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After two fantastic flights with Sally the Mustang and Maya (!!) the Cheetah, we were finally in VEGAS BABY! We went back to the Motel 6 for a quick nap, buffet, and headed to rehearsal. It was good to know we could have a pretty good run of the show even when it was 2am for our bodies. Friday morning we woke up to sunshine and warm weather, reminiscent of spring training for drum corps. We rehearsed at the middle school again, but this time there were students all around. Practice went well, with a great stretch and warm-up in dance class and focusing on cleaning up a few big moments in the show (rifle/dance partner work with the masks and ballad flag feature). I think this was the day that we were treated to a quick standstill of First Circle…get it Andy Toth! After another fun-thru we headed back to the hotel to primp for our show night. The hours passed and POC was transformed…everyone looked gorgeous for the big night, we are “full out felicias” in rehearsal, in shows, and especially in looking good to go out. The parking lot prom pictures were cut short to get on the bus for the Flamingo Hotel, where we held another quick photo shoot in the jungle. We had a delicious buffet dinner next to the aquarium, it was marvelous…thanks POC! After stuffing ourselves with dinner and an even more scrumptious dessert bar (I had a chocolate and strawberry crepe, but I think most tables just gathered several platefuls to share), we had a quick drive of dropping it like it was hot and big booty-ing to the show. The hotel was beautiful, as were the performers in Le Reve. The show was phenomenal…definitely inspired us to be full out in our own performance. The Pride section was enthralled from beginning to end, and quite vocal as well (we were a chorus of “yes”, “get it”, “work”, and even a “saweetie” or two). So if you’re ever in Vegas and can’t decide on a show, Le Reve is my suggestion. We finished up the night hanging out in the casino and heading back to bed to enjoy an extra hour of sleep (thanks Charlie!). Refreshed after a good night’s sleep, we were ready for our first show day in three weeks. This rehearsal focused on the key moments again, hitting the ballad, partner work, and dance features again. Today’s lunch break entertainment was Rosie, Jonathon, and Bart performing Escapade’s R.E.M. show…or at least what they could remember. It’s always fun to see the staff spin their old shows. Chunks, run-thru, and it was back to Motel 6. Warm-up at this show was a little strange, since we were outdoors for POC body (gym shoes looked fabulous with the uniform!) The show on Saturday night wasn’t our best, but Rosie said some parts were really great. The performance atmosphere was very different from our previous shows, but the crowd was enthusiastic and that’s always a lot of fun. I finally realized why we had adjusted some sets just for this show…our tarp was basically touching the bleachers in the back and I ended the show pushing the door open with my feet. Right after we performed we got to see Fantasia’s show, which was really exciting because we hardly get to watch other guards, and then it was back “home.” I fell asleep as soon as we were back in our rooms, but I guess some of the guard enjoyed midnight snacks at the Burger King in the casino next door. Sunday morning came too quickly, and we had a quick and efficient rehearsal of chunks and a run-thru, which was fine because the fast pace kept us all awake and alert. Show prep went smoothly again, and this time we warmed up in our uniform sans velvet pieces because the sun was shining and we got warm pretty quickly. After POC body and Greatest Love we snapped our pieces on and finished warm-up. Our finals show was definitely better overall, but of course there are still plenty of things to improve. I think we were pleased with the weekend and ready to enjoy a night on the town. Everyone was dropped off at hotels to glam it up and go out. Whitney, Caitlin Bell, and I proudly wore our show make-up and hair for the whole night. A group of us rode in a limo to the Bellagio (so poosty) and then ate at the Harley Davidson Café on the Strip. Eventually most of us ended up at “WGI headquarters”…where lots of POC, Fantasia, Corona, and In Motion met and paraded around the strip and had a fabulous time. Good-bye POC, have safe flights home. Jeff, Whitney, Rachel, and I ate some tasty pizza and left for the airport. The driver’s pep-talk about the Three Musketeers came in handy when Jeff, Whitney, and I had a little bit of a “snafu” with our flight home. What’s Left was us spending the night in Eureka/Angelica’s Castle and flying out early Tuesday morning. Now I’m back in Ann Arbor for a couple days before the big Mid-West regional, missing Las Vegas and west coast weather, but excited to keep going with the season and to see lots of people in Chesterton! SUTA! What’s Left is 6 weeks until WGI!!! Kari Overstreet
Back to the 2007 Diaries page!
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