Dancing the Day Away

The cast of "Anything Goes" has been hard at work during rehearsals for the past week and a half. So far the cast has only had music rehearsals where they work specifically on singing songs, and blocking rehearsals where they focus on their motions on stage. If you want to make a musical have a lasting impression though, you can't just talk the talk; you have to dance the dance. So today was the first of many dance rehearsals, where the cast focuses specifically on their dancing in the musical. 

At this first dance rehearsal, the cast worked on the song "Heaven Hop." Mrs. Schleunes, the dance instructor at Berkshire, creates and teaches the choreography for the musical each winter, working with Mr. Howard's vision. Learning dance moves and executing them properly is a hard thing to do, especially if the only experience you have had with dancing of any kind is flailing around at dances. The cast is amazing at it, and it is easy to see they are willing to work hard to get these moves done right. 

Musicals are challenging beasts. You have to act, sing, and dance; often you have to combine all three of those. It is one thing to perform these hard dance moves, but it is another to be singing while you are doing them, and while being in character the whole time. The cast offers a lot of promise to achieve these tasks, and if they keep working hard, I think the audience will be in for a real treat come opening night.      

by Conor Ryan, '15