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Halloween English Concert, Year Two

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Matt as the hungry crocodile.
On October 16th, Matt and I worked our second English Concert.  It was great fun, and yet another opportunity for us to engage with the community in a meaningful way.  I was asked to choreograph another ballet, this time to "Think of Me," as part of the "Phantom of the Opera" skit.  I also played Tinkerbell in "Peter Pan," which involved a lot of flitting around and setting off the magic wand at opportune (and inopportune) times.  Matt made a star turn as the crocodile, then came back to play Monsieur Armand in "Phantom."

Here I am, pointing out Peter Pan's hideout to Captain Hook (who also played Peter Pan's shadow) and Smee.  The wand, which I borrowed from one of the girls in the ballet, made a ridiculous musical sound when turned on.  I made sure to flip it on whenever I wanted to motion with it, so it rang out with each move of my hand.  Annoying?  Potentially.  Luckily, the skit (and my time in it) was short enough that it was only entertaining.  I enjoyed working with the kids, and I also got a kick out of the fact that Tinkerbell was the biggest person onstage during the whole skit.

Matt's performance in "Phantom" was great to watch.  He had amazing reaction faces aimed toward the kids and parents, so even though many people there didn't understand English well, they were able to enjoy the skit through the gestures and facial expressions.  On the left, he's acting opposite Tomono, playing the role of Meg.  On the right, he's opposite Mayumi, our friend and leader of the juku that puts on the concert.  She's playing La Carlotta, the pompous opera star.


Above is a cute picture of the three girls who starred in the ballet.  From L-R: Lily in pink, Mayumi's daughter and not officially a juku student; Ayano in blue, playing the role of Christine; Tomono in green.  It was so much fun to work with them again (check out this post for last year's Nutcracker ballet).  I enjoyed this year more than last year, because we all were more comfortable working together, and I was able to do a completely original ballet.  I worked them hard, and they responded well, although they did tell Mayumi that they thought the ballet was difficult.  Ultimately I thought they performed beautifully.  If we stay another year, I can't wait to see what happens next year!

 
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