For the past few months, the drama club has been preparing for their upcoming musical, Footloose. From remembering their lines to practicing the choreography. While this is typical of the club’s previous musicals, there is something different about the choreography this year. Two members of the drama club, seniors Madison Tufts and Mason Turek have been given full creative freedom for this musical’s choreography.
“This actually started a few years ago, back when we were sophomores,” Turek said. “Maddie asked the director at the time if she could choreograph one of the dances and they said yes. And now that director has left so we didn’t have a choreographer so [the other directors] were like, ‘Mason and Maddie, if you want to choreograph the whole show, you’re more than welcome to.’”
Planning out the choreography has been a long but rewarding process for them.
“The process of planning the choreography for Footloose has been a lot of fun,” Tufts said. “Mason and I create the dances based on the rhythm and vibe of the song. Then we’re able to teach the big or small group dances to the cast. From there, we review and polish.”
While working on big projects like this, it’s important to work well with your partner. Luckily, Tufts and Turek are longtime friends that have good synergy when it comes to working together.
“We’ve known each other for so long and we’ve grown up and done shows together and danced together for probably eight or nine years so our repertoire is pretty aligned,” Turek said. “We’re very synced up like that.”
Despite being such a rewarding project, it’s not without its difficulties.
“The hardest part working on this project is balancing it with schoolwork, sports, and other activities,” Tufts said. “It is very time consuming and can get stressful at times.”
With this musical, there’s a bigger cast than some of the past musicals with about 27 people so ensuring everyone is able to get a chance to shine can be challenging.
“I think the hardest part has honestly been deciding who’s going in what dance. That has definitely been a challenge,” Turek said. “Obviously we can’t fit everyone on stage. It’s a high school production so we want everyone to dance and enjoy the show as much as we do.”
Since there is no advisor or director acting as choreographer, Tufts and Turek have full creative freedom for the entire show.
“It has been so wonderful to have creative freedom on this show,” Tufts said. “It’s such a unique experience and I absolutely love seeing the visions in my head come to life on stage.”
With the musical being a little less than a month away, both Tufts and Turek are excited to see their creative visions executed on stage.
“I’m always excited to see the audience reaction,” Turek said, “especially when choreographing. It’s such a beautiful thing having the moves in your head and working through them and writing them down and just to see them actually come to life from a picture in your head to something on stage, moving to the music. It’s very heartwarming to see.”
With all the work they’ve put into so far, they certainly have some favorite numbers and dances they want to see on stage.
“I’m very excited to see the show come together and for everyone to kill it at dancing,” Tufts said. “I’m especially thrilled to see numbers such as “Footloose,” “Let’s Hear it For the Boy,” and “Holding out for a Hero” to come together on stage.”
Come support the Londonderry Drama Club and see Footloose at the Derry Opera House from Feb. 13 to Feb. 15.
“It’s a month away but I think we’re in pretty good shape,” Turek said, “I think it’s going to be a fun show for everyone to enjoy so if you can, I encourage you to go.”
