CLIMAX: THE TOUR BEGINS
Monday March 6th – the Gaelforce troupe and I were finally on route to Tallinn, Estonia, for the Grand Opening of the show. It was left to Richard to be ‘Big Daddy’ and organise everyone’s passports and tickets for a group check-in, so baggage allowances could be pooled. Our flights were overnight, so we landed in Tallinn at 8 am on Tuesday morning to be greeted by a winter wonderland of snow. For our Australians and our South African, this was fairyland indeed – Ash Miller said he had never seen actual snow before!
After a slight delay getting through immigration, at last we were on our way. A comfortable coach whisked us into town to a beautiful hotel right at the edge of the historic and picturesque Old Town. Tired out from the night’s journey, most were glad to just fall into bed for a few hours’ sleep, as we couldn’t access the theatre until that evening.
We gathered at 5 pm for dinner before finally setting off to see the venue where the show would have its premiere the next night. Alan looked somewhat tired and harrassed; the truck with all the gear that had been freighted over early had been delayed by snow and was running about six hours behind schedule, but he shrugged it off as normal for pre-show build-up. It was snowing and bitterly cold when the coach delivered us to the rear of the theatre, and we all dived in to the warm interior as quickly as possible – even now I have no idea what it looks like! Inside, it was a typical amphitheatre-style sports arena with an almost circular stage, built for the 1981 Olympics; the audience capacity is 4,500.
Backstage, Ella was taking care of the costumes – a lady of many talents, she is acting as wardrobe mistress on the tour as well as musical director and lead fiddler. She spent quite a time on show day ironing very rumpled shirts, pondering as she did so whether the promised washing machine and dryer were going to materialise to make her job on the road easier. In the main room, the venue people provided refreshments, as well as a supply of ice on show night to treat muscle problems and help with cool-down.
The first dress rehearsal was that evening, and inevitably it was a rather ragged session. Everyone was a little tense as it was the first day away, some were frustrated as the polish they had been putting on the numbers over the weekend seemed to have vanished, and all were still finding their feet; but lots of great dancing came out of it, and by the time we shut down for the night the show had had a full run-through.
Our hotel had a very pleasant lounge in the lobby, with an open fire crackling, and a bar nearby, so the troupe stayed for a while to unwind. I love seeing how well they get along as a group – from day one they have really clicked as friends, and I have never had the pleasure of being with such a warm, huggy and good-humoured group of people. The world could use a lot more happy groups like this one, so relaxed and warm and supportive with each other.
Show day! The morning session began with Heather Gordon, who has professional qualifications as a trainer, leading a superb yoga-based warm-up routine, a mix of Ayengar and Astanga poses with some Pilates influence. While it was a non-stop routine giving an excellent cardio-vascular warm-up, it also ensured that every part of the body and every muscle was well stretched out, and the steady rhythm of the routine was mentally calming as well. If Heather ever tires of touring as a dancer, she has a great future as a personal trainer and yoga teacher! I learned that the troupe have had the luxury of this session daily all through the rehearsal weeks.
We spent the morning in the theatre, running through the show again without costumes, as they were being preserved in pristine condition for the performance. This morning we had the bonus of Maggie Townsend to critique the details. There were always little problems – alteration of stage entry and exit on some sequences, decisions on costume changes . . . time ticked away too quickly, but somehow it all got done in time.
After lunch, the dancers had some time off to rest back at the hotel. The production team continued preparations at the venue, and Maggie and I took off on important business: we went to the flower market on the edge of the Old Town, and there acquired armfuls of roses, big bouquets for the featured performers and Richard, and single roses for every troupe member. Cards and ribbons also had to be found and a stock of champagne for the after-show celebrations – that afternoon was some of the best fun! All the purchases were taken back to the venue to be squirrelled away out of sight until the evening.
When Maggie and I arrived at the theatre, tiptoeing in through the snow on our high heels, we were just in time to offer hugs and good-luck wishes to the dancers. A few nerves were visible, but mostly it was excitement at the sounds of a large live audience coming in to the auditorium, and at the prospect of unveiling the show at last after all the hard work. The arena looked and felt totally different now: full of people, with the stage cleared of all the setting-up clutter and the lights turned on, and the palpable excitement of anticipation. It seemed ages before anything happened, even though we had heard Richard give the dancers their ‘five-minute call’, but at last the lights dimmed and Michael’s voice came over the loudspeaker, uttering the opening narration to set the scene . . .
Author: Ann Margaret Keller
Editing: Louise Owen
