NADA Summer Dance Showcase Review
by Wynne Smith
You could smell the FEAR in the changing room…..as well as about 40 different deodorant aerosols/perfumes and body sprays!
The occasion was the Northern Arabic Dance Association (NADA) Summer Dance Showcase, held in Newcastle on 25 July this year. A chance for groups and solo artists to perform in front of their peers and about 200 others in the audience! The venue was the Peter Sarah Theatre on Ryehill Campus, Newcastle College.
The changing room had a “Broadway” feel - light bulbs all around the individual mirrors, just like you see in the films! (mind you, those bulbs don’t half give out some heat, enough to melt your lippy!
We were a mixed bunch of performers, ranging from beginners to….well, Fereshteh! The music was ready, we had a quick rehearsal on the stage and then we had to wait 2 hours before the show began. That’s when the nerves kicked in BIGTIME! I had requested to dance early in the programme, knowing I would feel sicker with nerves as the day progressed!
In the changing room everyone (except Fereshteh) was looking pale/one of 40 shades of green, but helping each other dress and bolstering up spirits. One group rejected a glass of wine in favour of a capful each of Jack Daniel’s! Knees were knocking, hands shaking and bosoms heaving as we took deep breaths to calm the nerves.
I had taken myself out of my comfort zone to perform an Egyptian disco solo up in Geordieland, (local haflas and demos in the Scunthorpe area being my “usual”), but I comforted myself with the thought that nobody really knew me, and if I made a pigs ear of it I could slink away and chalk it up to experience.
So, my turn on stage. There were no verbal introductions, just a darkening of the stage before each act. Okay, so it was disconcerting when my music started but the lights didn’t go up for another 5 seconds, but you just gulp and get on with it! And that 3 and a half minute solo? Whilst performing it, it seemed more like 30 minutes. As soon as I had finished, it felt like 3 seconds, and I wanted to do more, more more!
We were all stage struck afterwards, wondering why we had got so nervous when the audience had been so kind, supportive and appreciative. Would I do it again? Watch this space……..
Big thanks to all who worked so hard to make this event so memorable and well done to all who participated.
by Wynne Smith
You could smell the FEAR in the changing room…..as well as about 40 different deodorant aerosols/perfumes and body sprays!
The occasion was the Northern Arabic Dance Association (NADA) Summer Dance Showcase, held in Newcastle on 25 July this year. A chance for groups and solo artists to perform in front of their peers and about 200 others in the audience! The venue was the Peter Sarah Theatre on Ryehill Campus, Newcastle College.
The changing room had a “Broadway” feel - light bulbs all around the individual mirrors, just like you see in the films! (mind you, those bulbs don’t half give out some heat, enough to melt your lippy!
We were a mixed bunch of performers, ranging from beginners to….well, Fereshteh! The music was ready, we had a quick rehearsal on the stage and then we had to wait 2 hours before the show began. That’s when the nerves kicked in BIGTIME! I had requested to dance early in the programme, knowing I would feel sicker with nerves as the day progressed!
In the changing room everyone (except Fereshteh) was looking pale/one of 40 shades of green, but helping each other dress and bolstering up spirits. One group rejected a glass of wine in favour of a capful each of Jack Daniel’s! Knees were knocking, hands shaking and bosoms heaving as we took deep breaths to calm the nerves.
I had taken myself out of my comfort zone to perform an Egyptian disco solo up in Geordieland, (local haflas and demos in the Scunthorpe area being my “usual”), but I comforted myself with the thought that nobody really knew me, and if I made a pigs ear of it I could slink away and chalk it up to experience.
So, my turn on stage. There were no verbal introductions, just a darkening of the stage before each act. Okay, so it was disconcerting when my music started but the lights didn’t go up for another 5 seconds, but you just gulp and get on with it! And that 3 and a half minute solo? Whilst performing it, it seemed more like 30 minutes. As soon as I had finished, it felt like 3 seconds, and I wanted to do more, more more!
We were all stage struck afterwards, wondering why we had got so nervous when the audience had been so kind, supportive and appreciative. Would I do it again? Watch this space……..
Big thanks to all who worked so hard to make this event so memorable and well done to all who participated.
