#2: Showtime!

Hello again!

In this post, I wanted to share a bit more info about the shows we are performing.  As I mentioned last time, we have 6 different shows that we will continue to perform on a rotating basis throughout our 7 months onboard.  Prior to our time on the ship, my 9 fellow cast mates and I rehearsed for about 7 weeks in New York City where we learned the choreography for all 6 of these shows.  Then when we got on the ship three weeks ago on June 2, we began our Install process where we added the additional production elements of sets, costumes, lights, sound and even live musicians for some shows.  Below is the breakdown of each of our shows and a few photos to showcase just some of the many costumes we get to wear. 

Listen to the Music (LTTM)

“Listen to the Music” is the name of our Welcome Aboard show, but all the cool kids refer to it as “LTTM” (ell-tee-tee-em).  This collaborative show is performed once every cruise on the first night of the cruise as a way to introduce the many different entertainers onboard including us (the cast of singers and dancers), the musicians (3 different bands onboard) as well as the Enrichment Team (staff onboard who present informational talks, host trivia games, etc.).  My favorite thing about this show is getting to do a fox trot duet in a gorgeous red dress with my good friend, Austin!

Atlantic Crossing

This is our Euro-pop/rock invasion show where we get to dance to music from some of the greatest British artists to date including The Beatles, Elton John, Adele, and Coldplay.  My favorite thing about this show is that I get to rock a crazy hairdo.  Check it out below!

Classique

Classique is the show that most features our singers, as they sing a variety of somewhat classical songs with origins from all over the world.  The show opens with us dancers as crazy music conductors, clad in quirky tuxedos and “Albert Einstein” wigs, and closes with us adorned in “Marie Antoinette” wigs and wide-hipped Victorian dresses.  I love how much personality is in this show!

  

Heat

In the spirit of humidity, our show Heat helps spice things up for our guests as they cruise to tropical, Caribbean locations.  It features lots more Latin inspired dancing again and closes feeling like a fun, flavorful fiesta!  Pictured in the front row of this photo, dressed in black, is our amazing Stage Crew, who we lovingly refer to as our “Men in Black.”  They are also hired individually by Holland America Line and add so much to our shows!  They not only setup and take down the sets for the main show each night onboard, but they run the technical features, including lights and sound, and they often play a crucial role in helping us to make our costume changes in time.  Although we’ve only been on the ship for a short time, I’ve already become so close with these incredibly hard-working guys.  So grateful for the Men in Black!

 

Droom

This fantasy/sci-fi style show features our most ELABORATE costumes.  The singers each play a specific character, some of which involve very large head-dresses and dramatic make-up.  Alternatively, us dancer girls mostly wear unitards complete with a hood and a hard mask covering our faces and limiting our visibility.  Given the added costuming elements, this has become another one of our more challenging shows, but thankfully the extra effort behind the scenes is paying off because we’ve received very positive feedback from the guests in our audience!

Dance

As the name suggests, this show entails A LOT of dancing.  This is one of our most difficult shows as dancers and there are many fast costume changes as well, but by the time we get into our final costume, we are ready for the closing jive number and it is time to go big or go home.   Once the show ends, we are all exhausted, dripping sweat and emptied of any and all energy, yet at the same time we are left so full at the opportunity to push our bodies to the max and literally leave everything out on the “Dance” floor!  This show makes me feel alive, and I am grateful for the reminder it gives of the uncontainable joy for dance that dwells inside of me.  This inexpressible feeling and accomplishment is what continues to guide my life path and the reason I am here on this ship, doing what I’m doing.  What a gift!