more advice for another scared high school student....

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more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/2/05 at 8:25am

hello, my name is nick, a 16 year old high school student and i have a problem. You see, i perform. I mean, its what i do. I just Do, i was in every play/musical done at my school this year. BUT, my problem is, see, more than anything i would love to one day grace the broadway stage, and then after that who knows. but still...so heres my problem. For one, I am overweight. I used to way 204 as of a few months ago...BUT, i currently way 155..which while it is a major improvement, still makes me overweight. But, enough of that, i am working hard on losing the weight, so i guess thats not a MAJOR issue. BUT, i am very scared. you see, it doesnt seem to me that very many actors on broadway (in ensembles) are out of shape in any way, and they can flip and sing and do it all. now me, sure i can dance just fine. BUT..flips??? no way.... so, im wondering. DO i NEED to learn how to do flips and stuff like that, or what?

thanks for the help. any advice for me would be greatly appreciated.

Updated On: 8/2/05 at 08:25 AM

re: more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/2/05 at 8:43pm

Do you think Idina Menzel became a Tony Award winning singer/actress doing backflips????

Don't think so!

Okay so yes it is a little different when dealing w/male stars... but i think that if a true talent was found, a backflip would be a minor little issue.

Keep working on your weaknesses because that is vital... but also remember that your strengths can often overpower them... so make sure your strengths are definitely are STRONG!

...but then again... i'm kinda in the same boat as you so what do I know?!

re: more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/2/05 at 11:24pm

It all depends on what kind of show you are doing. I can guarantee you you won't be doing backflips if you are doing a piece like "A Little Night Music" or "Les Miserables". If you decided to audition for "Seussical" that would be a different matter. Your weight shouldn't be too much of an issue in ensemble work depending on what kind of shows you do. I'm not a dancer so I can never do shows like "A Chorus Line", which I love. I have to stick to more dramatic pieces like "Into the Woods". If you stick to shows that fit your abilities you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Just keep working at it.

Thou giveth fever.

re: more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/2/05 at 11:28pm

Congratulations on your weight loss so far, firstly. Second, a lot of roles on B'way can be pretty much actor/singer roles with less dancing. But of course, do work on the dance. I took a workshop with Seth (of the Broadway Chatterbox) and one major thing he mentioned was that dance calls for leading men can be a sorry sight, so go take dance as much as possible. Backflips and acro are quite different than say, tap. Good luck with everything :)

re: more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/3/05 at 12:12am

Keep losing weight. I'm at 170 and I've had it. I'm now going to the gym every day instead of once in a while.

I can't dance for crap. I can only do basic stuff. I am trying to learn tap as it's less intense on the full body.

Don't worry about backflips. Do you want to be in an ensemble? Or do you want featured roles? Starring roles? Work on singing/acting first, if you want to be an actor.

The other option is to be a dancer who can act. You'll be in ensembles most times. Perhaps try choreographing or being a dance captain, as well. If you're a dancer first and a singer/actor second, then you'll still have a shot at featured roles in some shows, but I can't think of too many starring roles.

So sing & act first, dance second -or- dance first, sing & act second.

What do you want?

"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

re: more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/3/05 at 1:49am

As the previous person said I can't dance worth crap either. But I have my stronger points, which still have room for improvement(singing and acting). I'm flexible, but can't do backflips and probably would hurt myself if I tried. Honestly while I dream of doing great dancing shows I won't always be able to do them. I can though practice take lessons and improve in my abilities.

My advice is that you are afterall a high school student. You're going to go through phases and changes. For the better for the most part and enjoy it. Embrace who you are and what you do with all of yourself. You are working on improving yourself and that's wonderful! Continue to do that(safely of course). Also remember that you are who you are as a person and not to sound cliched but no one can change that. Be yourself. Just worry about the things that you want to strive for yourself. If you still feel that backflips aren't your thing do not worry about it. Just remember to have a wonderful time and do your best with the things you are doing. In the end you'll get a great result and you'll be proud of yourself.

And why is it that when you don't want to necessarily you sound like your parents at times like these?

Aside from that good luck with the rest of high school. I won't say it'll be the best time of your life(that's yet to come), but just enjoy it while you can.

"The weight of this sad time we must obey, Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most; we that are young Shall never see so much, nor live so long"-Edgar in King Lear

re: more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/3/05 at 3:56am

first off, thank you everyone for your kind words.

secondly, I am defenitly a singer/actor before dancer, but even so..what dance classes do you recommend?

re: more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/3/05 at 9:32am

ballet makes you better at everything else, and then definitely jazz, and possibly tap.

"It breaks my heart to see a grown man dressed as a Taco." -David Sedaris
I love Les Miserables.
My new pic is me(on the left)at my last dance recital:(

re: more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/3/05 at 10:51pm

Ballet is wonderful for everything- as a decent male dancer myself, ballet centers you, and it gives you posture- not just in dance but in acting and singing and in every day life, ballet is the core. I'd say Ballet above all- and with not being a "dancer" you most likely will never use it- but then jazz and tap you will. (But then, how many shows out now have serious tapping?...very few.) Anyway- your ballet will show through both. g'luck!!

#10

re: more advice for another scared high school student....

Posted: 8/3/05 at 11:00pm

Lucky for you, Broadway is a very accepting and more diversified place. More than say, well, Hollywood. So many Broadway actors are not the "ideal", typical tall, thin performer. There are so many different types of performers and you set yourself apart by being different.

"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife

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