Costumes, Choreo and More Choreo!!!

This week, the team worked on SEVERAL PIECES of the production, "The Reel Stuff," and has accomplished quite a bit.

With a show of this magnitude, there are hundreds of dance combinations that have to be created, aside from the script, lighting work, sets and of course, costumes.

Lori Brigham, Costume Coordinator, says, "The difference between the confidence the cast members have that comes from wearing a costume on stage I believe changes their experience, and that leads to the whole participation ultimately changing their lives."   When asked what the biggest challenge for this year is, she states:  "Money.  If we had an unlimited or more extensive budget, we could be outfitting every cast member in elaborate, Broadway-style costumes.  The costumes are something that take a lot of creativity to keep expense down.  We focus on single pieces throughout to give the audience a picture of what we're trying to represent.  Changing something from Good Will into something that looks like a costume and works for the audience is not as much as a challenge as walking away from $25-a-yard beautiful fabric."  She adds, "The boy costumes are the most challenging.  How do we make them look special without looking feminine, etc."

Lori has been the Costume Coordinator since 2011, when she and other parents helped with the production, "Times of Your Life," and brought costumes into the Daedream experience.  Prior to this, Daedream used minimal, color-coordinated outfits and focused on the stage presentation.  With this change, the director believes that Daedream has moved to a higher level as far as audience reception.  "Of course, parents and community always loved the shows, but once the costumes became part of it, I slowly saw a different type of reception.  In short, people are starting seeing it as more professional since we have upgraded to full costumes."  For this she vehemently thanks Lori, Head Costume Designer/Seamstress Karina Burgos, Student Costume Mistress Kasandra Burgos, Wilhemena Criston, Nancy Todd, Simone Minichino, Jacqui Comshaw, teacher Crystal Solano, Mrs. Sullivan, Ellen Croll, Jene Flores, and her own mother, Connie Nucolo, plus MANY MORE teachers and parents along the way that have supported the costume drive in many different ways.

Be on the lookout for special costume pieces posted here that will give a hint as to this year's performance!

What Everyone is Saying About Dance

So just what are they saying?  Read here to find out!

Evelyn, Senior, Career High School, 10-year veteran:
Dance allows your dreams to speak.  I feel free when I'm able to dance it's like a whole different world, within each move there's a meaning.. Dancing isn't just dance, it's the way I express myself . It has been part of my life since I was in second grade, and 10 years later, I'm still in Daedream, which many people ask me, "why do you still do it?"   

"Because this is a part of who I am and who I've grown up to be."

Deandre, Senior, Cooperative Arts High School, 9-year veteran:

Dance is not just about doing movement.  Dance to me is the heart and soul of my body.  My body is my instrument; my instrument of dance is my creative weapon that has been given to me.   I didn't choose to dance, dancing has chosen me.  I sweat, I cry, I dream the love and passion of dance.  I try each & every day to work hard & be a better person & dancer.   Life is hard at times, but I still remain to smile and keep the spirit of dance alive.

Cheyenne, Sophomore, Career High School, 5-year veteran:

Dance is a get away. When I dance, I feel like nothing else matters and that I can be who I am without worrying about what anyone has to say.  It doesn't matter if you dance for a big company or your mirror in your room, you get the same feeling:  passion & love.   I am in Daedream because I love knowing that I have people to talk to or that I can vent to and get advice from.  I also love working with the younger kids and bringing out their talents, especially when they don't know that they have any!

Kevin, Senior, Hillhouse High School, 5-year veteran, Head Choreographer and Program Co-Director:

Dance is not just anything to me, when I dance I dance to live and feel free.  When I move to a certain dance number, it brings joy and creativity to my mind.  I love the feeling of bringing out whatever I feel inside to make it into imagery; it's like whatever I picture, I can bring out and use my body to explain a story and to help others understand the passion I have for dance.  I use dance to motivate myself through life and through obstacles that I go through.   Dance can also explain how the world is today and either make something good or bad in our history to show others.  Showing a routine beginning to end can have balled up emotions in to one big creation.   I know for a fact when I see dance I seem to go to my own world of thoughts, motion pictures, and emotion.   I use my own world to bring out the best in me.   Dance is what I live for and will always be by my side

Tyrese, Senior, Hyde Leadership Academy, 5-year veteran:

Dance is a symbol of Life.  Dance allows you to think big and free yourself upon the world ...You dance to express yourself and to show the world who you are and what you love to do.  Dance allows you to be yourself and enjoy life, doing what you love.  Dance helps you in more ways then one ... Dance Is One Thing You Can Truly Love!

Torey, College Sophomore, Gateway Community College, 5-year veteran and Program Co-Director:

Dance is just one of those things that found me.  It was door to being free and feeling safe to express my feelings beyond my words.  For some reason, when I dance I feel as if dance is this person who understands me at my high and my lows of myself.  It’s like, whatever emotion or situation you have going in your life, you can let it out when you're moving.  At least for me, it always felt as if I can tell a story from the start to the finish, while you're creating images or animations that shows your audience every detail.  Just like anything else you love to do, there is always a big “why?”  

Why do I dance? I dance because life is too short to give up on your biggest desire in life and too long to waste not improving on your talent.  I dance because without it, I feel empty and out of place. I feel like a person that is dying of thirst but he doesn't notice there's a full glass of water in front of him and is letting something hold him back from reaching the water. 

Therefore, you choose what to pursue in life, knowing that whatever you do is something that's valuable to you or something that's making do for you at the moment.

Want to have your thoughts on dance included here?  Just click the word "comments" below and add your own sentiments!

Continuous Creating - Daedream's Visionaries

Someone once asked..... who creates everything on that stage?  and Why does it take so long???

Well, it's an arduous process.  You'll find us after hours several days a week.  

Simple.  It takes HOURS.

We have estimated that on a good day, we choreograph one minute in an hour.  That's on a good day and does not include teaching the choreography team, lead dancers or the placement and staging.

The photo above is a sample of the bare bones of the work.  A plan for each musical piece is broken into segments of time in which to rotate dancers of different abilities and age groups on and off the stage to make a finished product.  The hardest ones are like the number, "June" is last year's show, where elements of comedy, action, gymnastics, challenging flips, and dance are all integrated.  And of course, there can be even more complicated challenges.

Kim Francis, the director and producer of Daedream, says that this year, "we're in for it."  Due to the complexity of some of the numbers, which will include all of the above and additional things such as live singing and spoken words, she's certain it will be a "challenge we may not have taken on before, but I am sure we can do it.  I have the utmost confidence in our team."

The team, lead by the co-directors, who are also the head choreographers, have to address the talents of all of the members.  At the same time, they work to keep the dances fresh and unique and appropriate for the specific numbers to achieve the desired effect.  Usually the director gives feedback, helps with staging ideas, keeping the music and style relevant to the theme of the show, and creating the overall vision.  The co-directors/head choreographers and the choreography teams get a feel for each piece and incorporate theme and genre to fit.

This year, the job us bigger than ever due to the theme, that is a real challenge for costumers, choreographers, lighting and stage crews, and just about everyone involved.

"The Reel Stuff" is a story that, from the title, one can imagine is quite involved.  Devoted to a theme of various film genres,  it's one  production that will definitely require popcorn but give the audience the show of their lives.

We'll have more on this process as we continue throughout the year.

Save the date, June 3, 2016

SMASH WEEK NEWS: Head Choreographer/Student Director Kevin Kelly receipient of Area Dance Scholarships

○Jim Altieri Photography, 2015

                                                                        

Head Choreographer, Student Director and Mentor Kevin J. Kelly of New Haven is getting noticed.

Kevin was selected in November of 2014 to choreograph a modern ballet for opera, "Virtue" by Christopher Theofandis of Yale.  Within a week's time, he had choreographed, taught and danced, along with other cast members Des'Tahnee and Aissatou, the piece to accompany the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, local opera talent, and the Elm City Girl's Choir.  But it didn't stop there.

After the two sold out performances at St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Kevin was fortunate enough to receive recognition in the form of support for further developing his craft.  Both The New Haven Ballet and Elm City Dance Collective have given Kevin scholarships for dance.  

We asked Kevin about these experiences and here is what he had to say.

Q:  How did you feel when you were given these scholarship opportunities?

A:  It was amazing.  It was amazing, I'm going to tell you why.  It was amazing because first off, I really didn't expect something like this, and just because it just randomly happened it really shocked me and surprised me with joy and gives me more confidence in myself.  Like it brings me to a higher point, and like, and I just really love it.  I appreciate it.

Q:  So you said a random happening, you think this was random?  You didn't do anything to really deserve it?

A:  I mean, not just that, I think that, like, I worked so hard for it to happen, it's just shocking, it's like I do everything I can to get to this point.

Q:  So let me ask a question about what you meant by "you worked hard to get there."  Did you know that you would get a scholarship, or you worked hard for something else?

A:  I worked hard for myself.  I wasn't trying to get anything, or nothing, I just worked hard for myself to try and make myself feel accomplished.

Q:  What were the circumstances for which you did get the scholarship? Like, what prompted these people to award you?

A:  I guess that they just saw something in me that I didn't see at first, but now that I've grown, and all these people are telling me that I really have talent, I see it now, so, and I'm really thankful for that.

Q:  So you couldn't listen to your director when she first said it?

A:  It wasn't like listening, it was believing.  

Q:  But, I asked, how did these people find out about you?  How did you bring their attention to you?

○Jim Altieri Photography, 2015

A: Ah, well, my director [Ms. Francis.]  My director, she helps me a lot, got me with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra opera thing for the piece I choreographed.  At first, I was kind of skeptical, but, I really involved myself, and put in the effort.

Q:  When you choreographed that, did you really think it would be a breeze, or were you concerned?

A: At first I was concerned, but then I started to really get into it and found myself really liking the music and really loving my choreo.

Q: My last question, what's the future for you as a dancer?

A:  My future (he pauses), cannot be told yet.  

Q:  Is dance in your future?

A:  Dance is definitely in my future.

○Jim Altieri Photography

Dancing on the Weekends

Working on the weekends to most teenagers sounds horrific but to our mentors, 8th graders and a few selected 6th graders, Saturday is the time to step up, dance, sing and act. 

For the past few weekends members of the Daedream program have been working really hard on our next production "Color My World."  This year, the cast will bring you a colorful musical that will open up your feelings and make you realize the true meaning of art.  In the story, we'll see a mixture of colors complementing each other, coming along as one beautiful rainbow.  Each color holds a different meaning but all of them with the same cause. 

The musical will involve; hip-hop, ballet, acting and singing and much more. Here in season 26.