"Moondust" is the most recent production put on by Kennesaw State University dance department. Coming at one of the more inconvenient times of the year for me, right when the new semester began and right at the beginning of my senior choreographic project for KSU, it opened the door to many new experiences and lessons for me to become a well rounded performer. Unlike most shows I have experienced, I saw this show in a whole different way than normal. I was not in the show as a performer, but as a part of the technical crew running the backstage. 

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 "Bones" was an experience to watch and work on. The choreography was very earthy and rhythmic, unlike many works done perviously by Lock. BUT on par with her eccentric and elaborate mind there was one element that in and of itself was quite a show to make work. In "Bones" there was a very beautiful, and extremely irritating for a while, costuming piece: a very large let me emphasize that for you, LARGE, red fabric train. I had the pleasure(?) of being on a two man team who, with the help of our technical director, got to figure out all the ways to NOT fan open this train....eventually we found the magic combination (after so many attempts I was ready to scream) on how to open the train while it was  on stage. I’m not going to give away our exact secret and take away from the magic, but I will tell you that this involved the use of: a lot of fishing line, white spike tape, and various types of clips and hooks until the perfect one was found.

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Helping put a show into motion is an extremely rewarding and also very tiring experience . You start coming to the theater weeks before the show, and after the show you stay longer to set up and discuss the things for the next night to be fixed. As a performer you tend to not think about the work put into your show other than your own, but behind you, well technically before you, theres a team of people who are standing in the wings and sitting in the light and sound booths making sure every aspect other than your own technical dancing is perfect.

 

As someone who has now been on both sides of a dance show, let me leave you with a bit of advice:

• Thank and Respect the people working backstage

• Listen to what they tell you- their job is to make your show run smoothly, don't make it harder for the love of all things beautiful, do not make it harder.

• Do what you can to make their job simpler- be mindful. they are the ones making your 3 minutes on stage (that you've worked months for mind you) work.