The cast in its costumes for the musical at the parade on 9/16/2023

The crew of the upcoming musical Chicago started its first rehearsals in choreography this past Monday, September 11, working toward the debut in November.
The choreographer, Mrs. Barnett expressed her thoughts regarding the rehearsals: “A lot of students have very little experience with dance. I need to meet them where they are while still [coaching them at] their level so that dancing looks good.”
Nevertheless, Mrs. Barnett has highly positive expectations regarding choreography. She expressed her expectations by saying, “I hope that students learn a lot and have fun. Hope they work hard so the performance is precise and consistent.”
Choreography is always supported by musical accompaniment, that Ms. Kincaid, band director, is responsible for leading the pit in the musical. She expressed her thoughts regarding the complexity of the play and music saying, “I have had a lot of experience performing in pit orchestras in a cast at a professional level, and this will be my first year putting it all together here with Coronado. So, at this point, you know, it just takes a lot of communication as we plan and rehearse… What is going to be the most difficult in my experience is the timing of it all. There are things we are not going to know as musicians until we get to those final rehearsals … we must be flexible.” In the meantime, while the band is learning the music, the actors and actresses are practicing the choreography with the recordings of the music.
Emily Solomon, class of 2024, who plays Mama in the musical, expressed her point of view on this matter saying, “A lot of it is hard to remember . . . the choreography at the same time with the lyrics. And doing everything right on the time. Dancing is active, and it is challenging to keep your endurance on stage. But it is still a lot of fun!”
Emily Solomon is not the only actress who is excited for the upcoming musical. Taytum Pinyerd, class of 2024, who is a part of the ensemble, said, “So far in choreography I think the main challenges are trying to get everything down. We do not have a lot of time for choreography in the week. So, I have been practicing at home. But so far, it has been a blast. I expect for the Musical to be such a fun experience. I am so excited to get to know the cast and crew and have this awesome experience.”
Some of the big dances, that school community is expecting, are “When You’re good to Mama”, “Roxie” and “And All that Jazz”.