‘Mama Mia’ dances and jives

PHOTO: Junior Ella Del Favero and freshman Miller Traum rehearse the “Flipper Dance” from “Mamma Mia!”

By Mattias RowenBale

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff––

Singing echoes through the halls of the Richard Brunelle Performance Hall as actors prepare for Davis High Theater’s production of “Mamma Mia! The
Musical.” Inside the rehearsal room, dancers spin, jump and even do the occasional front flip.

The cast and crew have been learning ABBA songs, dance choreography and blocking since mid-January, and are looking forward to their opening night on Mar. 3.

“It’s such a great show. Everyone’s such a good singer and great dancer. It’s just amazing,” sophomore ensemble member Vonn Collins said.

With a cast of nearly 40 students, group song and dance numbers often spill off of the ground level of the stage and end up on the second story of the set that students in the Stagecraft class have built.

The Davis High Theater Department has put all hands on deck for this massive production, securing the rights for a professionally designed set and hiring music director Krissy Schwerin and dance choreographer Kat Painter.

Learning and rehearsing Painter’s choreography has quickly become many members of the cast’s favorite parts of the show.

“I’m looking forward to all the big dance moments,” sophomore Allie Hulbert said.

One dance that the cast is especially looking forward to is the “Flipper Dance,” when actors come onstage to dance in swimming flippers.

“(My favorite moment is) definitely the flipper dance where I get lifted in the air,” said DaVinci freshman Miller Traum, who plays Sky in the show.

DaVinci senior Ari Ramirez, who plays Lisa, agrees that the dance is a highlight of the show. “The flipper dance is hilarious,” she said.

“Mamma Mia!” is a densely packed musical, with more than 20 songs and dances in the show.

“It’s really upbeat and fun,” Hulbert said. “There’s a lot of great talent.”

The music of “Mamma Mia!” is familiar, including catchy ABBA tunes such as “Dancing Queen,” “Super Trouper” and “Waterloo.”

“The music is just so amazing,” Collins said. “And the people too are just amazing.”

Senior David Partridge, who plays Harry, says that his fellow cast members have made him feel at home in his first-ever DHS show.

“Everybody is so inviting and accepting and it’s just a really fun environment,” Partridge said.