There is a lot to prepare for when rehearsing a role, learning the choreography is only half of it!
You’ve got to build the stamina and work out the partnering, but another element that may not be immediately obvious is the effect that costumes and hats can have on the dynamic of the dancing.
It can hugely alter partnering, lifts and handling and it has a huge effect on how you simply excute steps. Something that was straight forward and seemed effortless in the studio is suddenly totally different when you get a costume on.
Some costumes are heavy which can make turning tricky and jumps feel very different. We do some rehearsals on stage in costume for this but if you have a bigger role, sometimes you need a few more run throughs in the studio before you hit that stage.
