Somewhere On Sea is back!
🌊 ⛱️ ☀️ 🦀 🍦 🌴
So excited to be touring this show to care homes over the summer with Spiltmilk Dance. We’re touring up and down the UK. Last week we were in care homes in Bromsgrove and Doncaster. This week we’re in Bromsgrove again (close to Birmingham) and next week in Bradford.
It’s been so good to get back into care homes and dance and sing with residents (even if socially distanced and wearing masks!)
Over the next few weeks we’re touring to 12 care homes in total and each show is needing a slightly different set up depending on the care home’s rules and restrictions due to covid.
Last Thursday we performed outside with the residents inside watching through the windows whereas Friday we were inside but wore visors and masks during the show. (Costume change from visors to masks half way through due to not being able to wear our seaside hats with the visors!)
For the outside show, it was warm enough to have the double doors open and we could interact better with the residents and hear them singing along. (If the doors needed to be closed, the speaker would have gone on the inside).
The activities coordinator had given each resident a scarf so they were dancing along with us very energetically, even if not touching and for the indoors show we were allowed to hold hands with the residents when dancing but had to wear gloves.
Lots of little differences to keep us on our toes!
Whether it’s performing with our audiences straight on or in a circle, with or without props, using touch to dance with residents or dancing with them from afar, suffice to say it’s a flexible show and part of the magic is making it work with a unique performance for each lovely group we meet.
Note: Visors have a protective film layer. Best to peel it off so the residents don’t look blurry throughout your performance! (we realised just in time!)
When I do this show I have such an appreciation for performers who sing and dance at the same time. Honestly, how do they do it?!
I’ve never worked out how to sing from my stomach and I’m probably not breathing right either…
People in west end shows, you are hard core!
PS. We asked if Larry the donkey could join us on tour but he’s working shifts down on the beach
Lucy Haighton 