And if volunteers aren’t expected to learn choreography, what were they doing last year when they took to the field to dance to The Weekn...
And if volunteers aren’t expected to learn choreography, what were they doing last year when they took to the field to dance to The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”?
The stadium was alive with a sea of dancing bodies performing solos that expressed the angst of a pandemic year. Watching them, apart and socially distanced, we were transported back to the days when the only dance that could safely take place was the one you did at home. But it wasn’t just that: even bringing them onto the pitch was a startling act of synchronization and choreographic precision. It was more than a corps de ballet completing the picture; they or they were the image. For me it was a thriller, a transcendent performance even on television.
Obviously, the volunteers were as integrated as the professional dancers. Keenan Williamsdancer and member of 321 Hype with the Orlando Magic, performed as a volunteer at this Super Bowl, held in Tampa, Florida. He said his thought was that it would be a way for him, a freestyle dancer, to expand range by working with a choreographer.
Before rehearsals, Williams said he received an email explaining that if he could learn a TikTok dance, he would qualify. When rehearsals began, he found the situation to be different. “There were some simple moves, but they’re definitely not TikTok moves,” he said. “It’s a real production. It’s more organized. It’s more structured than in the TikTok dance.
It was serious and laborious. “If someone moved their foot the wrong way,” he said, “it was, ‘back it up, back it up. No. Back it up.
He said the rehearsals took place over 10 days and were long – around 8 to 10 hours per session. Lunch and water were provided, Williams said; he was also able to keep his costume, the red jacket, the helmet and the gloves. (“Because of Covid and everything,” he said, “they were like, don’t give us the clothes back.”) Knowing what he was getting into, he said, “At least , we could have gotten an allowance or something, you know? You can’t live off exposure.
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