WHAT IS STARLIGHT EXPRESS?
Starlight Express is
a Musical Theatre Extravaganza on Roller Skates
that's been performed All Over the World
(Broadway, Vegas, Germany, England, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa
and now Hong Kong)
Synopsis
A kid plays with his toy trains & creates a world where all the trains compete against one another to see who is the fastest and the best.
The audience is transferred into the world of the trains as if it were real.
Like watching a live animated film such as Toy Story on skates.
TAKE A LOOK:
Why is this a sport?
To perform in this show requires a series of skilled sports:
Roller Skating:
You must skate at high speeds for 3-5 minutes at a time
You must skate in on walls, bowls, bridges, and hills, and on a huge race track.
Professional Dancing:
you're required to do all the moves you would
do dancing professionally on your feet...only on skates!
Acrobatics:
you are also required to do handstands, back handsprings, cart wheels, back flips in the bowl etc. on skatesSinging:
while not considered a sport by most, stage singing requires extensive use of the abdomen, back, buttocks and legs as well as the throat.(Plus since I did it in Germany you had to learn everything in GERMAN...
Is Brain Work a Sport?)
ENDURANCE!
Not only must you be able to perform this show...
You have to be able to perform this 3 hour show:
6 days a week
8 times a week
2 times a day twice a week
PLUS daily rehearsals of up to 5 hours a day.
RACING:
Singing & Dancing
GEAR
Roller Skates Knee Pads
Elbow Pads Wrist Guards
Common Injuries
Wrist
Knee
Back
Groin
Neck
Torn Ligaments
Torn Muscles
PLUS Strain from Repetitive Muscle Use
Oww!
It takes 3 Months of intense training to do this show
Month 1
Safety Training (falling, gear etc)
Physical Conditioning
Skate Technique
(carpet skating, balance, learning to spin, edging, weaving, stops)
Singing
Choreography (on feet)
German phonetics class
Month 2
Begin Learning to Skate Technique on lower parts of the Stage
Technique, Technique! (crossovers with speed, riding on bowl and wall, high speed stops LOL!)
Learn Choreography in A Rehearsal Room NOT on Stage
The Stage
Learn to skate the complete Stage
Learn the Race Choreography
(all 3 levels, tops of walls etc)
Dance Choreograpy on the Stage now
Add Costumes & Helmets
(weight up to 40lbs)
Start Doing the Show in Order
Add lights and all the Technical Aspects
Your toes and heels will look like this....on a good day especially during training.
Preparation & Warmup
for this show is extensive
WARMUP
30 minutes stretching
30 minutes vocal warmup
15 Minutes Skate Warmup
PREPARATION
Up to 1 hour putting on the Makeup
Up to 20 minutes to put on Costumes
SKATE WARMUP
Finally it's showtime!
The Finale
DIET
DIET LIKE AN ATHLETE!
YOU HAVE TO EAT OTHERWISE YOU PASS OUT!
NUTRITION NOT TAUGHT BUT SHOULD BE!
Favorite Fruit
Favorite Vegetable
Starlight Deck
By JD Richards
