Notes for Tuesday Oct 25

Hi everyone! I hope you have had a great weekend of practicing Hanget Soi :) Remember that both the music AND the blocking are to be memorized for Tuesday!

Just a heads up about a couple of things for Tuesday's rehearsal:

• We will be holding auditions for the opening line/small group in Jul, jul strolande jul. If you are interested, please take a look at the music before Tuesday!
• In Hey, Ho! Nobody Home, Rhian and Rowan will be the two singers joining Sara in singing Letter D, verse 3

That's it! Make sure to review Kallie's homework notes to help you in your rehearsing!

Blocking Notes and Homework from October 20th

Hanget Soi

Please have the music and the movement memorized for next rehearsal. Once again, here is the full recording to sing along with: https://soundcloud.com/xara-music/hanget-soi-xara-choral-theatre/s-ovfIS as well as the blocking video. If you want a more detailed version of the blocking, click here. 

Jul, jul, strålande jul

Blocking

• Bar 7: "Darkness and shadows" is your CUE to walk on stage. Sops enter stage right, Altos enter stage left.

• Bar 9: You should be close to the front of the stage in a sectional scattered formation. Sop 1 stage right, Sop 2 centre, Altos stage left.

• Bar 17-20: This is the time to transition to one line, facing straight ahead, with a slight curve. The middle of the curve should be closest to Christina.

• Bar 21: Splitting down the middle of the line, face each other.

• Bar 22: Everyone take a small step to their right (this is to make room for either line to walk forward).

• Bar 23: Cross sides. Starting with your right foot, step forward on the beat, hold for a beat, step, hold, step, hold, etc. Your feet never come together while walking.

• Use the instrumental part before the last verse to face the audience. Those on stage right use your left shouder, those on stage left use the right shoulder. Stay here for the rest of the piece! 

If you made it this far, here's a present: 

Blocking Notes and Homework from October 13th

Jul, Jul

• Please memorize for this Tuesday, October 20th.

Hanget Soi

• Please keeping working on your memorization. Enthusiasm and confidence are just as important as the music! **Here is a recording of the piece so you can sing along and get it up to speed.

Scene: This is the second last song of Tales of the Old North. Ariana and Lucy have gone on this great journey, defeated the Evil Queen, and have returned to their village, which is prosperous again! At the beginning of the scene you're milling about, happily interacting with one another, then you become very excited when you see the two girls arrive.

Blocking:

Sop 1: Enter stage right

Sop 2 and Alto: Enter stage left

(Your right and left when you are facing Christina)

• Letter A: Walk around and mingle with others. Make sure you're not just walking in a circle. Big Xara (XCTE) will be standing still.
• Letter B: Stand along the sides and the back. XCTE will be walking.
• Letter C: Join XCTE walking around.
• Letter D: Listen for the glissando. Everyone stands still and faces the front of the stage.
• Letter E: Everyone walks around.
• Letter F: Continue walking around (XCTE stays still). When you see Ariana and Lucy on stage left, you become excited and greet them.
• Letter G: Stand along the sides and the back. XCTE will be walking.
• Three bars before H join XCTE in the middle of the stage.
• Letter H: Everyone stands facing the front of the stage.

**Don't forget your secret smiles when you are walking!

Notes for Tuesday October 13

Hi everyone!

Thank you for a great rehearsal on Tuesday! We are making great progress - just don't forget to be reviewing the music and blocking that we have already gone over at home. We want to make sure that nothing "slides backwards" from week to week!

Homework
For this coming Tuesday, Hanget Soi must be memorized! Please use the reference recordings available via the XYE Soundcloud to help you practice at home.

Keep an eye out for Kallie's blog post with additional homework and blocking notes! Make use of the excellent information she is providing you with!

Reminders
Just a reminder that tuition is due ASAP, and you can pass it on to Claire at the next XYE rehearsal. If you would like to set up a payment plan, please speak to the Xara treasurer.

And just another reminder to stay on top of our Google Calendar (you can see it on the right sidebar of this page). In particular, I want to draw your attention to Saturday, December 5th - our wreath decorating day! You will be receiving information about our wreath fundraiser in the days to come, but it is super important that you set aside this day in your schedule. This is our one big fundraiser for the year and we need your help to make it super successful!

Thanks everyone and see you next week! Happy Thanksgiving!

Homework for October 6th

Hello folks!
It's officially Fall! Sweater weather! 
Here's your homework for this Tuesday, October 6th:

• Bandyrowe needs to be memorized for this Tuesday.

• Hanget Soi was supposed to be up to tempo (up to page 5) for last week. This week listen to the whole pronunciation recording here, write notes in your score, and get comfortable with the words in the second half of the piece. This Tuesday we'll work on getting it up to speed with the first half.
• Note: we will not be going over the pronunciation word by word in rehearsal so it's important that you work on this before Tuesday.

• We did some extensive work on Girl of the Branches. There's a video at the bottom of this post with formations and arm movement.

• Pronunciation: know the difference between húrión and sho-hoo-lo.
• The ú in húrión sounds like "ew." Christina suggested saying "ee" and making your lips into a round "oo"
• the oo in show-hoo-lo is much rounder.

• Formations: There are 3 different formations and everything is based on two rows. 
• Begin in a two row "U" formation
• Bar 17 move to two lines
• Bar 20 move to an inverted two line "U"

• Arm Movements: there are three different arm movements that happen whenever you sing "Shaw-heen sho, sho hoo lo"

• ALTOS, one hand: bar 3, Your RIGHT hand crosses to the left side of your body palm down, then return to the right side palm up. Then repeat with your LEFT hand at bar 7.

• EVERYONE, both hands: bar 11, both of your hands are moving across your right side to your left, your RIGHT hand on top. When you move it from your left side to your right, your LEFT hand will be on top. Then repeat the motion starting on your left side and your LEFT hand at bar 15.
• Note: your hands are always facing each other.

• EVERYONE, box/cat: bar 18, this is similar to the last motion except your hands are starting from opposite sides. This looks like your making a box or petting a cat. See the video of Claire below. She's mirroring you so do what she is doing, RIGHT hand on top first, then LEFT hand at bar 21.

• EVERYONE, box/cat: RIGHT hand on top at bar 25 and LEFT hand on top at bar 29.

Here's a video of you folks doing both formations and arm movement. Make sure you remember where you stand and which hands are used where! Practicing in front a mirror helps :)

***Remember: Closer to the Flame and Girl of the Branches Part 1 should me memorized. Don't forget about them!

See you on Tuesday!

Kallie