Rehearsals

Warm up Exercises

The key to a successful and productive rehearsal is to conduct warm ups that engage the performers and get them focused and ready for a day of hard work in rehearsals. 

I found that if we started a rehearsal for 'The sound of heavy rain' with a warm up the class was more productive than if we didn't do one because we were then ready and prepared to do the work and put the effort into the rehearsals. 

For a vocal warm up we do:

Kumala

Kumala is derived from an ancient native African song  and also a popular campfire song and has been used as a vocal warm up since. 

Lyrics are:

Fe, 

Fe Fi, 

Vista,

Kumala Kumala Kumala Vista,  

ohohohohoh la Vista,

Eni minie deca-inie you are the one a minie,

Yip diddly dotum dotum dodo serotum dotum.

We start in a circle a steadily clap. The lecturer sings each line to us and then we repeat it. This continues throughout the song. Each time we repeat the song we clap faster, increasing the pace of which the song is sung. On the third time that the song is repeated the speed is considerably faster than the first time, therefore we work harder to make sure our diction is still clear and that we are still loud enough. Variations of the song can be found on youtube and all over the internet. You can also change the way you keep in time and also add dynamics to the song to further warm up the vocals. 

This is a fun and effective warm up that is definitely a class favourite. 

Cat and Mouse

Cat and Mouse game is also a class favourite and gets the body warmed up as it is a physical game. When everyone i still tired and have no energy the moment we play this game people wake up and are fully engaged and get into the groove of being energetic. 

The game is simple, there are two people that start of as the cat and the mouse. The rest of the group get into pairs and link arms in different spaces in the rehearsal space. 

Once the game has started the mouse must run away from the cat and avoid getting caught, if the mouse is caught then the roles of cat and mouse swap. (the mouse becomes the cat and cat becomes mouse) To avoid getting caught the mouse can link arms with a pair, then the person on the other side of the pair then becomes the mouse and so on and so forth. 

This game seems complex but once played a few times its very quick and easy to follow. It involves running around and thinking strategically. Health and safety is a big thing with this game so always check surroundings. 

Classic warm up game that is very effective with teenagers.

Stretches

Of course in rehearsals we attempt different movements and are often experimenting with our bodies in many ways therefore if attempting dance choreography especially, stretching is an important part of the warm up process and should never be skipped out as injuries can occur if the correct stretches aren't practised beforehand. 

At least 15 minutes of stretching after a rehearsal is also good practice as it reduces the risk of having muscle pain after a hard days rehearsing.