I was thinking about this show while i was at my dog's obedience school.

It seems like it's a choreographer's dream...but is it really? All the choreography (or most of it atleast) is already pre-set, as it is the choreography from the broadway production, and is rarely altered.

How would you guys feel if you were cast in this show, and the choreographer decided not to use the traditional dance for, say..."One"? He made up something new...something of the same style, but nevertheless, not the familiar "One" that most of us know by heart.

Would you be mad, sad, glad?

I think, personally, it could be cool.

I've seen it done untraditional. And the Problem was, that they were saying the words that are in the script for the dance moves, but doin TOTALLY different moves. When I did the show, we did the original for all the numbers except for Hello Twelve, and it actually worked what we did.

Do you know I've never even considered this before? I've played Bobby in two different productions of ACL, and I think if I walked into a studio and they tried to teach me new comibinations, I'd have a heart attack on the spot!

I'm not even sure I could physically execute new dances. The music would start and my body would kick into auto-pilot! As a performer it's amazing to me to do the dances (I sometimes still teach the opening sequence choreography in my dance classes) and think about how many other performers, who've had such similar life experiences to mine because of what we do, have danced these very steps.

I feel like there's a heritage in those steps. Almost a sacred, spiritual connection to the stage, the craft and that shared passion. It's too important to our collective experiences.

I'm doing ACL right now w/remotely untraditional choreography . . . everything is in the style of the show's original, but not everything's original. We're using the movie ballets (men's and women's), original One except for a few altered steps, but all of the Opening dances except for the ballets are new dances. I guess I'd rather it be done w/100% original choreo, but since we're updating it, the director felt the need to "contemporize" some of the dancing. Hmmm . . . .

I have done the show twice as well, both times with the original choreography. I would also find it difficult to alter that as that choreography is emblazened in my brain and I can do it on auto pilot. Besides it's wondeful and fun. Why would you want to change it!!!

Our choreographer made up her own routines, in the appropriate style of course, so some of the words had to change.
For instance in the One Rehearsal where the girls say "hat to the head" they were actually lifting their hats. So our MD created new lyrics that fitted perfectly, i don't know what they were exactly coz i was in Group 1 in the One Rehearsal so i just say the melody (which was enough for me!)
And same with the opening, i think we were something like "step, push, turn, turn, kick, touch.............. that connects with turn, turn, out, in, step, push, turn, turn, kick, touch....... got it? going on step, kick, cross, out, back step, pivot step, walk, walk, walk"
Or something like that... i just danced....
Everything worked perfectly though!

Timmmmmmmmmmmy!!

I think why fix what's not broken sums it up nicely.
I may not have ever been in ACL, but I think the dancing looks sensational. So why change it?

A Chorus Line should always be done using the Michael Bennett choreography. The man was a genius!

Changing "one" would be a nightmare. The dance is called out in the actual "one" routine were they practice the dance. It would be a complete disaster to not only do new steps, but to call things out and do different movement...yuck