Student Blog: The Feets That Were Hot

When the season gets announced at Florida Southern, there is deliberation among the students about interest in various roles, both performance and technical. A student will elect to assistant stage manage the fall play while another begins perfecting their 32 bars for the spring musical. Often there is a personal assignment or goal to be a part of one side of the production or the other. However, when auditions for The Drowsy Chaperone came near and no outside choreographer was announced, questions arose about who would be taking on the project. The few days between the cast list being posted and the first read through held the space for many decisions to be made. As if taking on lead roles was not enough work, two seniors within the cast stepped one foot into creative team and took on one of the most crucial parts of a musical.

Jonah Hager, both Drowsy's Robert and Choreographer, and Anna Weaver, both Kitty and Assistant Choreographer, were introduced to the idea of creating some choreography before the cast list was sent out. They were under the impression that they'd be responsible for a handful of phrases, but as the cast's first read through came near, their positions were refined. When their positions were announced there was a buzzing across zoom screens, as our excitement for the pair was untamable. There was never a doubt in anyone's mind about the capabilities of Jonah and Anna, but seeing their vision come to life was still breathtaking. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit down with them and take notes for fellow artists who could learn something from their job well done.

When his role became official, Jonah was contacted by one of our professors with CDC recommended guidelines that he should follow for everyone's safety. He received a video detailing how to combat the spread of aerosols from a singer's mouth. This challenged Jonah to create and place choreography that prioritized people who weren't singing, kept everyone six feet apart, had all individuals that were singing facing forward, and avoided touching- he indeed managed to design an impressive, socially distanced tango- all while maintaining the integrity of the genre and his own personal style. Understanding all the safety guidelines he must follow was key to keeping the cast members healthy, and ensuring the production ended up on its feet. Now knowing all the can's and can not's, he and Anna got into designing the choreography as efficiently as possible in their limited time.

Jonah began with research: reading and listening to the musical, discovering the time appropriate steps, noting which numbers he'd be choreographing, and establishing a story for each of those numbers. Due to the times, our auditions and callbacks were held virtually from our homes, so there was no dance call. This challenged Jonah some because he was not entirely familiar with every individual's abilities and had to account for variation throughout the cast. He mentioned creating back-up plans for certain phrases in case they did not work for the individual. I can attest to the success of this plan, as many times during "Show Off" he would check in with me to confirm that what I was given would not detract from other elements. One of the most notable characteristics of Jonah's choreography is his commitment to being economical. We were never directed to dance for the sake of moving or being large. Every phrase flowed through to the next without wasting the energy on pointless movement.

Another significant component of their success was the way they organized themselves. Anna was an individual who understood Jonah's artistic style and could provide insight on choreography ideas. She created phrases, helped make decisions between phrases, modeled the choreography through different character tracks, and supported Jonah. She also took the responsibility of scribing what Jonah shared with her throughout the design process, including what they developed together, and whatever Jonah brought her after choreographing during his shower! A google document with columns for the lyrics, the counts, and color coordinated choreographic tracks put the physical movements into a readable reference. The system demonstrated how much choreography was set and how many counts still needed to be done, which Anna could relay to Jonah while working. Jonah drew out diagrams of the stage that would show people's positions and set pieces, aiding them while talking through choreography.

Anna noted that the implications, intentions, or energy of each song created a story that then dictated the dance. Their organizational structure allowed them to take that loose story and start "filling in the blanks with actual, detailed movement." The style of recording was something they developed through their experience with other choreographer's techniques, their own Dance Captain experience, and constant modification until it worked best for them. As Jonah would demonstrate the choreography, Anna would scribe the steps- even creating names and abbreviations to refer to phrases as. Some names they established were the, "Charlie Chaplin Walks", "Black Bottom Runs" (BB Runs), "Vaudeville Sways" (VV Sways), and my personal favorite to hear about, "Add a Little Chicken." Jonah recalled many pieces of their choreography starting as jokes that were used as placeholders, but were, "silly and made sense" for the piece, so they were kept in the number.

Choreography rehearsals were run exclusively by the two, with both having to step in to fulfill their own lead tracks. Clearly, these two are nothing but extremely dedicated workers! The pair would get to the theatre early to walk through patterns on stage and review the choreography together before teaching it. They entered rehearsal with the bulk of each number done, leaving only small sections to be set throughout the evening, which occasionally deviated from the original plan due to new elements. The educational nature of the process meant more components of the set were introduced every day. This changed the floor plan, and inherently, the choreographic tracks. After evaluating the changes necessary, Jonah would work straight through the numbers. He decided that it is more effective to move chronologically, and ask for the patience of people not in action, than to start with random pieces of the song.

They began the rehearsal process by getting the largest group number out of the way first. The number that was rehearsed next was determined by if the song was dependent on external factors: props, costumes, or set pieces, and if those factors were ready. If all the pieces were in place, the number was taught. The only issue Jonah faced in rehearsals was not knowing how quickly he could teach, or how quickly the cast could learn, leaving nights where Jonah finished much earlier than expected. Anna attributes this to the extreme respect the cast shared for Jonah. She noticed their amicable attitudes and focus for the project, saying she "could see the effort." Both agreed that knowing the skill level of the ensemble would have improved their ability to gauge time needed, which Jonah said he would have amended by asking for each cast member to send him a video of them executing a simple phrase. In rehearsals, Anna transitioned from organizing the choreography to evaluating the execution of it. Now Jonah's second pair of eyes, she provided notes that Jonah hadn't caught, assisted with cleaning the choreography, and answered questions.

The entire process is remembered as "crunch time from the start", which meant Jonah's most prominent goal was to choreograph the entire musical in time, and to do it well. They then went through a series of checking off milestones, like completing the choreography, teaching the cast, then cleaning each number. Jonah did set a personal goal of finishing the numbers early enough so that he could step fully into character and start using rehearsals to develop his role. He was thankful for a cast that cared so deeply about the production, as their dedication to learning allowed him to achieve his goal and to take notes for the sake of being picky.

Despite the stressors and challenges, both walked away happily with a great love for the process and due pride for the product they created! Jonah mentioned feeling a sense of completion, as if his hard work was not finished until the very last bow. Anna explained how proud she felt of Jonah as his Assistant Choreographer, but also just as a best friend witnessing true success. I feel that the entire cast could speak to this success, and the pride and gratitude resonates within us all. We were fortunate to have such strong peers to lead us and create a true piece of art.

Just as educational theatre promotes, there were many things they learned along the way. They highlighted the importance of a creative team that focuses on effective communication. They refined their process of organization, and exercised their creativity and understanding of dance. Their advice, for other studying artists who wish to take on creative leadership, is something that I think should be discussed more often. They learned that there is joy that flourishes when ideas aren't taken too seriously or evaluated hypercritically. Allowing the space to be silly and dancing in a way that creates joy breeds an infectious environment. It became impossible to run the songs without ending in beaming smiles, because it was just so fun. They revealed that it is all about enjoying the work. Jonah pointed out that the craft itself should be taken in earnest, but as people who "get paid to be other people, you cannot take it too seriously. We are playing." There is no sense in letting other factors get in the way of enjoyment because, as Anna stated beautifully, you must let the joy shine through- "that's what makes it art at the end of the day."

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