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On my way to New York City - Angela Towler
Posted by: Angela Towler on 9 November 2011
I'm sitting on a plane; destination JFK, New York. I'm listening to soft jazz music after watching three movies and my eyes are so tired but I just can't seem to sleep. I've choreographed for an event with (ex-Rambert dancer) Martin Joyce and the event goes live on Sunday 31 October.
It's for the Wella International Trend Vision Awards and it takes place on Pier 54. We have a team of 12 dancers, choreographer's assistant, top make-up director with assistants, a millinery expert who is overseeing wardrobe and costumes and an artistic director. Unfortunately we couldn't bring our music producer along.
I've been through a few emotions today. First at 6am I was nervous, then as I was leaving the house in the dark it was slight panic 'do I have everything?', then at the airport at 8.30am it was tiredness and by 10am it was finally excitement! We've been working towards this for so long I never thought the day would come and now it's finally arrived. When we arrive in New York we'll go straight to the venue to drop off cases of costumes and start getting our rooms ready for our dancers which are arriving tomorrow. We'll hopefully see some graphics and perhaps (although highly unlikely) plot some things. Our schedule onsite is packed full. We've not only choreographed the show but we are directing the models and stylists too. Let me explain more in a very brief way...
It will start with a presentation and then our dancers kick off the show. We have one solo woman at one end on the catwalk on a circular stage with a big screen behind her. She moves with precision and draws the audience in whilst cleverly crafted graphics are reacting to her extensions. She then hits the 42-metre catwalk and sends a shooting graphic effect up to the main screen to reach our second dancer. He moves with ease and confidence and the graphics are now exploding around him. Just as he hits his final turn we have four other dancers running down the bleaches through the audience to hit the catwalk in a perfectly precise canon. They stand facing alternate fronts in their solo spots of light and together the unison lifts the energy once more. Then just at the right time four more dancers arrive and all ten form duets. Two more then arrive changing the energy with another dancer behind them tumbling up the catwalk building tension for my favourite part: All 12 dancers are now in front of the main screen. We wanted to create a 'Wella' army. They do a very precise arm phrase and their image is repeated behind them so it looks like a hundred dancers. We had a green screen shoot day to film important sections for the graphics. Then when you think the energy couldn't lift any more they run down in exact distance between them to hit their final spots alternating their fronts doing the same material. We worked it so that it in parts it's almost back to back, and they cross through exchanging fronts and working round each other; just so the audience are getting maximum feel of the movement. It finishes with a great wave effect in canon representing the Wella logo going up, back down, then one final loop takes our dancers to the floor towards the main stage.
After this there are four sections representing personalities: Grace, Blaze, Celeste and Roxy. We introduce each section with our dancer/dancers and then ten models from that team follow modelling haircuts, styles to represent that trend. There is live link up throughout the whole day, following the action. There will be live hair cut competitions going on in the morning and interviews throughout. It's going to be a space full of inspiration. In the early stages I mentioned to the client that I see hairdressers as artists. They play with colour and style and are constantly creating. They should be entering an environment that's full of just that. They should leave the event feeling inspired for their next creation. I've only really touched on what the day will be and there is also an evening show which doesn't involve too much choreography.
Unfortunately I will have to run to catch a midnight flight back to London straight afterwards, for rehearsals on Monday morning! Let's hope I'll be able to sleep on the plane. Please take a look at the Wella NTVA Awards 2011 website here.
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