It was a dark and rainy night for the Nikkei Centre rehearsal Friday March 1st. It was the second day of a torrential rainstorm and huge amounts of rain was falling on the city. Buses were late, cyclists were soaked, but fifteen of us made it to rehearsal.
When I arrived to the class, I had only learned the routine up to Part One of the video “Shabop” by Shiamak, so I was curious to see if I’d be able to learn the whole routine in under 1 hour. And yes, I did.
I actually found the routine for “Shabop” easier to learn than last year’s “Zoobie Doobie” (Shabop is still challenging, don’t get me wrong, but a bit easier). My favorite moves are: “the wave”, pulsating the umbrella (opening and closing quickly) and the big finale as we all bring our umbrellas back to the centre and “pose”. A few more hours of practice with the video and I’ll be ready for the big performance of the World Umbrella Dance on April 13 at the Vancouver Art Gallery!
It’s not too late to join us. Order your umbrella now and book your rehearsal.
There will be a videotaped group rehearsal at SFU Woodward (111 West Hasting) on March 11 at 6.15pm for the TV Channel Omni. Come and show us your moves!
