Recipe for a Showcase Performance

Many great bakery recipes have been passed down from generation to generation and are shared by family and friends. The earliest records showing the origins of dance are cave paintings in India dating to 8000 BCE. Why is preparing for a showcase like baking? Baking is a step-by-step process of adding and mixing, looking in the oven window to observe the progress, and sharing the final decadent bakery goods with family and friends.  Dancing is also a step-by-step process of gathering information about your showcase, playing back your performance via video to see your progress, and sharing your performance with family and friends.

The following is my recipe to follow for a showcase performance (in bold) and how it is similar to baking (not bolded):

Step I:  What are you going to dance? What are you going to bake?

WHAT TO DANCE?

You can expect to see various dance styles held in theaters, dance studios, or auditoriums for a showcase. You may do a solo, duet, group, or make a special guest appearance.  

For your dance showcase you need to decide what style you wish to dance.  There are many ballroom styles to choose from.  Do you want American Smooth or International Standard for Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, or Quickstep? Do you want American Rhythm or International Latin for Cha Cha, Paso Doble, Jive, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, Mambo, Salsa, West Coast Swing, Samba, Hustle, Bachata, Merengue, or  2 Step?  Or Breaking, which is a new division added this year for the Olympic Games held in France.  What level will you dance? Will it be Bronze, Silver, or Gold? What age classification do you fit in:  Preteen, Junior I, II, Youth, Adult, Senior l, Senior II, Senior III, Senior IV, Senior V?

I chose to dance Pro-Am Solo Swing, Silver Senior level IV with my instructor, Andrea Marta. The program was presented by the owner, Sergey Vasilyev from the “Let’s Dance With Me” studio in Naples, Florida. (Author’s Note: It is important to always know and follow the rules of the venue.)

WHAT TO BAKE?

For the bakery item, I chose my friend, Edie Scott’s famous Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. She made a solo appearance in her kitchen.  Some of the options to present could be a group presentation in your home, a restaurant, or at a school. It could also be presented on TV, podcast, or in person.  Rules are important for any presentation for your bakery items.  

Step II:  Ingredients for a dance showcase are:  time period, music, costumes, hair, and makeup. Getting the right combination is essential.  In baking, you must measure correctly to get the best results.

TIME PERIOD

Ballroom dancing became popular in the 20^th century. I used the Web as my library to gather information regarding the time period for my dance performance. I discovered that Swing was the king of all the dances in the 1940’s, hence I picked that era. That time period was defined by World War II, the Holocaust, atomic bombs, and the beginning of the Cold War. By the mid-1940s, the country’s economy was starting to prosper but fear and distrust generated by the Cold War would not end until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Times were hard. Many women were working in unfeminine settings such as factories.  Music and dance helped to keep spirits high.

MUSIC

Troops were “In the Mood” to bring American Dance Swing to the world. Swing began as a Jitterbug which turned into a European Jive before evolving into the American Triple Time Swing.  For my showcase, we picked the popular swing song of the 40s, “In the Mood” by the Glenn Miller orchestra.  The original version was too fast, so we slowed it down to make it a more comfortable pace for a Senior like me.

COSTUME  

The United States Navy grew rapidly during its involvement in WWII, which prompted my dance instructor, Andrea, to choose a blue Navy uniform for the performance. Searching the Web, I wanted to have a mid-length flair blue skirt that resembled women’s attire in the 40s. With not a lot of time to prepare, the first dress I purchased did not have a wide full skirt, so I had my tailor modify a skirt I already had.  For my future showcases, I plan to contact our talented American Dancer fashion experts at EncoreBallroomCouture.com team — Julie Michelle Wilson, Callie Maginnis, and Abigail Bruggeman. You can contact them through encoreballroomcoulture@gmail.com. They have translated world fashion trends into ballroom creations for dancers.

MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLE

Visiting Vintagemakeupguide.com, I followed their guide for makeup and hairstyles for the 40s. For my auburn-colored hair, I used berry red lipstick. Red and orange lipsticks were the colors of the decade.  I used Petroleum jelly to get a subtle gloss and used lipstick to stain my cheeks.  For my hair, I tried to copy the V-roll style.  V-for-Victory hairstyles incorporated curls in three dots and a dash shape, which is the Morse code for V. You will find yourself traveling through history when creating your showcase. It is fun to learn what happened in the past so you can create the feel, look the part, and reenact the time period you choose. You will uncover many interesting facts, such as during the war, some women used burnt cork when they ran out of mascara.

Ingredients for Edie’s cookies:

• * regular Crisco
• * granulated sugar
• * brown sugar
• * eggs
• * vanilla
• *all-purpose sifted flour
• *baking soda
• *salt
• *Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips
• *optional chopped pecans or walnuts

The original recipe for the chocolate chip cookie was created in the late 1930s by Ruth Wakefield who famously ran the Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts.  The first recipe appeared in her 1938 cookbook, “Tried and True,” and was intended to accompany ice cream. Note that Edie follows the Toll House recipe except that she uses Crisco whereas the Toll House recipe uses butter.  

Step III: Instructions from my instructor. Instructions to bake.

DANCE INSTRUCTIONS

Dance instructions from Andrea were taken from various dance steps after viewing YouTube videos. One of our favorite videos was from the “YouTube 1940 Jive Dance Lindy Hop in the Mood.”  As a senior woman, we decided to eliminate the part where my dance instructor would throw me above his head and under his legs! Some of our moves included the Mooch Jive, Sailor Shuffle, Triple Step Rock Step, Handholds, American Spin, Underarm Turns, and Reverse Turns with Back Pass.

We focused on techniques, practiced in our costumes, received feedback from fellow dancers, and played back our video from each lesson to see how we were improving.  Our goal was to succeed in artistic expression while storytelling the 40s through our interpretation of the music and dance style, all while connecting with the audience. Since the dance is such a high-energy dance, I took lessons in the morning so I could stay focused and relaxed.

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS

• *l C regular Crisco
• *3/4 C granulated sugar
• *3/4C brown sugar
• *2 eggs
• *1 t vanilla
• *Mix
• *Blend in: 2 l/4 C all purpose sifted flour, l t baking soda, l t salt.
• *Mix 2 C Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips
• *Optional ¾ C chopped pecans or walnuts
• Edie’s Instructions to bake are slightly different than the original Toll House instructions.

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*Roll by hand into uniform balls.

*Bake 9-10 minutes until brown.

*Cool a minute on a cookie sheet before placing them on paper towel.

*They freeze well but do not travel well.

Step IV: Dance review — When replaying our video, we are ready to see what we look like and to make any adjustments.  When baking, look in the oven window to check the progress. Make any adjustments.

DANCE REVIEW PROGRESS /ADJUSTMENTS

For a dance showcase, my instructor and I have a final video taken of us so we can view it and make adjustments as needed. We also ask for feedback from our fellow dance students and friends.

BAKING REVIEW PROGRESS/ADJUSTMENTS  

Per Edie, if you are not sure if your cookies are done, you can peek in the oven window and adjust the timing as needed.

Step V: Ready to perform and share with family and friends. As you smell the aroma of warm chocolate chip cookies, be ready to indulge with family and friends.

DANCE PRESENTATION

A showcase tells a story. I think it is less pressure than competing and allows a dancer to be more creative and emotional with their dance. You can still take your performance to the solo showcase competition division if you wish to compete. If you do, you will need to make sure your solo includes all the techniques required. Showcases are a great way to gain performance experience, build confidence, and connect with other dancers in the community. It is also fun entertainment for your family and friends.  They love it!

BAKING PRESENTATION

Edie brings her famous chocolate chip cookies and other bakery items to the “Sing-A-Long” club and swim aerobics. She has achieved the title of Cookie Gal in our community with the motto “A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.” It is her way to connect with the community and make us all happy. We love her cookies!

Searching and making that great chocolate chip cookie is similar to searching for the right routine, music, dance style, costume, makeup, and hairstyle for a dance showcase. It is great fun to create!  It can also educate you about dance history.