The Villages - May 2008 - (Page 39)

Trish commented that costumes are important to the visuals of the show. “It makes it so much more interesting to look at when you have detailed costumes as opposed to plain ones. We use sequins and beading that we sew by hand. People love the glitz,” Trish said. Efﬁciency in costume changes is a consideration the women keep in mind when planning the show. Trish said, “We don’t want to make people sit and wait on us. We write down the numbers and ﬁgure out the costumes that go with them. The only number every member of the group is in is the ﬁnale, so that helps with time.” The women have learned from experience that layering costumes and stripping them off between numbers is quicker and easier than putting them on — especially after being in the water. They try to ﬁgure out ways to make as few changes as possible between numbers. Bonnie’s favorite costume was one from a few shows ago where she performed a duet with Joyce Hutchinson, of the Village of Piedmont. They wore red bathing suits trimmed in gold sequins with black ﬁshnet hose, blonde wigs and red feather boas. The number was, “Man, I Feel Like a Woman,” a song made popular by country crossover artist Shania Twain. “We were able to act and have fun. It was a complete change of personality,” Bonnie said. “Each of us will tell you we perform best in costume. We’re on stage, we’re performers. The adrenaline ﬂows and the show goes. There’s a lot of ham in each of us or we probably wouldn’t have chosen this activity,” said Marilyn Killian, of the Village of Winifred. Marilyn, who has been an aquatic dancer for six years, didn’t even know how to swim when she ﬁrst came to The Villages. “I learned to swim at Savannah Center pool by practicing and some tips from a woman who frequented there. I was invited to join the Aqua Dores by Barb Damato, who was a member then. I started by watching practices and I waited until a new season started, after their show. It was almost a full year,” Marilyn said. Even though Marilyn had learned to swim, dancing gracefully in the water was another challenge entirely. “It was confusing at ﬁrst. It took me a year to learn the moves and be able to perform them easily,” Marilyn said. “I like the ﬂoating patterns. They’re pretty to watch and fun to perform. Every person in the number has to perform her best or it falls apart. A small mistake can cause the pattern to be broken.” Bonnie agreed. “This is a real team sport. Everyone relies on someone else — always. This is so important to this group,” Bonnie said. True teamwork is also displayed by these women when it comes to challenges that arise in working with props for the show. “One number we used umbrellas and we wanted them to stay in the water,” Donna said. The umbrellas needed to ﬂoat, not something they are designed to do. A circle formation with dance moves MAGAZINE 39

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Villages - May 2008

The Villages - May 2008 Contents Latin Dancing Makes for Fun Fitness Making Graceful Moves in the Water Students Create Culinary Ecstasy in Pizzas Summer Plants and Flowers Brain Exercises Shopping & Dining Guide Retail Briefs Entertainment Briefs Major Events Snapshots

The Villages - May 2008

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