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As this was my first time at ProDance, I wasn't sure what to expect. To be honest I was more enticed by the fact that it was in LA, but the girls who had previously been to ProDance assured me it would be well worth the trip.
When we arrived in LA it was the middle of a heat wave. Even the Customs man warned me to slap on a high-factor sun cream on my pale, freckly, Scottish skin. Obviously the fake tan wasn't fooling anyone, curse my ginger hair!
Thanks to Carole Anne's impeccable driving and Kat's navigational skills, we arrived safely at our resort. The resort was stunning, and included five golf courses, half a million swimming pools, 79 tennis courts, a tiny village of restaurants and for one week only was inhabited by a small colony of cheerleaders!! If it had included a free beer and football it would have been a male paradise!
Before the course started we decided to be adventurous, take a day off from sunbathing and visit Universal Studios. I have never laughed so much in one day, what a bunch of big 'feartys' the Rockettes are! We were chased by vampires in Van Helsing, ('It was only a mask!'), soaked by dinosaurs at Jurassic Park, mesmerised by mummies in the Mummy Returns rollercoaster and went Back to the Future with the Professor and his simulator car. It left us in a good mood to start the course the following day.
We were welcomed to the ProDance event by the organisers and all the choreographers. We were also given a taster of each of the routines we would be learning that week. Each dance squad then had to nominate one person from their group to introduce themselves and their girls. We left that to Kat, and the minute she mentioned Scotland we got the loudest cheer! After all the pleasantries had been completed, we were straight into the hard work and were taught two fantastic routines that night. Talk about throwing us in at the deep end! They were fast-paced, complicated and technical dances and certainly tired us out for the night.
The real hard work began the next morning with an 8am start, breakfast and a thorough warm-up. We then split up and went to our chosen choreographers. Lisa and I started with a great choreographer John Peters, and his energetic routine to a Patty La Belle track. After a very quick hour we moved on to our second dance, Tabitha and Napoleon's technical hip-hop routine. I was nervous about this one, plus we were in a packed room where it was difficult to see what was being taught. Still flummoxed by my second routine we moved on to our third and final choreographer. CA, Kat and I were with Ray Lozano. He concentrated more on competition routines but had very clever ideas for his dances. Then thankfully it was lunch.
We got a couple of hours to relax before the afternoon classes started. Everyone spent the break trying to remember what they had been taught that morning. I was slightly overwhelmed and was trying very hard not to panic. I'm just glad I had the other girls there for support. Then it was back to the hard graft. The afternoon was laid out in the same way as the morning; working with all three of your chosen choreographers where they added to the routines they had started in the morning.
That night the organisers put on a poolside fashion show for everyone, but we were all desperate to go over our routines before bed and get an early night so we were as fresh as daisies for the following day.
The next morning, after the warm-up, we were allowed to choose two seminar type classes from a variety of styles on offer. I can't speak for the other girls, but CA and I chose a jazz technique class and were blown away by the standard of the other dancers! All the girls had their legs at their ears, doing 10 pirouettes and managing to smile at the same time. It was a challenging class but very insightful. CA and I started plotting about the new warm-ups and technique classes we would be taking back with us to the Rockettes. The standard of dance was just phenomenal, it left us speechless! Well there is a first for everything. For the remainder of the morning we got a masterclass in 'stepping' from a leading choreographer who is about to shoot a movie in LA. Again it was something new, it was certainly a challenge but something I'd love to try again and get better at.
That afternoon was our last hour with each of our choreographers before the showcase. We had all finally mastered each of our dances and were feeling slightly more confident about tomorrow's show.
Due to some of the American squads' early flights and bus times, the organisers had to schedule the show for 7 o'clock in the morning!! Obviously this meant we had to get up at 4am to do our hair and make-up to achieve the beautiful, natural look you expect from the Rockettes. After fretting for three days, we all did very well in each of our routines. We didn't stick out like wee, pasty, Scottish dancers. We all kept up well and managed to cover up any mistakes in a very professional manner. And all of a sudden it was over. All the hard work, sweat and tears had paid off and we survived the ProDance experience. So much so that we wanted to do it all over again, well after a days rest of course.
ProDance wasn't what I had expected. It was much more challenging, insightful and demanding than the girls could ever have described. I've come home inspired to be the best dancer I can be, and to use everything I learnt in LA to help keep the squad on its toes and continue to improve our technique and routines.
I'm now training harder than ever so that I can go back to ProDance next year and do 10 pirouettes with my leg at my ears, with a smile on my face. Watch this space!
Linz x
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