Colleen Pearson, Owner or Pride Warehouse and Director of the Arizona Pride Cloggers, was in charge all clogging chroeography and the selecting of 12 Dancers to participate in this show. She selected 6 girls and 6 guys for the cast. None of these dancers had performed together until this time. The dancers selected to particpate were: Kevin Beach, OK; Brad Berry, Brittnay Brindley, FL; Debbie Farmer, CA; Heather Grissom, IN; Star Hall, TX; OH; Brian Hendershot, MI; Alissa Perry, AZ; Ken Pixton, WA; Drew Schwierman, IN; Brian Tucker, MI; and Lisa Walter, AZ.
All the dancers came together April 12, 2004, just 3 days before the show was to open.
One week prior to us leaving for Branson, we all received a video tape from Colleen with the steps from the songs that we will be doing. It was our job to begin to learn all the steps and squences for the routines. We we all warned that things could change when we got Branson. And they did!
We arrived in Branson on April 12, 2004 at 12:30pm. When we got there several members of the team was already there. They were already reheasing.
Brian and I checked into our room unloaded the car and then went out to practice with the others.
Later on that evening, Colleen arrived and the real practice began. This was the first time we heard the music that we'd be dancing too, and boy was it FAST!
Colleen is a very laid back and very professional instructor/director. The first words out of her mouth were, "This is a professional show. Tensions and emotions will be running high. I know that each of you are professional and will want to do your very best. I'm not going to be rough on you to pull this together, becuase you will be hard enough on yourself." She wasn't lying. We all had our moments. Self critisism is the WORST! Each of us worked hard and worked together to get it going that night.
That night we started dancing with partners and adding formations. It took several attempts for us to find the right person to mesh with. Partners were as follows: Brad & Brittnay, Brian T & Star, Brian H & Debbie, Drew & Heather, Kevin & Alissa, Ken & Lisa. I must say these we matched ourself up great!
We practiced till about 11pm that evening and called it a night. We knew that the next day would bring our first stage practice.
Tuesday moring came quick. It was off the park to begin our first stage practice. Once there we began our practice. We knew that we didn't have a lot of time since the Irish group and the bands needed the stage stage practice as well. We all worked hard in the little bit of time we had to perfect our perfomance. Although it wasn't a lot of time, we used it wisely.
Before our practice was over, it was announced that the white glove inspection for our show was the very next morning. We were all nervous. It wasn't the fact that we had to perform that made us nervous it was the fact that our dance wasn't completed yet. We still have some final formations to add to the dance as well as additional music that needed to be cut out.
Our stage practice was over. It was off to be fitted for our costumes. We were all worried that the costumes would be horribly traditional and that we wouldn't like them. However, that really wasn't the case. Almost! I don't think the girls were totally impressed on the skirt of the first costume. It was a big foo foo skirt. However, i do think that they eventually started to like it....I think?
After fittings it was back to the hotel to practice some more.
That night we practiced later into the evening. Probably a little bit later than what we should've as we were surprised to find that the police had been called on us. I guess we were a little too noisy. However the person that called the police on us didn't know that we had already made friends with him since this was his second visit. That's right, second visit, he'd already been out to our hotel once on the first night.
I guess we were a rowdy bunch.
At least after our practice we all felt a little more comfortable with the sequence of steps as well as the partner work and formations. We were about as ready as we were gonna be for our white glove inspections.
Wednesday morning.
It was off the theater to run through our dance one last time before white glove inspection. We also found it that our white glove inspection was also a dress rehearsal.
It was now time to take the stage. We weren't sure on how we were going to enter the stage once the music started so we tried a run on. That was absolutley HORRIBLE! The white glove inspection went off without a hitch. It wasn't our best performance but it wasn't our worst. Again, the dances seemed to be getting better and better with each run through.
After one full day of practice and the white glove inspection, it was almost time to open this show! Again we were all nervous. However, we did feel much better with the dance and the sequence.
Well now it was time to go back to the hotel and practice, however we really didn't practice this evening. We had worked so hard and had come so far that it was as good as it was gonna be for our opening day. Colleen gave us the night off.
I think we all said our prayers that night as the very next morning was opening day. At 9:35 sharp we were on the bus and headed to the park. We got there about 9:45 and by 10am were were running thru our numbers on last time.
It was now 10:30 and the theater ushers were calling to us to leave the stage as they were getting ready to open the doors for the first crowd. It was time to go get ready for our first number.
Our first number was a 4 couple hoedown with a live caller. ME! This was interesting as I've never called a hoedown before. This should be easy. I just had to count and remember a few calls. How hard could that be. I could easily remember: Prominade, Heads lead out and circle half, Octopus ready go, shoot a hole in the ole' tin can, couples freestyle (call by name), prominade and Guys take 'em home. No problem. This would be easy.
It was time, the music started and I called the dancers to the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome the Silver dollar city champion cloggers" Out they came and the dance was on! Finally it was "Guys, take 'em home" and the curtains opened the team danced off the stage. WHEW!!! the first number was over. The crowed clapped and cheered. Now it was time for the Irish girls and guy to do their thing.
We all headed back stage to change into our second costume. This was the big number.
The Irish team ended their dance and the band began to play their first number. It was sang by McDermot, He sang Danny boy. This was our cue that our Rodeo Hoedown, precision dance was next. We lined up anxiously back stage and as Dermot finished his song, we were all huddled and put our hands in a pile and lowly shouted "Lets do it!"
The music began 8 beats later we walked onto the stage, faced the back and was ready to begin our dance. I think we were all a little nervous. Just like in competition dances, no sooner than you take the stage you have to go to the rest room so bad you can't stand it. And no sooner than the music starts it seems that your it's over.
There we were doing the last step in the dance and taking our final formation for the ending. It was done. Our second number was done. We all waited till the lights dimmed and went fully black and then quickly ran off the stage. It was time again for the Irish group to do their thing.
Before they took the stage Colm, the owner of Moonshine band, and the leader of the Irish troupe came out to talk. He announced the Cloggers and the Irish group. Then called the Irish girls to the stage.
As they performed we were in our dressing rooms prepping for the finale. Soon thier number was completed and the Horse creek band was introduced. The horse creek band consisted of 4 members; Butch, the lead and guitar player, Larry, the mandoline player, Luis, the violin/fiddle player, and DJ, the bass man. They played their first number.
When their number was over, Colm came back to the stage and welcomed the band back to Silver Dollar city and then asked Larry to start the next song....."It it hadn't been for cotten eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago, where did he come from, where did he go, where did he come from Cotten Eyed Joe....then Luis picked up his fiddle and began playing. Half way through the song, Colm asked Butch if he could bring Moonshine to the stage to participate. Around they came on their turntable and joined in the fun. Soon the song was done and Moonshine started immediately into "Walbash Cannon Ball" Dermott started off singing, then Colm took a verse and then Butch took a verse. Butch's vers was the best....His line was something like this. "The eastern states are dandy and so the people say. From New York to St. Louis and Chicago by the way. From the lakes of Minnesota where the ripplin waters fall. No changes can be taken on the Walbash cannonball. From this moment forward I worked on Butch to change Chicago by the way to "Branson by the way." It took a lot of work and several weeks to finally get him to give in. He did it one day. It was great. The crowd cheered and went wild, just as I predicited. From that time on he changed it several times. "Arizona by the way", "Dublin by the way", just for our Irish friends and even "Michigan by the way", in honor of Brian H and myself.
After this song. the lights went dark and the Irish troupe and all the cloggers walked quitely on stage. Well as quitely as we could, considering we were wearing our clogging shoes...Then there was a burst of light. It looked like lightning. It did it again, then Colm pounded 2 beats on his hand drum and we all started marching. This set the stage for our finale. It began with the irish girls doing A'cepella. Soon we Joined in from the back of the stage. We charged forward and we danced. The Irish girls stopped dancing and lined up, as we danced fast and furious and moved to stage right. Then we stopped and out came the Eoghan, the Male irish dancer. He solo'd a'cepella as well. Once he was done, the irish girls started up again, and danced into a single line. As they danced into their line, we walked into ours. Then we all danced back to form a 'V' with the point at back center stage. There we watied for our music to begin.
Once the music started the irish girls dance for 32 beats, then we danced for 32 beats, then we all danced together for about 32 beats, then we all started forming 2 lines. This was it...it was the big ending. There is was, were all in line and with a big kick, our hands were up, and that was it. Thunder was over!
Colm came out and introduced each group, starting with us, the Silver Dollar city Champion cloggers, then the Moonshine Dancers, Moonshine (the band), Horse creek band. He thanked everyone for coming and the show was over! We all went down to meet and greet with the audience, where we got our pictures taken and had to sign a few autographs for those people who we completely left in AWE!
That wasn't so bad. It was just not getting through 3 performances a day for the next 5 1/2 weeks. We also had to change our names from "The Silver Dollar city Champion Cloggers" to "Arizona Pride Cloggers." This was because banners in the park identified us as such. We didn't want to create confusion so we just went along with it. We were all Honored to be dancing as Arizona Pride, which is the name of Colleens group in Pheonix, AZ. And I'm sure Colleen was proud to have us dancing under her groups name.
Brian and I shared a hotel room together for 6 weeks at the White Oak Inn, Branson West, Branson, MO. The American Cloggers and the Bulgarian Team totally filled the White Oak Inn. The Bulgarians were a fun group of people. It was good match that we shared the same hotel with them.
While we were there, we did many things together as a group. We all had a nice lunch on a dinner cruise on the Branson Belle, Went to the Dixie Stampede, Splash City, and indoor water park, and had a cast dinner at one of the big theaters on the strip. At this cast dinner we all danced, partied and had a great time, not to mentioned enjoyed a fabulous dinner. All paid for by Silver Dollar city.
We even caught several shows together like, "Lost in the 50's", "Spirit of the Dance", Which were free to Silver Dollar City performers.
We even went out to the local Kareoke bar and sang.
Over the course of the 6 weeks we all played together and even partied together. Several times, we would go to the hotel where the Irish team was staying to party with them.
Needless to say we made some great friends. So when it was over it was very emotiional for everyone. During our last performance. We took the stage for Thunder, there wasn't a dry eye on the stage. We all dance with smiles through our tears. When it was over, we presented Colleen with a glass wind chime of 12 hearts. Each heart represented one of the cloggers. We thanked her for giving us this WONDERFUl experience. I guess you could say we each gave her our hearts.
Rather than meet and greet after the final performance, we all hugged and cried and exchanged numbers and e-mail address.
We'll never forget any of these people! They have all touched mine and Brian's heart in a way that we can never forget.
Front Row: Star, Heather, Alissa, Drew, Kevin
Middle Row: Lisa, Debbie, Brian H
Back Row: Ken, Brittnay, Brad, Brian T
