The Arthur Murray Hayward Theater Show Review
The lights were dimmed, the curtain was closed, and there was a flurry of activity backstage at The Castro Valley Performing Arts center. The students and instructors of Arthur Murray Hayward were scrambling to make final preparations to their costumes, and dance performances. As the preshow music faded, the lights began to glow, and the "Music of Disney" show began.
Highlights
Arthur Murray Hayward Theater Show 2016 from Chris Lynam on Vimeo.
There were some Funny Routines
Tina Richardson and Natalia opened the show wearing frog-themed tights, and dancing a cute, and well choreographed, Lindy Hop to set the tone for the afternoon. There was also the highlight of seeing managers, Evan Healy and Evan Boyer in skirts with Jennifer Relopez, dancing a Samba. Judge Purifoy and Natalia dancing to "In Summer", complete with snowman costumes, was definitely a crowd pleaser, and Norbert and Lynne Shene's performance of "Cruella De Ville" used some great props and costuming to get a great reaction.
There were some Powerful Routines
Kathy Tribuzio and Evan Boyer performed a beautiful Pocohontas routine with great lines, and expression. Don't let the Ninja costumes fool you, Tony Delgado and Wendy's Mulan performance (pictured above) was an intense and dramatic Paso Doble that captured the essence of the movie, and music. One of the special moments of the event had to be Arthur Murray Hayward students, Trent Byle and Andrea Robinson, and their Bolero performance of "If I Ever Knew You" from the movie, Pocahontas. The couple shared a beautiful moment at the end of their routine as they kneeled down, and gazed into each other's eyes. Beautiful.
There were some Excellent Costumes
Thomas Page and his instructor, Barbara Chacon, not only danced a fantastic Bolero, but they both nailed the costuming so well that they probably could have walked right through the employee entrance at Disneyland. The same could be said for Tiffani Hale as Princess Jasmine in her Rumba rendition of "Arabian Nights" with Miguel. Whether it's from a costuming standpoint, or sheer entertainment, it would be hard to leave Gene McMillon's Bachata trio off of this list. Not only did he, Natalia, and Wendy absolutely nail the Little Mermaid look, Gene had every guy in the room making plans for their own Little Mermaid Bachata trio - and that's impressive.
First Time Performers
Since this was the first time the Arthur Murray Hayward studio had ever performed on a professional theater, everyone was, technically, a first time performer. There were, however, some actual first time performers that did a fantastic job. Which, if you think about it, says a lot about their level of confidence if they are dancing for the first time, on stage, with an audience, lighting, and a costume.
Kevin and Allie Jorde, danced a sexy Rumba and hot Salsa. Cherill Gallagher danced a "Beyond the Sea" Nemo-inspired, Foxtrot, and a Lion King Rumba. Another first time performance came from Odile Renery. She danced a Cinderella Waltz with her instructor, Nicole Preston, and a Little Mermaid Rumba with Miguel. Rhonda Kuwamoto did a great Tango rendition of "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast with her instructor, Jonathan Garay. Saul Miranda, and his instructor Barbara, danced Salsa to a "Perfect World" from the Emperor's New Groove, and Gerardo Rocha joined Barbara for a "Rotten to the Core" medley of Salsa, Tango, and Cha-Cha. Carol Hood also performed a medley, but of a different variety. Using both Argentine Tango and Viennese Waltz, she and Miguel danced to "Jack's Lament" from A Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as a well executed Tango to the Frozen megahit, "Let it Go". Connie Silveira used a combination of Salsa and Bachata to showcase the music of Tarzan, "Trashin the Camp", with Jonathan (pictured above). With a great song selection, costuming, and choreography, Anael Agbotah and Barbara nailed their Kizomba and Salsa version of "The Circle of Life" from the Lion King.
Final Thought
There is a story behind each and every performance from this event, but that would make for a book instead of a blog article. Each of these routines brought out a different side of the students regardless of their experience level. That couldn't have been possible without the efforts of the instructors, the students, and the consultants. Even if there wasn't a Disney theme, this was a magical event. Originally set to be a trial run, we can officially confirm that the Theater Extravaganza will return in November 2016, with the theme - "Musicals".
Are you ready to take the stage?