Friday, March 11, 2011

Friday Dance Party: Secret Hand Shake


The inspiration for this week's Dance Party comes from the choreographer of our production of Joseph.... Wendy came up with a signature move which reappears in various forms throughout the show. The move is actually a series of gestures which evoke...well, I'm not sure what they evoke. But I am glad we have them, as these hand movements help tremendously when trying to recall the 125 or so colors which are mentioned in Joe's Coat. I doubt I could recite these colors without using the gestures, they are now so ingrained in the body.

This week's Dance Party is all about the hands as well. Suzanne Cleary and Peter Harding are Irish dancers of note who spent many years in troops such as Riverdance before breaking out on their own as Up And Over It. It's likely you may have seen the video below, as it's had over 3 million hits on YouTube since it was placed there in September of last year. The duo has since appeared on daytime talk shows, and have really hit the big time with their McDonalds commercial. They call their routines "Irish dance for the post-pop generation." I just call them fun as hell to watch. In honor of Wendy and her sign-language choreography which helps trigger the brain cells to come up with the correct color, enjoy: