Alice Takes Wonderland Rehearsal

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Linda Elchak of NAO Dance choreographed Alice Takes Wonderland in 2010. The production was staged in a warehouse on Hanging Moss Road in Winter Park. It was clear that the curtains had just been hung from the rafters. This was a playful production with bright costumes and props. The production encouraged improvisational dance, so every rehearsal and production was unique. Dancers could break away from any structured mold to express themselves in the moment.

The rehearsal involved a complete run through of the show. The stage was barely elevated which meant that people sitting in the front row were right on top of the action. There was less of a performer to audience disconnect. Props were simple, direct and fun. like rabbit ears, a clock, and suitcase. The magic came from the performances which were playful and fun.

With dance, I like to get the sketches done and then relax and simply enjoy the movement on stage. The front entry foyer was converted into the Mad Hatter’s tea party and guests got to be part of the immersive experience. Since this production I’ve never heard about this space being used again. The space must have returned to its industrial origins.

Psycadelic Spirals at Alice Takes Wonderland

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Lewis Carroll‘s Alice In Wonderland has infused its way into so many productions in Orlando. At this rehearsal, Tisse Mellon and dancers were busy painting spirals onto cardboard disks. They were all hung in the entry as people entered the venue which was on Hanging Moss Drive right near Full Sail University. The black box theater was a nice big warehouse space and unfortunately this is the only production I ever saw staged there. Linda Eve Elchak of  NAO Dance choreographed this playful production.

A whimsical, playful post show environment was created with a minimal budget using little more than cardboard paint and fabrics. The theme as audience members entered was the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. These spiral disks were suspended to create a dizzying perspective. Actors arms jutted out from behind black curtains holding trays of sumptuous treats. The dance performance itself was incredibly playful, incorporating dancers improvisational contributions as well as crisp choreography.

NAO Dances mission, is to explore honest perspectives in the human condition through movement that inspires, enlightens, and entertains. When you dance only from your ego or your conscious mind you are just
skimming the surface. Develop your voice and imagine what is really
possible when you dance from your authentic person. The Nao Dance Collective is not interested in programming individuals, instead they let every dancer have their own voice and allow them to
develop themselves through self-discovery.

Nao Dance Collective, pronounced “now” came from the word Tao which is
“the way of life”. Ancient Chinese considered Tao as the highest,
omnipresent order of universe. A life following Tao implies a life with
the highest fulfillment. Nao Dance Collective company members are bold, intuitive, risk-takers with a strong base of technical training. Linda offers classes in the NAO technique on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s .  Classes are located at different Dance
Studios every Sunday from 5pm to 630pm $10.00 drop in rate.

Alice in Azalia Dickson Park

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On performance day I went to Dickson Azalea Park (100 Rosegarden Dr) to see “Alice Takes Wonderland.” This production featured mostly middle school aged girls dancing and performing parts from Alice in Wonderland. Nao dance staged the production with Linda Eve Elchak the company’s founder and choreographer and Kim Matovina as the assistant director. When I left the rehearsal several days before, I was attracted to this view from a hill overlooking the action under the bridge.

Behind me to my right, the caterpillar was doing her contorted languid dance. I could just make her out through the trees. A crowd of mothers and children were being lead from one staging area to the next. They came to the Cheshire cat who was in a web entangled bridge. The white rabbit carrying her luggage crossed the creek quickly. She then waited near this larger bridge that I was drawing. Tweedledee and Tweedledum were up on wooden planks covered with pegs. They lounged inverted until Alice approached. Alice said good bye to the Cheshire Cat and all the children followed. There was quite a crowd, perhaps 20 to 30 people.

When they got to the large cement bridge, Alice asked all the children to stop at a line just short of the bridge because it would be dangerous to go any further. Alice coached the children to shout out, “Come on everybody!” to encourage stragglers to catch up. Tweedledee and Tweedledum got down off their pegboards and merrily sprayed the children with silly string. Alice shouted out, “Oh, I’m so sorry!” It was fun to see the children’s unrestrained reactions. Soon, Alice, the White Rabbit and Tweedledee an dum were doing an energetic chorus line dance under the bridge. Then everyone followed Alice and the White Rabbit further down the trail.

Later Linda walked back towards the start of the show. She shouted up to me, “One show down!” There were four more to go every hour. Tweedledee and Tweedledum collected all the silly string and made a bright line in the trail so the children knew where to stop for the next show. I finished the sketch as the second group made their way under the bridge. McClaine Timmerman and Daniel Joyce had just seen the show. McClaine is a choreographer and I had just sketched one of her Limit (ed/less) rehearsals. They walked up the hill and said hello. The dance community is a tight knit crowd, they all support each others productions.

Alice Takes Wonderland

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Alice Takes Wonderland is being presented by NAO Dance Collective at Dickson Azalea Park (100 Rosegarden Dr) on January 13th. I had never been to the park before. It is gorgeous with a stream meandering down its length and dirt trails over small hills and under a bridge. Tr3 Harris an Urban Artist designed and painted this backdrop. When I arrived, people were crowded around a U-Haul truck. Linda Eve Elchak the company’s founder and choreographer, was standing next to the drivers door and she jumped, squatted and stretched. She shouted, “Getting pumped up! Getting ready! This is the fun part, watching it all fall together!”

They unloaded Tr3’s panels and dancers and choreographers walked the parks narrow paths to get the set in place. Linda shouted, “Look at us, Navy Seals!”When the panels and red bench were in place, Tr3 spoke with me about the panels. This is the largest panels he has worked on to date. The white markings on the black ground were inspired by Mayan, Egyptian and Urban graffiti roots. He mentioned the work of an LA graffiti artist called LA II. When I mentioned Keth Haring’s work Tr3 pointed out that LA2 was responsible for much of the sort of numeric letter imagery Haring adopted. Hidden in Tre’s panels are words which are hard to find. LINDA is on the right side. There is a reverse square root sign and the word LOVE on the lower left. Letters are broken apart and sometimes reversed. When I blurred my eyes then the word would magically appear. He sketched in my notebook showing how certain letters were reversed in an old English style.

With my sketch finished, I decided to follow along as they did a full run through of the show. Micihael Sloan had a portable backpack sound system on his chest. He worked it using an iPhone. Each scene along the trail would have its own soundtrack. The test audience of stage moms and me waited at a small footbridge that gave access to the park. Alice, played by Catlin leafed through a book dreaming of what might lie on the opposite side of the bridge. Megan as the white rabbit hurried in frantically out of time. Reluctantly Alice followed. She turned to us and said, “Come on kids!” How wonderful, I thought, I’m a kid! Kim Matovina the assistant director of Nao took notes as we walked along following the performers..

Alice and the rabbit did an inverted mirroring of each others performance in front of Tr3’s wall. I was really impressed by the sinewy, fluid contorted dance of the caterpillar metamorphosis by another Catlin. She arched her back and twisted in an amazing series of moves all while delivering lines. Most of the dancers in the show were young girls. Evelyn Reynoso who played the Mad Hatter was most seasoned and experienced dancer. She is also working with Drip Dance on International Drive. She wore a sporty blue beret and had blue lipstick to match. Her costume had fun quirky colored patches. She told me she would be pushing for a touch of French affectation because of the beret. In her performance she would freeze any time Alice wasn’t touching her.

Megan as the Cheshire Cat straddled a small foot bridge which was trans-versed by a series of webs. Alice then met Tweedledee and Tweedledum under a large arching overpass. This scene offered some of the most energetic and humerus choreography. The show had a playful innocence to it with improvised dialogue and well rehearsed dance. Alice Takes Wonderland explores what it means to ‘grow up’ by taking a sentimental look at the value of childhood. Though geared for children it is suitable for all ages.

January 13th Show Times:
first show walk thru:
10:00a.m.-10:45 a.m.
11:00a.m.-11:45a.m.
12:00am-12:45p.m.
1:00p.m.-1:45p.m.
2:00p.m-2:45p.m (last show of the day)

Flash 2

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A second Flash Mob was planned to promote Orlando, The City Beautiful. Secret rehearsals were held at the Orlando Convention Center. I was happy there was Free parking available behind the West building. I don’t sketch many Convention events because of the price of parking. There was a long walk from the back entrance first up and then down frozen escalators. I followed a man who looked to be in his 80s and when I passed him, I followed two high school girls that looked like they knew where they were going. When I entered the convention room I was stunned by the vast empty space. The rehearsal took up less than a quarter of the space. When I entered, Randy Ross was speaking with all the volunteer dancers letting them know that they had to mingle and act natural prior to this flash mob performance. The last Flash Mob at the Millenia Mall, people stood around in a circle leaving the staging area wide open. It was painfully obvious that a staged performance was about to begin. This time they planned to do it right. Linda Elchak of NAO Dance then took over the rehearsal getting two large groups formed. This was the second rehearsal so most people quickly took their places. New arrivals were instructed where to line up.

I love the music they choose for these flash mobs, it is fun to sketch to. My favorite moment in rehearsal came when a group of about 20 retirees took center stage and shook their booties to Whoop There It Is! All the younger performers cheered and whooped. The youngest performer was the nephew of Linda Stewart and he held his own keeping up with the best dancers. Enthusiasm and a lust for life has no age limit. I decided not to publish the sketch prior to the Flash to keep the performance top secret. At one point Linda said, “Don’t go past the grid, you will fall into the water.” At that point I assumed they would perform at Lake Eola. I had to work during the time the Flash Mob happened. In hind sight it would have been an impossible sketching situation. If you went to Spring Fiesta at Lake Eola at the right time then you got to experience a high energy treat!

Flash Mob Rehearsal

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Thanks to Facebook I found out that there was going to be a flash mob event right here in Orlando. If you are unfamiliar with Flash Mobs, it basically has people spontaneously break into dance in a public place. There were going to be a few rehearsals for the core group of dancers on the week leading up to the event. I contacted Nao Dance Collective choreographer, Linda Elchak, for details and she invited me to Studio K (12211 Regency Village Drive) to sketch the dancers rehearsing. On the day I went to sketch it was pouring outside. The drive down to the dance studio was treacherous. It was like driving through a waterfall for half an hour. When my truck hit a deep puddle the steering wheel would jerk right, due to the sudden friction. Bright blinding flashes of lightning illuminated the windshield and the wipers could not keep up. High winds kept buffeting the truck. I drove more by instinct rather than sight. My cell phone lit up and I glanced at a text from Terry, “Waiting for the storm to blow over, hope you are safe inside too.” The truck hit a deep puddle and I dropped the phone, grabbing the steering wheel to correct.

The dance studio was out in the middle of nowhere down by Disney. I drove till the street ended with some barricades and then I back tracked. I lucked upon the dance studio, which was a warm inviting beacon in the storm. Stepping out of the truck I was sure my tiny portable umbrella would catch a lightning bolt. I ran to the dance studio and stepped inside shaking off the damp and cold. Linda welcomed me immediately and I felt at home. Dancer, Michael Sloan who I have sketched before with DRIP Dance company, also shook my hand. In the dance studio lobby, maybe 30 or so dancers were gathered. I imagined some might have come from the theme parks and some people just answered the call to dance just this once in a public place. Inside the dance studio a ballroom dance lesson was just finishing up. I suddenly realized I would need my stool so I dashed back out into the rain to get it. When I got back the core group was inside assembling for the dance.

A techno version of “The Sun will come out Tomorrow” began to play and the dancers elegantly raised one arm then another as their walked to their marks. An announcer said, “welcome to Orlando.” The dance moves were energetic and aerobic. All the moves were straight forward and simple so many people could follow the dance when it gained mass. I followed the movements of the dancer in the green shirt. She didn’t just follow the movements, she managed to give meaning to each move and had that extra elusive spark of energy. I saw Linda acknowledge her and soon Linda was shouting at the top of her lungs, “Come on people! Work it! Show me what you got!” The dancers were jumping up and down in place with their hands in the air as the music switched DJ style to “Let the Sun Shine In!” Now everyone was moving with high energy, clapping high, clapping low. I was tapping my feet to the beat fully enjoying the performance, a fantastic energy to sketch too. By the end everyone was flush as they mingled and once again melted into the side lines.

When the heat and bustle of the rehearsal was over, I bundled up and went back outside to the real world to face the storm. There is one more rehearsal tonight at 9 pm at the Mall at Millenia . The Flash Mob is happening tomorrow January 29th at noon in the Mall at Millenia (4200 Conroy Road). I’ll be there sketching and who knows, I might just bust a move.