By, Maggee Bleyer (Reporter for Music Department and Interact Club)
Week 5
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
The other day, I heard a fellow cast member hum Carrying The Banner in one of my classes. Another classmate in the musical told her to pipe down, but she couldn’t stop! The music in Newsies has already become the songs everyone can’t get out of their heads! Practices are now heading into Act II territory and more characters are being introduced. Even though Act II is usually the shortest act of the musical, it will take lots of time to bring it together.
The dancing in Newsies is remarkable. With movements full of cartwheels and far-reaching leaps, the dancing in Newsies takes you off your feet! Before the production of the musical officially began, “ballet boot camp” was introduced. Every Friday until auditions, the musical cast were taught starter ballet techniques by the choreography constructor for Newsies, Paige Heinrich. The musical cast also learned their dancing audition pieces through this ballet boot camp. Beginning ballet moves, like feet positions, twirls, sashays, and more were taught to the musical cast. This ballet boot camp came to life with the motive of teaching members of the musical about the connections in ballet and the dancing in Newsies.
Without Paige Heinrich, learning ballet and the unforgettable dancing in Newsies would be impossible! Paige began her choreographer position at MCHS last spring with Hello Dolly! Her knowledge pertaining to the art of dance impacts the choreography in MCHS musicals.
To know her better, I decided to ask Paige Heinrich three questions about her dancing career. The first one I started with was, “When did you begin dancing?”
Paige Heinrich: "My parents tell me that I was dancing as soon as I could stand. But, officially, I began dancing when I was around three years old here in Mt. Carmel when it was taught at Excel by Summer Baker. I then went on to dance at the Performing Arts Center in St. Charles, MO, where I began learning Tap and Jazz along with ballet. Then I added Contemporary dance and Classical Ballet (with Pointe shoes) at MyKing Studio of dance where I danced for nine years. And, finally, I honed my skills in ballet at the School of Ballet Indiana. Dance has been a part of my life for as far as I can remember and it is such an honor to share my skills and experiences with the wonderful cast of Newsies!"
I then asked her, “How do you come up with your choreography?”
Paige Heinrich: "As for choreography, it’s a bit of a long process. I usually begin by listening to the sections of the song that need choreographed and jot down specific times. I then like to watch the Broadway version of the song in order to get a feel for the original choreography, the mood of the song, and, most importantly, the emotions that the dancing should evoke from the audience. I also like to watch a few YouTube videos of choreography from other schools/companies to see how they interpreted the song and to get inspiration. After all of that, I listen to the song on repeat, either imagining the choreography in my head or dancing out certain moves that I like and stringing them together. (This step usually takes a couple hours and results with the song being stuck in my head for days!) Once I’m satisfied with my choreography, I jot it down in my notebook and go back to put down the specific counts for each move. Of course, when teaching choreography, some changes are made, but that’s part of the fun! I’ve been so impressed by how quickly and cleanly the Newsies dancers have been able to learn the choreography, no matter how difficult I make it!"
Next, I asked her, “What draws you into the dancing from Newsies?”
Paige Heinrich: "Strangely, I hadn’t actually seen Newsies until the past summer when I went to see the Derby Dinner Playhouse’s production of the show with Mrs. Mandrell and the musical department. Boy, was I wrong for not watching it sooner! As soon as the first dance number began, I had on this huge smile of excitement and awe that didn’t leave until the end of the show! There is just something so mesmerizing and empowering when watching the Newsies dance that makes your heart race and draws you directly into the action. For me, I think it is like this because of the strength, energy, and power of each dancer’s movements and the control that they have to have because of it. It’s truly inspiring!"
For the last question, I asked Paige Heinrich a fun question: “What type of hobbies do you have outside of dancing?”
Paige Heinrich: "Apart from dance, I feel like I have a lot of different hobbies! Mainly I enjoy reading any book I can get my hands on, but a good fantasy or historical fiction novel is my favorite. And, though I do not do them often, painting, writing, and baking are hobbies I love as well. I think having a creative outlet is so, so important in life, and I’ll take any chance I can get! I also enjoy playing Nintendo games, watching foreign films, exploring the outdoors, and, of course, musicals!"
Learning how to dance can be tricky, but dancing in costumes can be tricky, too. The costumes in the MCHS music department are always carefully fitted onto each cast member. The costumes are ordered and also crafted. Kim Mandrell works with these costumes as well as other students who love the costume fun! Students steam, stitch, sew, iron, and do many other clothing-related activities to better the costumes for each cast member. With the help of these students, the costumes in the MCHS music department can be used for more musicals!
I decided to ask Brady Kolb, junior and the actor behind one of the rowdy newsies, Mush, and Addy Pierce, junior and the actress behind another newsie, Tommy Boy, a couple of questions about costuming. I asked them, "What do you do to help out?" and "Do you like your costume?"
Brady Kolb: “I help Mrs. Mandrell with costuming by taking out seams so she can make the costume fit onto the person who is wearing it. I also help stitch things together so that they do not fall apart and look better. I enjoy my costume and I like the newsboys look."
Addy Pierce: “I have been sewing buttons onto the cuffs to help keep things in place! What I like about my costume is that it helps me get into my character. It also helps me relate to how the newsboys dressed in the time period.”
I then asked them, “What do you love about MCHS musicals?”
Brady Kolb: “I enjoy MCHS musicals because I get to sing and dance. I also enjoy helping Mrs. Mandrell with costumes during musical season! I like to be on stage and get the chance to hang out with people that also enjoy the musical.”
Addy Pierce: “What I like about MCHS musicals is the time, effort, and care that Mrs. Mandrell puts into the productions. The musicals push everyone to our limits and out of our comfort zones. It is also very rewarding to see everything slowly come together--even up to the last show.”
Newsies is sure to make you feel a sense of excitement and rebellion all in one. These cast members have a lot of work to do to make this riveting musical come to life. Newsies is coming to life March 26th-29th. Stay tuned for more weekly story updates about the musical.
