What a night. 2,400+ in attendance, lights, pyro, staging, incredible talent... PA-CHOW!
After a year of planning, organizing, orchestrating and months of rehearsing, ELLIV 2010 hit the stage on April 24th. Red carpet led nominees and performers into the Jeremiah Chapel and onlookers enjoyed the rush as a swanky band filled the air with songs like "That Thing You Do" and "Johnny Be Good."
Everyone rushed in to find their seat of choice (in their designated sections that is, thanks bouncers (-: ) and glared with anticipation at the overhead countdown clocks. As 7'o'clock approached, I couldn't stop jittering with excitement as all of the hours of hard work, stress, and excitement was coming to fruition in front of my eyes.
We kicked off the night with a throwback number with our own fancy twist in the form of September. Ya, we know it's April... but who doesn't LOVE some Earth, Wind and Fire?! As the hosts then welcomed the crowd to the classiest event in the state of Ohio (Legit- it is), we all got an adrenaline rush, anticipating what would come next.
After great performances of "Fireflies," "Battlefield" (with the group working my choreography!),"Say Hey," a cute rendition of "How Does She Know?" and muteMath's "Typical," the act that was truly my baby hit the stage. An amazing Michael Jackson a capella medley wow-ed the stage, and just as the audience thought it was over, my dancers tore up the stage with a RIDICULOUSLY awesome performance of "Thriller." I have to admit, I have had an obsession with "Thriller" since I was very young and I have pushed to teach and perform the choreography as often as possible throughout my life, but I have to be real, THIS was the best performance EVER! :-)
As the crowd attempted to contain their amazement after that act, they were handed more fun thanks to "Haven't Met You Yet," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered,' and then the finale... a multi-cultural, high energy dance number, "Jai Ho." I can't even tell you how hard those kids worked. It was probably the most intricate choreography I've done for ELLIV over the years and these amateur dancers did an incredible job of learning from me and getting into character. As the final pyro was shot and the final pose was hit, the confetti fell on the final moments of ELLIV.
For everyone involved, a genuine thank you. It was an incredible experience and a true blessing to have been able to teach you and lead you through it all!
ELLIV 2011... where you at? BRING IT!!
WANNA SEE HIGHLIGHTS? Ya, I know you do!
http://www.vimeo.com/11214334
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
In the beginning...
Life.
While it's the antics and adventures within that that should have been inspiring me to keep up with a blog, it worked in a conflicting way. It's the non-stop, high speed, categorized chaos that wakes me up early, keeps me up at night, and would allow no time to make a tangible record of my endeavors.
Long story short... This girl is poolside, cannonball-in' into the refreshing waves of the blog world. I feel like this will in fact be rejuvenating for me. A little cheap therapy if you will.
I most definitely am a talker. In regards to entertaining others, talking through what I need to accomplish, or even talking myself outta trouble (occccccasionally :-P), words are kinnnnda what I do. Maybe that's why I went to college to study communications, to learn how to best sculpt this craft. What I've really learned? I'm just REALLY good at... not shutting up!
Ok- that was a side note. What I've actually realized more and more is how relevant keeping a blog is to my future in writing, journalism, PR etc etc so on. I have to admit, I kinda like it in a sense. I mean, I have learned how to write technically, formal skills, rules blah blah blah... but people out there in the "big people world" are starting to care more about uniqueness in writing styles and... dare I say it? PERSONALITY! Yesssss! Score one up for me! I def got one of those :-) If only all life's problems would be improved simply due to the fact you have a KICKIN' personality. Let's just say this past semester I wouldn't have gotten in an accident (not my fault! ha), my laptop wouldn't have died and caused me to go through the attorney general to fix the issue, I wouldn't have unauthorized charges on my credit card, and my housemate wouldn't have shown up with a baby chick in my laundry room! Well, that last one is quite an interesting story... maybe another day!
ANYWAY- I am contemplating giving ya'll an insight on what has brought me to this point. Not necessarily THIS point as in 8:58 pm April 22,2010, but moreso a soon-to-be college grad who has had the blessing to experience so much, see so many beautiful parts of the world, has so many interests and so many unique ...borderline obsessive amusements... but... I'm leaning toward a snapshot of what's on my plate right now and I'll catch ya up later. Deal? Game on.
ELLIV (pronounced E- LEAVE) is the HUGE award show put on annually at Cedarville University right before summer approaches and the 3,000+ students escape the midwest cornfields to return home, in most cases, to more exciting home bases. ELLIV (www.elliv.com) combines dialogue, skits, videos and more that bring to center stage highlights and humor from the year and we combine it with top-notch performances of musical favorites and extensively choreographed dance routines. (:::BREATHE:::) Continue...Oh yah- and then we give out awards to the year's best, like "performing artist," "student worker," "visual artist," "athletic accomplishment" and so on. A red carpet leads nominees and performers into our ministry center here on campus to the chapel, where an extravagant set is assembled to house the talent and technical surprises for the 3,000 onlookers.
After 3 years of performing in the show and choreographing numerous acts from a jazzy Michael Buble number, a throw-back 90's MMMbop act full of nostalgic fun, and even a full-out, high energy Broadway quality version of "You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray (I'll have to post the vid sometime!), I was put in charge of ALL the talent this year This includes coordinating 120+ singers, dancers, beatboxers, instrumentalists la la la...all on an elaborate stage equipped for some crazy action PYRO! Yes... all this happens at a small, midwest Christian college... we are that cool.
It all goes down Saturday. 2 days. WHATTT!? I've been planning and orchestrating this event since LAST April and it's now here. It's gonna happen. After months of planning logistics, weeks of auditions, HOURSSS (probably DAYS) of choreography prep, 4 months of rehearsal... "E-DAY" is fast approaching. There is no turning back... (not that I'd EVER want to...I LIVE for this stuff! :-P) Today, a colossal truck brought in the stage, rented intels, pyro and such and we spent the afternoon turning our chapel into a space ready any A-list performer :-)
So, that has been chomping on my life and transforming my usual "plan-ahead know-where-my-life-is-going" self into a "tunnel-visioned-event-planner" that easily overlooks the fact that I'll be crossing the graduation stage in 9 (OH DANG!) days. Talk about a smack from reality. And not just a friendly brush... I'm talking a cocked back, flat handed impact... spit flying out like in the boxing ring and all. Well, maybe not the saliva section of that... I'm lady enough to contain that! haha!
I think this is where I'm calling it a night for now. I feel like I sufficiently tested out my blog waters, checking my water wings at the door. HAHA... I just had the vision of Mary Catherine Gallagher from Superstar in the opening scene of the movie... C'mon, you know what I mean! The cumbersome, almost uncomfortably awkward little girl... overly tight Rapunzel braids, out of style glasses, buck teeth and all talking about how to enter a pool. She explains 2 ways. Dipping your foot in and adjusting to the water, or, as she would encourage, just JUMPING IN!
I've never really been one prone to timidity, so I guess as I look to the future, I'll be working on perfecting my dives :-)
*Katy :-)
While it's the antics and adventures within that that should have been inspiring me to keep up with a blog, it worked in a conflicting way. It's the non-stop, high speed, categorized chaos that wakes me up early, keeps me up at night, and would allow no time to make a tangible record of my endeavors.
Long story short... This girl is poolside, cannonball-in' into the refreshing waves of the blog world. I feel like this will in fact be rejuvenating for me. A little cheap therapy if you will.
I most definitely am a talker. In regards to entertaining others, talking through what I need to accomplish, or even talking myself outta trouble (occccccasionally :-P), words are kinnnnda what I do. Maybe that's why I went to college to study communications, to learn how to best sculpt this craft. What I've really learned? I'm just REALLY good at... not shutting up!
Ok- that was a side note. What I've actually realized more and more is how relevant keeping a blog is to my future in writing, journalism, PR etc etc so on. I have to admit, I kinda like it in a sense. I mean, I have learned how to write technically, formal skills, rules blah blah blah... but people out there in the "big people world" are starting to care more about uniqueness in writing styles and... dare I say it? PERSONALITY! Yesssss! Score one up for me! I def got one of those :-) If only all life's problems would be improved simply due to the fact you have a KICKIN' personality. Let's just say this past semester I wouldn't have gotten in an accident (not my fault! ha), my laptop wouldn't have died and caused me to go through the attorney general to fix the issue, I wouldn't have unauthorized charges on my credit card, and my housemate wouldn't have shown up with a baby chick in my laundry room! Well, that last one is quite an interesting story... maybe another day!
ANYWAY- I am contemplating giving ya'll an insight on what has brought me to this point. Not necessarily THIS point as in 8:58 pm April 22,2010, but moreso a soon-to-be college grad who has had the blessing to experience so much, see so many beautiful parts of the world, has so many interests and so many unique ...borderline obsessive amusements... but... I'm leaning toward a snapshot of what's on my plate right now and I'll catch ya up later. Deal? Game on.
ELLIV (pronounced E- LEAVE) is the HUGE award show put on annually at Cedarville University right before summer approaches and the 3,000+ students escape the midwest cornfields to return home, in most cases, to more exciting home bases. ELLIV (www.elliv.com) combines dialogue, skits, videos and more that bring to center stage highlights and humor from the year and we combine it with top-notch performances of musical favorites and extensively choreographed dance routines. (:::BREATHE:::) Continue...Oh yah- and then we give out awards to the year's best, like "performing artist," "student worker," "visual artist," "athletic accomplishment" and so on. A red carpet leads nominees and performers into our ministry center here on campus to the chapel, where an extravagant set is assembled to house the talent and technical surprises for the 3,000 onlookers.
After 3 years of performing in the show and choreographing numerous acts from a jazzy Michael Buble number, a throw-back 90's MMMbop act full of nostalgic fun, and even a full-out, high energy Broadway quality version of "You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray (I'll have to post the vid sometime!), I was put in charge of ALL the talent this year This includes coordinating 120+ singers, dancers, beatboxers, instrumentalists la la la...all on an elaborate stage equipped for some crazy action PYRO! Yes... all this happens at a small, midwest Christian college... we are that cool.
It all goes down Saturday. 2 days. WHATTT!? I've been planning and orchestrating this event since LAST April and it's now here. It's gonna happen. After months of planning logistics, weeks of auditions, HOURSSS (probably DAYS) of choreography prep, 4 months of rehearsal... "E-DAY" is fast approaching. There is no turning back... (not that I'd EVER want to...I LIVE for this stuff! :-P) Today, a colossal truck brought in the stage, rented intels, pyro and such and we spent the afternoon turning our chapel into a space ready any A-list performer :-)
So, that has been chomping on my life and transforming my usual "plan-ahead know-where-my-life-is-going" self into a "tunnel-visioned-event-planner" that easily overlooks the fact that I'll be crossing the graduation stage in 9 (OH DANG!) days. Talk about a smack from reality. And not just a friendly brush... I'm talking a cocked back, flat handed impact... spit flying out like in the boxing ring and all. Well, maybe not the saliva section of that... I'm lady enough to contain that! haha!
I think this is where I'm calling it a night for now. I feel like I sufficiently tested out my blog waters, checking my water wings at the door. HAHA... I just had the vision of Mary Catherine Gallagher from Superstar in the opening scene of the movie... C'mon, you know what I mean! The cumbersome, almost uncomfortably awkward little girl... overly tight Rapunzel braids, out of style glasses, buck teeth and all talking about how to enter a pool. She explains 2 ways. Dipping your foot in and adjusting to the water, or, as she would encourage, just JUMPING IN!
I've never really been one prone to timidity, so I guess as I look to the future, I'll be working on perfecting my dives :-)
*Katy :-)
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