How the World of Musicals works

 

 Music keeps us happy, tears us up, touches our heart, makes us jump and tap our toes. Music is amazing - it really is. It's like magic. The other day I was listening to a beautiful sweeping soundtrack, just crying. And it struck me how powerful just a few violins can be - how a specific blend of melodies can snap bring tears to my eyes in a normal day. And then the other day I was listening to a snappy old ragtime, suddenly finding myself dancing all over my room in the dark in my pyjamas. The music just forced me to dance - even though I was almost dozing off with the mp3player things in my ears. They just DID something to me that made me throw off my covers and start moving my legs and snapping my fingers.

 

But still, although music is powerful and does an enormous amount of things in everyone's lives, we do not live in musicals, where the magic doubles and practically everything is possible. Alas we don't. But if we did, all sorts of things would happen...

 

Rain is a perfect excuse for a good song. Of course, there's two very different ways you can go - you can go the romantic, sad way with rain rolling and mingling with your tears, or the optimistic way, holding an umbrella you hardly ever use because singing in the rain just makes you so happy again, right? Right?!!

 

 

Or you don't have to sing about rain, if you're happy and dry under a big umbrella. You can sing about the umbrella - or the fella with the umbrella, or whatever! You'll find the lyrics immediately - they will come rolling on your tongue as you walk. I promise. It just HAPPENS, and rain is always a bonus. The songs in the rain are always the popular ones, you'll see.

 

 

Start dancing. No really, just start. Do complicated stuff with your hands and your sticks and bottles or with whatever you happen to be having. Once YOU start, loads of other people will come behind you and do exactly the same things as you do - like a mirror. There won't be a single mistake and it'll cause quite a sensation. You'll see.

 

Oh, and if you happen to be in a rather um... risky place, don't worry. Even if it's the rooftops. Just dance them socks off, do weird things, and people will come and make it into a beautiful symmetrical scene.

 

 

Everyone just knows what to do. It's awesome.

 

 

Always wear tap-shoes. This is crucial, guys and dolls, this is crucial. You want to know why? Because you might need 'em, that's why. You never know when you're big tap-dancing scene will come up, when a soundtrack will pop up in your day. You need those tapping shoes ready to dance flawlessly.

 

Oh, and wear a big smile whenever you dance. Even if you're tired as can be, never show it. Just dance on and on. Only when you're really finished and when the music suddenly stops, you may collapse on an (upside down? Why not.) sofa, laughing hysterically. Because it WILL be fun.

 

 

 

Wear bright clothes. Have you noticed how (in most musicals) everyone wears the most deplorably colourful outfits? Yellow here, red there, purple there, bam pink, blue there, lime-green over here. Rainbow jumbles everywhere, and bah - don't worry about historical accuracy for this time - it's all about music. You may wear your hair down, ladies, and it may look like a wig. So yes, wear colour.

 

As for more outfits tips - men, tuxedos are very good - caps if your name is Dick van Dyke, sporty look if your name is Gene Kelly and a fine black top hat if your name is Fred Astaire. All matched with tapping-shoes of the finest kind, of course.

 

Ladies, colourful dresses in unique models and shapes and combinations. Go for ridiculous stuff. Frothy petticoats are advised, and so are not-too-short hemlines because you're bound to swirl and twirl in your dress. Or you can just go for my favourite look - a white dress with blue satin sashes. (Got it? Got it?)

 

 

Oh, and if you're aiming for fame, try bright red shoes with sparkles. Judy Garland is one of the most famous actresses to date, so that proves it works.

 

 

Never say you can't sing. Because that's ridiculous. Everybody can sing, but sometimes it only takes a super-nanny who can swing a heavy guitar AND a satchel with all her earthly belongings while singing and dancing unashamedly to convince you. And you'll see - you'll be singing like a pro five minutes after your first lesson. And dance on the bargain. Even if you're five.

 

 

Apparently the singing gets better when you look out of a window. Better still, if you sit on the windowsill. Because yeah, you might have an audience watching you. (And remember, if you're singing with a group, see that you're nicely posed (nice and symmetrical, you know) and that the little ones know all the lyrics. Of course, they will.)

 

 

 

Music is magical in musicals, but it rarely affects animals, unless they are drawn by a handsome chimney sweeper. So if you want your robin to calmly stay on your finger with the scene, you'll have to use some kind of clay-cardboard-prop. (Seriously though, readers, robins look like THIS.)

 

I would LOVE to be in a musical just for oooone day. But nome, that's not going to happen unless it's all going to get arranged and rehearsed for. :-P But still, it's nice to dream. And really, the musical world is MAGIC. It's so unreal, and yet we hardly ever realise it.

 

I hope you're having a happy musical day!

I dearly love to dance!

Let me teach you how to dance
Let me lead you to the floor
Simply place your hand in mine
And then think of nothing more

Let the music cast its spell
Give the atmosphere a chance
Simply follow where I lead
Let me teach you how to dance

-Miss Potter

Sigh. I wish I could dance like Ginger Rogers. She was amazing. And so was that dress of hers. Swoon. Just. Head over heels swoony. Enough about the dress. Enough swooning. I shall proceed.

Although I don't follow any lessons, can't tap dance (sad, that), don't have a dancing partner, don't have dancing shoes and am by no means professional, I can dance. A little. On my own.

That last paragraph sounded very self-pitiful, but never mind. I'm not sad about it or anything, it's just the truth. Truths sometimes sound sad. It's the truth. Ahem. Anyway, what kind of dances do I dance? Well, I dance English Country Dances. Yep. It's not something spectacular like Fred Astaire and his high-heeled, feathered partners. It's not like Gene Kelly and his breath-taking performances. Nope. It's a simple, pretty, fairly easy Regency ballroom dance style, and it's addicting. Seriously addicting.

I love dancing English Country Dances (I don't know why I'm Capitalizing All My Words), and I shall bore you by telling you which ones I can dance, which ones you can see in which movies, and how I taught myself.

Too low waistline. SIGH.

I always (I still do) loved watching the dance/ball scenes in movies. In Pride and Prejudice (1995) we have some lovely long ones - including the loved Darcy//Lizzy dance (Mr Beveridges Maggot) - and the little ones like those times when Kitty and Lydia roll the carpet away and dance with a few officers. In Sense and Sensibility, we have the packed, sweaty ball (not my favourite- it's over in a jiffy). In Wives and Daughters, we have some delicious waltzes. And in Gone with the Wind - when Rhett and black-garbed-Scarlett dance the Virginia Reel. Oh, and the sweet waltz in Sound of Music. All those ball-scenes. I love those scenes. Definitely my favourite scenes in movies - I could re and re-watch them.

Sigh. Sweetness.

Then I read about people learning how to dance such dances. I realised they were called 'English Country Dances' (goodness, was there once a time when I didn't know what those dances were called?) Then, thank goodness, I came across this very useful site and I watched the clips of random people dancing the dances. If you are one of those random people of the 'Old Dominion Dancers', I thank you with all my heart. Because that, people, by watching those little clips, is how I learnt (rather quickly- I flatter myself) how to dance many of the dances.

I started with 'The Comical Fellow', which is a very good one to start with. It has an extremely nice, catchy tune (here) and it's fairly easy. The dance is in 'Pride and Prejudice 1995' in the first dance assembly (in episode one) and is also played in one of the Northanger Abbey 2007 balls. This is probably one of my favourite dances. Is darling! They dance it in this gif:

  

In Northanger Abbey (2007), you can hear 'Lord Byrons Maggot' (also great fun to dance! It's rather similar to Comical Fellow) as Mrs Allen and Catherine come inside the crowded ball. Ironically, later, in another ball, when someone calls out 'Comical Fellow!' the 'Lord Byrons Maggot' tune is heard again. They thought no-one would notice, but I did. Haha.
Henry and Catherine also dance 'Upon a Summers Day,' but I haven't taught myself that one yet.

Then I tried some others. First, I learnt the ones that looked fairly easy. These include 'Juice of Barley' which is, I believe, in the Kate Beckinsale version of 'Emma', Lord Byrons Maggot, and 'Hole in the Wall,' which I will go in on a deeper level as it's one of my favourites. :D

'Hole in the Wall' is danced in Becoming Jane...

Wives and Daughters...

And in Emma (1996)

As this a slow, romantic, gentle waltz, it is often used in romantic important dancing scenes. It's one of those dances that can look all steamy and romantic, and sometimes they alter it in order to make it EVEN more steamy and EVEN more romantic. Oh me. In Becoming Jane, for instance. First, Jane and the tall blond guy dance it the right way. Then, Jane suddenly bumps into Tom Lefroy (this also, is one of the right dance movements.) But then, they have Tom and Jane walking down... and I'm like um, WHAT. This is not how the dance goes. They mushed it up and made the ending very... different. 

But anyway, 'Hole in the Wall' is a lovely dance, and not too hard.

Juice of Barley is another simple, very fun one. It is also danced in the 1996 version of Emma, and in the Cynthia flashback (Wives and Daughters)

Then we also have harder ones such as 'Shrewsbury Lasses' (otherwise entitled as the 'Other way Mr Collins!' dance) and 'the Laendler' (It's not an English Country Dance, but yet it's one which I'd love to learn- the 'Maria von Trapp waltz') and, of course...

 Ah and finally, of course, we have 'Mr Beveridges Maggot', which is the dance Lizzy and Darcy dance together - their first dance. Now, this one is rather tricky and I still don't have the complete hang of it. (Maybe this is because the Dominion Dance Website doesn't have one of their clear, good videos of it.)

I love it. The rhythm, the unique sound, the almost march-y effect, and yet ... it's romantic. Another version of this danced is danced in the Gwenyth Palrow version of Emma - it's Emma and Knightley's dance.

Now, just to end off this boring excessively diverting post, I shall show you some lovely Period Drama dancing-scene pictures. Because they are the best. I wish people had balls in Belgium. I wish people had balls like every week. Like instead of disco parties and all that rot.

 
 

 Dancing scenes are just the best. :-) I can't tell you how taken away I am by them. Swoon.

Do you like dancing?

Which English Country Dances can you dance?