Choreography and Costume in All That Jazz from Chicago
The pose is important in All That Jazz. Velma is a character with charm, sophistication and glamor and she carries this glamor and seduction into the performance of All That Jazz. And All That Jazz could be about a whole world, exciting and full with that 20s jazzy atmosphere. The choreography matches that whole world and that complete performance that goes with it.
Velma’s song is a performance. It is her song and her dance. It is all a performance too. It is a full seduction. It is not just a seductive dance. The choreography for All That Jazz is not just concerned with a seductive performance. There is more. There are new shapes, new lines, new movements and new expressions. Velma’s aim is not just to seduce. It is to perform and that is what the choreography in All That Jazz is about. The costuming should match this performance. In some way in All That Jazz and Chicago, the Musical , costuming comes second to performance, song and dance. Despite this, proper costuming is essential to convey the world of Jazz, seduction, the world of glamor girls, show girls, jazz girls.
The dance performance of All That Jazz is a dance that embodies the spirit of the jazz club ; the lightly decadent world of nightclubs and the aura and atmosphere that surround it. And Velma has an aura about her. She has her song, which is All That Jazz so she must carry that song and vamp it up too. That may be why All That Jazz is one of the more famous cabaret songs because of the character and personality of Velma that is in it.
Velma poses at the beginning of the performance. Hand movement is important and when she poses at the back with the troupe around her, she must come to the front. She will have to perform and the pose is the beginning of the performance. The troupe too pose and the choreography will be about developing the poses and creating new poses through carefully choreographed hand, foot and body movement.
A performance of All That Jazz could have Velma coming from the back with some of the troupe. She is to come forward to the front as some of the troupe retire to the back. Velma is the central dancer. And the dance space is like a pyramid where Velma goes from the bottom to the top or the back of stage to the front of the stage. The shape of the troupe could be a pyramid or triangle. The main performer is at the apex of the pyramid and the troupe are at the sides. The dance area too is created by the troupe. In some performances of All That Jazz, it is the troupe that moves together and Velma is part of this troupe but the performance of All That Jazz doesn’t have to be like this.
What is important about All That Jazz and Chicago is a suggestiveness and innuendo which goes beyond innuendo and suggestiveness. The costume that you associate with Chicago is that sleek black silhouette; there is full covering for the body but because of the fabric and the silhouette and the use of tight/leggings, there is a sense that the body is not fully covered. Thus the body is important and in costuming for Chicago, close fitting costume may seem to be suitable but this may be just one costume design choice.
Maybe sleek choreography should match the sleek costumes and you could say that the performance of All That Jazz is something sleek. The troupe moves together in that sleek and sophisticated way and Velma moves with them. Then there is sleek hand movement, sleek body movement and the overall sleek movement of the troupe as one body. In the performance of All That Jazz in theater, Velma is part of the troupe and the choreography for the dance might take this into account.
In one of Ruthie Henshall’s performances in All That Jazz , we see her move to her right at the beginning of the performance. Her body direction is to her right and her movement is tight and controlled. She is in control of her body but she is just moving her hands and body in a slow sophisticated movement. Choreographic movements whether of hands or body should have an aim as in Velma’s arms and body movement. It is like she is fully conscious and this consciousness of herself will develop into a consciousness of herself as a seductress, a vamp, a 20s doll. Velma is a performer. She is an actress and a dancer and her motion and dance is that of a seductress .All that Jazz is more than a dance ; it is a controlled type of seduction
Ruthie Henshall moves her hands and body in a stretched slow tight motion. There is controlled motion to the right and her arms rise in a pose. It is a hypnotically slow cabaret pose ; These movements are important when designing the costume. Note the motion of the body that is required. In the theater performance there is a top covering for the torso but then the arms and neck might be uncovered or in a lighter material and then the high leggings/tights. There is no unnecessary flesh showing.
Velma poses with straightened hands; with her body taut but still ready to move and dance. If Velma poses at the back of the dance area, she must come to the front. The choreographed performance works from the back to the front of the dance area. And the dance area may be the troupe itself in its triangle shape. The main performer Velma is at the apex of the triangle and then can move along a central line. This is just one idea for Velma’s dance performance.
By: Joe Kirby