When the dancer becomes the dance...
About The Dances
01. Maniac
"You have to start things out with an up-beat warm-up…"
Maniac is best known in the movie Flashdance, part of the theme of this show, but it was also featured in a musical I choreographed Masters of the Musical Universe and Evilyn (played by Melissa Hanson) rocked this number.
02. Like it or Not
"Don't judge yourself through other's eyes…"
Originally "Like it or Not" was a dance team number about french aristocrats getting ready for an 18th century ball. I brought it back because of the songs empowerment and message of self acceptance.
03. Wolf & I
"Falling for the wrong guy"
This piece was originally in a Burlesque show I choreographed. I've always liked it because of the fairy tale nod and Oh Land's haunting voice.
04. Kill of the Night
"The wrong guy never thinks they're wrong"
This is the antithesis of "Wolf & I." The wrong guy in their natural environment. Originally a class combo for an adult jazz class.
05. Somewhere That's Green
"Setting goals is half the work"
I did this for a high school dance class, as a guest artist. Also, recently saw Coco Peru (a drag comic) that inspired me to chase after dreams, during that inspirational performance she spoke about wanting to be Audrey from
Little Shop of Horrors. Seemed fitting to include this.
06. Click Clack
"Making the cash, for your goals, is the other half"
This piece was suppose to be in the second show of a burlesque group I was working with. The group disbanded before the second show, but the choreography lives on.
Intermission
07. New York
"We all have our different paths"
We search all our lives for the other, but in the end we walk alone. For a short time I trained a group of girls out of a studio I rented from. It was great that they, and there parents, believed in me to follow me around…but it was a lot of work! This piece is from that group.
08. Back it Up
"Having that ride-or-die friend to help on your path"
When the burlesque group split, one of the dancers wanted to create her own show, this was a piece I choreographed for her. And when I signed a set of sisters for this show, I knew it had to be for them. Ride-or-die friends are family.
09. Come Together
"A small group of friends is better than a million acquaintances"
I choreographed this for a show and at the last minute one of the dancers got hurt. I ended up performing in her place and stomped the house down.
10. Performance
"The show must go on, even when your world is ending"
I worked on cruise ships out of college, feel for a guy, moved into his cabin, and one night he broke up with me. The next evening we danced together in the show, I smiled through it, it was my best performance ever.
11. Johnny Angel
"An ending is a new beginning"
This was originally for a high school group. I've always loved the girl groups of the 60s, not only that I tell people that I was a doo-wop girl in a former life. I had to include this heavenly song in this show.
12. In and Out
"Life is about choice, choose wisely"
Beth Ditto is a local artist who's powerful voice has always drawn me in. This piece is the resolution of the previous two. Sometimes people come in and out of your life, and that's ok. It's part of how the universe works.
13. Me Too
"Be the best You you can be and make them eat it!"
As I get older I find it easier to love myself. I wish I could tell the younger me that's how it would work. Don't worry, if I was you, I'd want to be me too.
15. Flashdance
"Past, present, and into the future"
The family business is welding structural steel. My brother and I would always do work out in the shop, instead of chores, for our Nintendo game money. But ever since I could remember I wanted to dance (even though I didn't get to until high school). So the joke has always been my life parallels Flashdance ... just with more clothes.