Men Only tonight, as we work on a dance for the gamblers! Still quite noisy as they arrived but Martin is certain that they'll be so busy that it won't be a problem for long. Also - the press are here! Peter Barrington from the Bicester Advertiser is going to write a feature on us and has come on a fact-finding mission.
After a brief discussion with Martin, Ali greets the men. She needs dancers. Who would 'like a go?' This is a potentially worrying phrase, but on we go. A few volunteer. In the end, all are told they will give it a go and if it doesn't work, some will be sidelined. It will be smooth, not moving on every beat... But to begin with, a lesson, so tall men at the back. Ali tries out a few different movements, any that people clearly can't do will be left out of the final choreography. What looks like an untangled grapevine with tap-dance arms is already showing signs of being tricky. Then she wants to speed it up. Surprisingly, this seems to make it easier. Then she adds a heel-down step that needs to be coordinated with clicking fingers. Large arm movements, all in the same direction at the same time? Could prove challenging. Then all the men have to try what is effectively a rocking horse step, turning their heels definitively at the back. She asks if they all feel okay with that... The answer is incoherent but not a clear no.
We're almost ready to try it to music, so Ali groups the men in semicircles rather than leaving them in the three lines that they have been. Now the steps begin to happen in a more coordinated fashion, with alternate men doing different steps. It's going to require a degree of concentration. There's turning and sweeping and switching involved, though even then someone manages to overcomplicate what he's trying to do. Each step also needs to be with pointy toes. We could be here some time... Some of the steps are to look as though dice are being thrown, but in between we practise clicking fingers rhythmically. Then the music starts. Slowly. It's a little like something out of West Side Story, but they're both set in New York so that's probably suitable!
Suddenly, after lots of working through it at half speed, the music is brought up to tempo and you would be forgiven for expecting chaos to ensue. Remarkably, it doesn't. There are a couple of times when people aren't in quite the right place at the right time, but on the whole... There is general satisfaction until Ali points out that it has taken 40 minutes for us to get about a tenth of the way through the number.
Moving onto the next few bars, the men are on their knees, still preparing to throw their dice and then up again, moving round and high-fiving each other. There is now mention of how the words and steps fit together but none of the men seems unduly concerned at the multitasking that will be required. In fact, they won't be singing during the dance, but the tune is the familiar part of the chorus, so they need to imagine the words. Doing this section to the music proves too much, so Martin suggests they try standing still and just clapping at the right point in the music. They can manage this, so now we try again with the moves.
We carry on, working through the routine slowly until Ali tries to include a step that involves rolling across a partner, back to back. This degenerates into grown men rolling on the floor and giggling. Just as well the teenagers aren't here tonight! "Find a space" is the instruction. They need to practise the move somewhere where they aren't likely to collide with each other. Ali decides, after counting up the number of dodgy-hip-dodgers, that she will modify or incorporate that move elsewhere. Time now to rehearse something akin to Greek dancing. With their arms around each other's shoulders, they form two circles that twist and turn and even take the opportunity to rehearse their sequence independently when Ali is revising things with the other group. The steps are mostly there now, but not quite up to speed. As soon as the music is added in again, there's a problem and they have to slow it down again. Particularly getting up and clapping seems to be a bit tricky. They go through it again, with Martin shouting 'clap' at the appropriate moment. So far, so good, but then they do it again without the shouting and the coordination of the clapping seems to have gone again. Either it's on the wrong beat or with the wrong hand or just not happening at all! Ali needs them to be anticipating the next clap as they're doing the current one, but when they try to walk it through, some of them feel they need the music. With lots of counting and looking around, they reach the end of the musical phrase but there is still a gap. Ali creates a step involving a manly grip between the pairs in which they can twirl each other and also fill in the hiatus. Swing, lean back, imagine you have eastern European ancestors, lengthen shoulders and arms and trust your partner! Once more to the music and then we move on.
Now it's the rocking horse step again. Into two rows, rather than four groups, which strangely proves more difficult than you might expect, while they hold invisible hats on their heads so that ultimately, as one spectator remarks, they look more as though they are rehearsing an advert for Nurofen. But they do reach a point at which Ali thinks they can try it as part of the overall sequence and our pianist plays the piece from the beginning of the intro, partly so that they can hear how long they have to wait before the dance steps start.
Then Ali goes through the steps again slowly with those who ask, so pianist Paul leaves (it is 9.30, after all!) and Martin quietly plays the music so that Sky can rehearse his solo singing part, not least because he's been here all evening and hasn't been involved in the dancing. Back to the beginning of the dance and Ali decides that one of the steps is going to have to be scrapped/replaced if they can't improve it. More deliberations as she works out how to get everyone into one big circle rather than two small ones. It sort of works though trying to do the steps while Martin does triplets on the wood blocks is very difficult.
Ali's plans for the gamblers while Sky starts singing the main song are dealt a fatal blow when she is reminded that there are 12 pages of dialogue between the end of the gamblers' dance and the beginning of the song. However, she'll deal with that later, she decides. For the actual song, we try out a tableau effect, even for when the gamblers join in the singing, carefully arranged in groups that take into account which section of the choir the gentlemen are from.
Finally, Ali is satisfied that they have reached a point at which most of the dancing is mostly right most of the time. The men are told, however, that they need to go home and write down their steps before they forget them.
In the background of all this, meanwhile, Victor the Assistant Wardrobe Mistress is measuring Big Jule with his fat suit in place, so that his actual costume will fit. This is just as well, since Big Jule wasn't involved in the dancing (Ali felt that with the fat suit, it would not be practicable) and he was getting a little fidgety. Also in the background, Steve has tried to take a few photos of principals for the programme, but it's a little difficult when they're all kept in permanent rehearsal mode! And last but by no means least, Nicky has been taking orders for tickets. Good news - we have an audience every night!
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