Daniel Gwirtzman Takes Us To the Reality Zone at Dance Break 2010 Dress Rehearsal, Listen In...

Imagine the scene.

We are all first in the space today and have one hour to space the work (which is different than the dimensions we've all rehearsed in) and deal with the fact that it's all new work put together in 12 hours anyway (and I saw my whole cast together at one time less than that). Then we met back at 4:30 for the event, and storm notwithstanding, it was packed.

Imagine the scene:

There are 60 dancers in the show plus 6 choreographers plus 12 musicians. There is not enough room for more than 1 cast in the dressing room (singular) at a time. Today we were all watching in the first rows of seats...the 6 choreographers are wondering how their works are going to work, and dealing with the attendant stresses and needs. And as Melinda Atwood, mother extraordinaire of us all, says to me: "We are bigger than the cast of Wicked! And we don't have the Gershwin."

Boots, costumes, hats, chairs, people...every corner of the MMAC lower level stuffed backstage and in the house. A table of mini-bagels, fruit and small bottles of water. Isn't DanceBreak nice. :)

This morning I went shopping in the snowstorm for velcro! This was at 10am. Duane Reade didn't have any last night. And yes I'm schlepping huge bags of costumes with every errand. As well as, get this!, amid the blizzard, a picnic basket, which is used as a prop! I'm walking through the snow today carrying a large wicker picnic basket! And in cute boots thank you...it helps! with every errand. Yes, New York City...I love you!

The dress rehearsal has started and it really is packed (even though Rosie O'Donnell's kids couldn't make it because of the snow) and I am sitting in the house to the side of the risers putting velcro on a triple strand of pearls (I bought a long time ago) that were also used recently when choreographing Clue, and adhering velcro to ribbons tied to the pearls. I am making sure all ten of my performers are there. Where's Rhett? Getting coffee. I text him something mad like, Rhett, we need you here now. We're going!

Imagine:

Not too much earlier...What? Jojo (Jonathan Alsberry) has to be at the Joyce at 6pm to work through material with Lar! Meaning one of my cast members is not going to be there for the run! DanceBreak has to see the show in order to get a feel for the show and we will have to do it without him in front of the audience, but at least the solution found, for us to run that number before anyone comes in...scramble, scramble. Photographer in the house...

I'm looking at costumes the dancers brought in, having another one try on something I just picked up at American Apparel (so nice when the store you needs is on the same street, 60th, as the theater! Love that!)...and sifting through piles of great looking clothes. How is it all going to look on stage? Is that too short? Too much skin? Well, this is Broadway!

Imagine:

This dancer's dress is too long...I have pins, I run to my bag. "I need a scissors to..." I have one, hang on...in that bag. This dancer has a hole in the crotch getting bigger. This dancer forgot a belt. And so it continues...and hair and make-up and bumping into other performers, seeing friends, meeting new people, seeing inspired works from the sidelines, and above all, thinking about the choreography! The acoustics are terrible in this. The singers are not miked. Is it loud enough?

Imagine:

The choreographers will come out before each of their pieces and introduce themselves and why they chose this...and we all are figuring that out and then doing it.

Then, imagine the pearls falling during my piece, and alas I could not even see it all, see the dance, as I was in the wings, and they scattered like, well pearls!, and spun into the wings, the full stage space...and not a performer missed a beat. That was some Jam my dancers were in! Those pearls have fallen before (during Clue) and today they were destined to scatter...better now than on Monday...still, new costume pearls to find and buy...

And the list goes on... and THAT was a NY Minute of Behind the Scenes of the dress rehearsal for Dance Break with THE Daniel Gwirtzman.

Luis Salgado is a Baller AND and Explorer!

Luis Salgado was recently hired to explore the world of animation with “Dora the Explorer”. Luis created the movement for the upcoming new Dora project. The animation process is complicated, but working with a great team, I understood what I needed to do for the animatics to read in the style of choreography that I wanted to share inside the world of Dora,” Luis said. That team included writer Chris Gifford, Beth Bogush and Choreography Supervisor, Andy Blankenbuehler (Tony Award Winning Choreographer). Nickelodeon also captured rare behind the scenes footage to illustrate the actual process of animation when choreography is involved.

Besides the incredible first-time win for the Saints, the Super Bowl had some pretty great behind the scenes moments. On Monday February 1st, choreographer Luis Salgado, Tezoro Productions, HOPsport and Miami Dolphins' players John Denney and Joey Haynos pre-gamed to the rhythm of PLENA with Luis Salgado in the Super Bowl XLIV “One World Super Huddle”. The team joined South Florida area fifth graders to listen to jazz, cook healthy snacks, and learn the Latin Dance PLENA with Luis. The students also received Salgado’s PLENA DVD to take home after the experience and experience Luis philosophy of daring to go beyond.

Congratulations to Luis and R.Evolucion Latina for inspiring the nation to Dare to Go Beyond.

From the Yankees Scoreboard-to scoring the best artists to profile, we love you from the bottom of our GFF hearts. Cheers to 2009 and to a COOL 2010

Matisyahu and the Disco Dreidel

Last Thursday, gendance partied... late night style. We got the hook up with tickets for the Late Show with David Letterman because one of our favorite performers was the guest artist that night. (Oh yeah, and Jude Law was there too.)

If you don't know who Matisyahu is, you need to introduce your ears to his amazing talent. He's a Grammy-nominated artist who sings about his religious devotion to Judaism... through reggae-style music. On the Late Show, we had the chance to see him perform "One Day", a hopeful song about peace appropriate for the upcoming celebration of the new year.

To get a feel for the song, here's part of the lyrics:
All my life I been waiting for
I been prayin for
For the people to say
That we don't want to fight no more
They'll be no more wars
And our children will play

You have to listen to the song to get the full effect.

Watch him perform with the Disco Dreidel and get inspired with the beauty of this song.

Let Christmas Shine

On Tuesday night, gendance was lucky enough to feel the magic of the holiday classic, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. We saw the Rockettes perform dressed as reindeer and rag dolls, and of course in their signature Parade of the Wooden Soldiers. New this year, we took a 3-D sleigh ride with Santa from the North Pole to the doors of Radio City Music Hall. From the tour of Manhattan on the double-decker bus to the beautiful live version of the Christmas story, it's clear that the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has kept the tradition of Christmas alive while adding a contemporary twist with new technological advances.



Here are some fun facts you may not know about this world-renowned Christmas tradition:

- More than 1,200 colorful costumes are worn in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Each of the Radio City Rockettes must change costumes eight times during each show and in a few of the changeovers, they have as little as 78 seconds in which to change their costumes.

- The double-decker bus seen in the brand new scene "New York at Christmas" weighs an astounding 7 tons and is 34 feet long, 12 feet high. In the course of the 8 week run, it will travel approximately 37 miles onstage. Off-stage, the bus hangs 23 feet in the air at stage left for storage!

- 1400 pairs of pantyhose adorn The Rockettes' world-famous legs during the 8-week run.

- During the 8-week run, the animals drink 450 bottles of water and eat 340 bales of hay and 560 loaves of 7-grain bread.

- Wardrobe goes through over 30,000 red dots pre season to brighten the cheeks of the Rockettes during the "Rag Doll" and "Wooden Soldier" numbers.

- Among the Rockettes, chorus and Santa, more than 1,200 pairs of shoes are worn per show.

- Two of the most cherished scenes in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular are the "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" and the "Living Nativity"- both of which have been part of Radio City's holiday tradition since they were first performed on the Great Stage in 1933.

To the next generation: We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year!

What's Courtney Galiano Thankful for?

"I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving like family, the IV Real, and my amazing friends. Making the move out to California from NY was a big step so i have to say i am truly thankful and blessed to have such wonderful roommates." xoxox Courtney Galiano We want to take this opportunity to say "Thanks" to Miss Courtney for being such a true fan and amazing comrade of gendance. Your support means a lot to us. So, in that case, readers... indulge in the best of Courtney's Q n A with gendance by reading through her editorials here. With your days off during the holiday, it's a great time to get yourself inspired!

Barry Lather Classic Pics

Special Thanks to Barry Lather for these exclusive photos and for his stunning interview with gendance, November 12, 2009.