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Apparently it's the same choreographer as last year. Last year made me want to cry for the exact opposite reason from some past seasons. I found a great dance reel video of last season's show. I don't know if I can post it according to forum rules, since I didn't film it. However, it highlighted every problem with the choreography.

There was choppy/non-rhythmic arm movement, hopping on heels a la Charlie Brown, and lots of running without purpose. I expect to see hand-motion based "choreography" at an elementary school, not a professional theatrical production or ballet. My "favorite" move, is what I call the "Europe in the Air". It has the dancers form wings, after which they proceed to bob side to side, "flying" like the Europe in the Air simulator cabin.
 
Sadly, I'd say the new "award-winning choreographer" is here for the duration. The former choreographer for the great seasons of Miracles (2009-2013) and Deck the Halls (2009-2013) has a local dance studio now. Along with a few other BGW alumnus. She was also involved with some recent and past popular HOS shows that are missing her talent these days. We really miss her, too. The difference between the two choreographers is blazingly obvious. The new one even has Killarney Kommotion in her YouTube playlist like it was a good thing. To some perhaps, but not my cup of tea.
 
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CastleOSullivan said:
Apparently it's the same choreographer as last year. Last year made me want to cry for the exact opposite reason from some past seasons. I found a great dance reel video of last season's show. I don't know if I can post it according to forum rules, since I didn't film it. However, it highlighted every problem with the choreography.

Feel free to post it.
 
Disclaimer: The choreographer credited in that reel is NOT whom I expected. I don't know who this is and they are not the person I was talking about before, though my opinions of her other work at BGW still apply. I do stand by my comments of preferring the other choreographer from previous years. Thank you COS for opening my eyes on that one.
 
Watching that video... Oh god.

I had seriously forgotten just how bad the choreography is. It's seriously like the choreographer didn't even listen to the music (let alone the words) for the show she was choreographing for. Even disregarding that, the movements and style just seem so immature. I really don't understand how anyone let this show perform in the state it was in last year.

IF YOU'RE MAKING WINGS WITH YOUR ARMS AND FLYING, YOU'RE NOT FLYING WITHOUT WINGS.

IF YOU'RE SINGING ABOUT THE FIRE WITHIN, WHY IS THE FIRE ON THE STAGE AND IN THE AIR?!

I just don't... I just can't... My brain hurts.
 
Zachary said:
IF YOU'RE SINGING ABOUT THE FIRE WITHIN, WHY IS THE FIRE ON THE STAGE AND IN THE AIR?!

The luminescent balls(hehe) were always used in the fire within portion of the show, but the dancers weren't just sitting/standing there passing them around or throwing them up, they were actually dancing.

I wholeheartedly agree with everyone about the choreography last year though, it was awful. Although, I still think the duet section(Christmas Canon, NOT Angels Among Us) was around where it was in past years, and definitely more watchable than every other part of the show. The Gloria piano section, with the three girls "chasing" each other around was downright dreadful last year and was especially painful considering it's the only part without any singing and just dancing.

Beyond the choreography, I think the other major problem in the show last year was the lack of a lead singer. The singing lost structure, and the absence of a lead made the finale far less impressionable. Despite this, I thought Miracles still had great vocals last year, it just wasn't structured smoothly. Also, one of the singers was wearing a light pink costume, which makes no sense because Miracles, like all of San Marco, has or had a strictly white, silver, and gold color scheme. They need to bring the backup lead costumes from 2013 back, those were a huge improvement over all previous versions.(last year's costumes were an adaptation of the earlier backup singer costumes)

Miracles' coreography NEEDS improvement this year. I mean, I hope the park isn't so moronic that they thought last year's was actually good, or even halfway decent. And in addition to this, Miracles needs a strong vocal lead once again.
 
Each year, I have made several mental notes on the show. Here is a bit of a rundown. I tried to keep my opinions on the performers themselves to a minimum. Each year had ups and downs, however I thought 2013 was the most solid, aside from the piano being pre-recorded that year.

2010
The show started wit a very strong lead singer and a strong back up lead singer.

The set looked bright.

The set had a white projection screen as the backdrop, which at times looked a bit cheap. It also had brown siding on the doors, which did not contrast well with the rest of the paint.

The stage, at times, looked too cluttered with the size of the cast.

2011
The lighting sometimes showed up better against the dark colors.

The stage was brought out into the audience with the runway.

The cast was smaller, but less overwhelming.

The choreography was more polished, and less contemporary.

The set all became a red color, because of Mix it Up. This made the set look depressing in contrast to the bright Christmas scenery.



2012
The backup singers were all strong.

The angels costumes looked off-balance. The gold angel was off to the side.

Christmas Canon was flat because the singers and pre recorded soundtrack didn't clash well.

2013
The set looked solid. It was a good contrasting color with the lighting. The backdrop was a red curtain.

Lots of hugging action in the background, however they did not make the dancing space congested.

The runway was improved upon with more floor space to the sides of the runway.

2014

The piano was removed, which gave the dancers more room.

There was no more piano-playing lead singer.

The pre-recorded vocals were almost entirely removed.

The show went back to being entirely contemporary, with little to no emphasis on ballet.

The singers fought to out-sing each other, which often lead to voice straining and being off key.
 
All of the discussion about Miracles last year got me thinking about my show review.

Pretty much all of my thoughts about the show are captured there. One thing I didn't say is that no dancer should be asked to perform outside, in winter, on a flimsy stage, with confetti everywhere. The venue is simply inappropriate. BGW should either cut or move Miracles.
 
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I heard the same thing, so I doubt he was joking. His office was relatively large.

I might have the year wrong about when it was apparently pre recorded. I know they have always had a fallback track for the piano, which was used in very rare cases, but I am almost certain that it was completely mimicked one year.

I still want the piano back however.
 
Apparently my opinion is in the minority, but I preferred the 2014 Miracles to 2013.

In short, I thought the 2014 version was more fun and entertaining to watch. Particularly:

1. The 2014 version interprets the music with a story, such as the girl lost in the woods, the angel bringing her a friend, and the game of tag.

2. The dancers (and singers) interact with each other more, making the show more playful and joyful, which builds upon the theme of the show.

3. In 2013, it was more like a bunch of dancers doing solo routines, and they just happened to be on stage together. In 2014, the dancers were more integrated into a single unit dancing together.

4. I don't miss the piano at all. Outside the opening music, it was hardly used, and took up a lot of space, and the dancers (and singers too), had to avoid it, making entrances and exits from stage less smooth.

5. This last one is more subjective, but I felt the 2014 version brought the audience into the performance, providing a sense of intimacy with the performers. I didn't feel this nearly as strongly, previously.

So, how does 2015 Miracles compare? Identical to 2014? Small changes? Large scale changes?
 
I think 2015 is an improvement over last year. I still prefer the pre-2014 choreography, however, I think it looks more professional this year. The vocal arrangement feels less like something that was forced at last minute. I also think the lighting in some scenes looks better. The warm and cool colors contrast beautifully. There are still moments that look very elementary in my opinion, but I just ignore those moments and enjoy the rest. If nothing else I can still appreciate the beautiful score.
 
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Same choreography as 2015...but I still love the show. Here are some pics.
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSYNRLgtRb/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSX368ADDT/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSZVnKAQZ1/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSYv_Yg-69/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSYf0_Agjt/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSlbhhAVS3/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSlMTDAjXB/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSaHfWAeUw/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSsJ0_AZsx/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSoouCA_dx/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNSn8QoAaoH/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BNStCjcg61e/]
 
Your third photo is what I call the "Europe In The Air".

None of the singers really stood out very much to me, but for once this was a OK. Maybe it was even a good thing. They weren't straying from the tune, and straining to top each other.

In the final song, "I Believe"- the singers have a part where one is singing solo until they simultaneously sing "now nothing can stop me". This was very awkward in the past, because that line is sung very loudly, and some singers were off by about half a beat. This time, the soloist held her note out longer, and through sound design made it harder to detect if anyone was off beat. It was subtle a and clever fix to a longstanding problem.
 
Saw the show on 11/26. Are the projections new this year? I don't remember any snowflakes last year. I thought it was a nice addition to the show.
 
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