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Musical Theatre students shake the castle with superstar Will Smith
Men in Black, Welsh Division, assemble!
Our Musical Theatre students stepped up to the assignment - backing dancers for the Man in Black himself, Will Smith, appearing at Cardiff Castle this August.
Men in Black, Welsh Divison, Assemble!
RWCMD Musical Theatre students answered the call-out from Will Smith's team - could they be backing dancers for the American superstar when he came to Cardiff Castle as part of the Depot Live big summer concert series?
With limited time to prepare, our students’ industry-focused musical theatre training and regular experience in live performance came to the fore, as they stepped up for a high-energy night at a sold-out Cardiff Castle.
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Shaking the room, Will Smith style
When the call came, the students had to respond quickly, and due to the nature of the job, they had to manage themselves. They were sent a dropbox of the choreography for the MIB set and a brief explanation of the evening, and told to meet at Cardiff Castle.
They were taken to the soundcheck area as soon as they arrived to meet with Will Smith’s head dance captain, where they worked through the routine with Will’s team of permanent dancers.
The students were then able to watch the concert from backstage, before heading on stage themselves to shake the room with Will Smith during his big MIB spectacle.
After they performed they went out to watch the rest of the show with the crowds, and were inundated with requests from the audience for photos.
‘Will’s team were incredible to work with, and it gave such an accurate insight into how fast-paced a sound check rehearsal could be.
The dance captains knew exactly what they wanted and placed us into positions straight away. From my dance lessons in the College I was able to translate what I’ve learned into hands-on industry experience. This gave me a real buzz for what’s to come, and I am beyond grateful for this opportunity.
A lot of us felt the nervous energy performing to such a large crowd and for such a huge name, but with the incredible atmosphere, we all felt able to step into what was expected of us almost instantly.
I learnt the importance of taking what you can out of a rehearsal as we were only given one. Then it was up to us to ensure we knew our timing and counts - and the next time we were to perform it was in front of 10,000+ people!
Having to take ownership instantaneously was an invaluable piece of experience that I will take forward with me in my training.’Annie McGinnMusical Theatre student
RWCMD Musical Theatre dance lecturer Justin Sparkes was the RWCMD’s MIB dance team coordinator:
'Getting hands-on industry experience is one of the most important things that the College provides for its Musical Theatre students, and it shows them where their talent can lead them.
Performing with such a global name, and in such an intense environment, in front of such a huge crowd at short notice was an amazing opportunity, and they rose to the occasion with absolute professionalism.'
Collaborating within Cardiff
Will Smith came backstage to thank the dancers with photos and high fives.
The RWCMD Musical Theatre students were joined on stage by Cardiff based dancers from Jeff Guppy Studio of Dance, J1 Studios and Anzani Republic Theatre School – and huge thanks to fellow Musical Theatre dance lecturers, Amy Guppy and Aran Anzani-Jones for their coordination and support.
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