bring joy back to january

bring joy back to january

song and dance

Sylvain Groud and the Ballet du Nord bring 65 local amateurs to pull off a fun and entertaining song-and-dance tribute to the world’s most popular musical

“Dancing like no one is watching” or “Thousands of a cast” are two clichés you can use in movie reviews. let’s movebut Sylvain Gould and the Ballets du Nord wore something refreshingly different.

Five dancers, five musicians and over 60 amateurs from Luxembourg formed part of this participatory performance, rehearsed in just three weekends. It takes familiar tunes from popular musicals that recall the days of old music halls and vaudeville, and gives plenty of encouragement for audience participation.

let’s move It starts with an almost empty stage. Dancers and musicians with flashlights on their heads appear in the audience, whispering and snapping their fingers to the opening beat. Jets from the musical west side storySlowly, they live on stage.

Groud mixes performers and audiences, inviting everyone to immerse themselves in the fun of humming, singing and dancing. On some songs, large numbers of “amateur” dancers fill the aisles, encouraging those seated to stand up and move to the Latin beat of the song. America (West Side Story), or humming chim chim cherry from Mary Poppins.

let’s move It is also about letting go. Additional amateur choreography for his dancers is done to some extent, but precision or accuracy is not an issue. A group led by professional dancers who move across the stage in set repetitive movements, but the way in which they interpret or perform these is all unique.

When dancers rush off the stage into the aisle, they often break into ad-libbing and free-form dancing. Some people are shy, but frankly, some people should consider how good they are at their job as professional dancers: young men, older women, amateur girlfriends of all ages, shapes and sizes. performers.

of Luxembourg Times Gardening columnist Faye Peterson also appeared on stage. After the first show she said: Meet people, have new experiences and learn new skills with upbeat music in the background. I have a newfound respect for performers. The whole process takes a lot of energy, but their patience in teaching me the dance moves was amazing. “

The choreography is a bit fixed. Go on stage, walk out onto the aisle, back on stage, the group disbands, people dance together. However, it is a lot of work to perform with many people at once, and there must be a limit.

There are also some unusual touches, such as a pulsating sea of ​​umbrellas at the end. sing in the rainor the slightly comical way the singer of tonight (West Side Story) rotates around the stage on a mobile mini stage reminiscent of an amusement park ride. The way they sing while being pulled on stage is truly amazing.

Simple outfits such as colorful jackets and skirts (the latter worn by both men and women) help the Segway from song to song, while trombones, tubas, trumpets, accordions and pianists fill the chaos on stage. Play quietly in a smooth movement. The lighting also moves quickly, making you imagine the dark interior of a cabaret club or the strobe lighting of a warehouse rave.

But perhaps most impressive is the joy of the performers. Looking at their faces, it’s pretty clear that for many, this is a resolution or a lifelong ambition, and they’re going to enjoy every moment of “his 15 minutes of fame.”

you can’t help but Let the Sunshine ofstand up and applaud when they reach the finale.

You can watch (you can participate) let’s move At 20:00 on January 28th at the Grand Theater.

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