea what they are taking about.)
The lighting guys used too many headset channels, leaving one station with no way to communicate. (Maybe semaphore?)
Freestyle 1 girls had been practicing to the wrong music. So had the Polchinelles. For 6 weeks.
Turned out the tot helpers couldn't help, because then they didn't have time to set up for their own number. (Tots however, were awesome, inasmuch as they made it off before their music ended. This may be a first for a dress rehearsal.)
A record 12 groups had to do reskates.
Not one of the scheduled dressing room volunteers actually showed up on time.
Oh, the bad chi? The flower service had hung stars over the office entrance so that the points were aimed straight down at anyone standing at the window, or entering the door. In feng shui they call these "poison arrows" and they concentrate bad chi energy. When I saw it on Wednesday I told him he was going to have to change them.
Always listen to your Xanboni.
The lighting guys used too many headset channels, leaving one station with no way to communicate. (Maybe semaphore?)
Freestyle 1 girls had been practicing to the wrong music. So had the Polchinelles. For 6 weeks.
Turned out the tot helpers couldn't help, because then they didn't have time to set up for their own number. (Tots however, were awesome, inasmuch as they made it off before their music ended. This may be a first for a dress rehearsal.)
A record 12 groups had to do reskates.
Not one of the scheduled dressing room volunteers actually showed up on time.
Oh, the bad chi? The flower service had hung stars over the office entrance so that the points were aimed straight down at anyone standing at the window, or entering the door. In feng shui they call these "poison arrows" and they concentrate bad chi energy. When I saw it on Wednesday I told him he was going to have to change them.
Always listen to your Xanboni.
Dec 4, 2010
This is what Preliminary Run Through is FOR
Nutcracker on Ice--a really magical and unique show that my rink is known for. It's also 6 weeks of getting yelled at by parents, cried on by children, and bitched at by other coaches. All for minimum wage. It is my favorite part of our calendar. Perhaps thirteen years of doing it has numbed the area of my brain that should have made me hate it.
Today was the first run-through; no tech, just run the show through from start to end. One hundred eighty-six families, more than 200 children. There are probably close to 500 people in the building at the height of the madness.
Right off the bat, I commit the cardinal sin of assuming someone else is doing a specific job, which turns out to have been MY job, and miss getting two groups onto the ice. This is the only mistake I am present for all day for which I do not get blamed. It is the only one that is actually my fault.
The costumes, which usually arrive a month ahead of time, all get here today. Approximately 200 families descend on the costume room, more or less all at once. There are nearly 400 costumes, and they all need to be fitted by Thursday.
The parents, who all know me because I run the volunteer program, all seek me out to ask questions which a) they don't really need to know, b) don't have an answer, or c) they don't like the answer. The ones in category "c" will continue to ask me the same question all day, on the assumption that eventually they will get an answer they like.
One of the key soloists has decided that he has plenty of time to wander down the street to get a sandwich, as there are two whole 2-minute solos before he has to skate. He does not share this decision with anyone. We finally find him by getting one of the other kids to text him and let him know he needs to be on the ice.
The tots are getting restless. I tell them the story of the Nutcracker, into which they immediately manage to insert scatalogical references.
Speaking of which, the 6 to 10 year old boys are playing "who can fart the loudest."
The littlest girls' coach is gossiping in the stands, so I line them up, except I'm not their coach, so I don't know where they go. Coach comes and reads me the riot act for not knowing where her group belongs. Um...
One of the 6 year old girls decides she can't wait to skate, so she doesn't! We look up and she's improvising a lovely and spontaneous solo in the middle of the Spanish Dancer solo.
Step out trio runs into the group that they share the ice with. Their choreographer seems to want to know why I let them do this. That would be because that's how you choreographed it? Is this a trick question?
Concessionaire has run out of ingredients for her wonderful fresh sandwiches. I have a hot dog for lunch. (I do not eat processed food, as a matter of health and philosophy. This helps me remember why.)
Everyone has to hang around for a staff meeting at the end. I'm sitting around in the office, waiting for it to happen. Except it's happening in the sound booth at rinkside, so I miss it.
The magic starts again on Thursday with the dress rehearsal. Somehow it will turn into a spectacular and professional show; it does every year, despite my griping, the parents' panic, the mistakes and tears and costume snafus.
The Robert Crown Nutcracker on Ice is as magical as today's lovely snow storm, with these hundreds of skaters ages 3 to 50 in beautiful costumes, participating in this wonderful tradition. It is what inspired me, nearly 20 years ago, to encourage my daughter to skate.
If you're in the Chicago area, come and watch. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday December 10 through 12 at Robert Crown Center in Evanston.
Disclaimer-- couple a people were a little put off by this post. Rest assured, details of some incidents have been altered; if you recognize yourself, that's on you! Also, as I said, this is fun--Nutcracker is one of those "I can't believe they pay us to do this" sorts of jobs (and since they don't pay us much, it sorta works out). Really, come and see it!
Today was the first run-through; no tech, just run the show through from start to end. One hundred eighty-six families, more than 200 children. There are probably close to 500 people in the building at the height of the madness.
Right off the bat, I commit the cardinal sin of assuming someone else is doing a specific job, which turns out to have been MY job, and miss getting two groups onto the ice. This is the only mistake I am present for all day for which I do not get blamed. It is the only one that is actually my fault.
The costumes, which usually arrive a month ahead of time, all get here today. Approximately 200 families descend on the costume room, more or less all at once. There are nearly 400 costumes, and they all need to be fitted by Thursday.
The parents, who all know me because I run the volunteer program, all seek me out to ask questions which a) they don't really need to know, b) don't have an answer, or c) they don't like the answer. The ones in category "c" will continue to ask me the same question all day, on the assumption that eventually they will get an answer they like.
One of the key soloists has decided that he has plenty of time to wander down the street to get a sandwich, as there are two whole 2-minute solos before he has to skate. He does not share this decision with anyone. We finally find him by getting one of the other kids to text him and let him know he needs to be on the ice.
The tots are getting restless. I tell them the story of the Nutcracker, into which they immediately manage to insert scatalogical references.
Speaking of which, the 6 to 10 year old boys are playing "who can fart the loudest."
The littlest girls' coach is gossiping in the stands, so I line them up, except I'm not their coach, so I don't know where they go. Coach comes and reads me the riot act for not knowing where her group belongs. Um...
One of the 6 year old girls decides she can't wait to skate, so she doesn't! We look up and she's improvising a lovely and spontaneous solo in the middle of the Spanish Dancer solo.
Step out trio runs into the group that they share the ice with. Their choreographer seems to want to know why I let them do this. That would be because that's how you choreographed it? Is this a trick question?
Concessionaire has run out of ingredients for her wonderful fresh sandwiches. I have a hot dog for lunch. (I do not eat processed food, as a matter of health and philosophy. This helps me remember why.)
Everyone has to hang around for a staff meeting at the end. I'm sitting around in the office, waiting for it to happen. Except it's happening in the sound booth at rinkside, so I miss it.
The magic starts again on Thursday with the dress rehearsal. Somehow it will turn into a spectacular and professional show; it does every year, despite my griping, the parents' panic, the mistakes and tears and costume snafus.
The Robert Crown Nutcracker on Ice is as magical as today's lovely snow storm, with these hundreds of skaters ages 3 to 50 in beautiful costumes, participating in this wonderful tradition. It is what inspired me, nearly 20 years ago, to encourage my daughter to skate.
If you're in the Chicago area, come and watch. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday December 10 through 12 at Robert Crown Center in Evanston.
Disclaimer-- couple a people were a little put off by this post. Rest assured, details of some incidents have been altered; if you recognize yourself, that's on you! Also, as I said, this is fun--Nutcracker is one of those "I can't believe they pay us to do this" sorts of jobs (and since they don't pay us much, it sorta works out). Really, come and see it!
Nov 3, 2010
And we begin
It's Nutcracker time at my rink.
Every year we stage The Nutcracker on Ice with nearly 200 skaters, about 400 costumes, and a parent volunteer corps of 80 or more. (Full disclosure-- that counts the parents who sign up, but don't show up.)
We've just finished the first week of rehearsals; I'm "choreographing" the tots, which, for tots, means getting them from one side of the ice to the other before the music ends. Last year we nearly had the soloist take off a kid's head with a poorly placed camel spin. This year looks like they can all actually move; whether they will actually move on demand remains an exciting mystery!
I got to choreograph my first Freestyle 5 solo, including a footwork sequence, which was very exciting for me, since my niche is Learn to Skate. I'm working toward my PSA Master Rating in Group and Registered Rating in Free Skating so it's something I need to be able to do, and it's great to have this opportunity. It's a "couples" number (i.e. two girls) so I also have some Pairs skills in it, which is also an area on the Master Group test. Fortunately, one of the girls' regular coaches is a former Pairs world competitor, so I'm definitely mining him for pointers.
The last group I'm working with is Intermediate Freestyle.
Thirty-eight teenagers.
Kill me now.
Every year we stage The Nutcracker on Ice with nearly 200 skaters, about 400 costumes, and a parent volunteer corps of 80 or more. (Full disclosure-- that counts the parents who sign up, but don't show up.)
We've just finished the first week of rehearsals; I'm "choreographing" the tots, which, for tots, means getting them from one side of the ice to the other before the music ends. Last year we nearly had the soloist take off a kid's head with a poorly placed camel spin. This year looks like they can all actually move; whether they will actually move on demand remains an exciting mystery!
I got to choreograph my first Freestyle 5 solo, including a footwork sequence, which was very exciting for me, since my niche is Learn to Skate. I'm working toward my PSA Master Rating in Group and Registered Rating in Free Skating so it's something I need to be able to do, and it's great to have this opportunity. It's a "couples" number (i.e. two girls) so I also have some Pairs skills in it, which is also an area on the Master Group test. Fortunately, one of the girls' regular coaches is a former Pairs world competitor, so I'm definitely mining him for pointers.
The last group I'm working with is Intermediate Freestyle.
Thirty-eight teenagers.
Kill me now.
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