"Let's Go!" - Garbeau's Dinner Theatre

Left: Keith Turk.

I was very impressed the way Keith did a flip. He said he hadn't planned on doing one, but his original Plan A had to be abandoned because of a difficulty with his shoe, and so the flip was Plan B. I'm very impressed with anyone who can fall back on flips as a stop-gap!





Wonderful hand-clapping, foot-stomping hi-NRG show over at Garbeau's!

Many of the best dancers in the Sacramento area are in this music revue. Excellent singers as well.

Joe Parente (who is also in my Step Aerobics class) composed several new songs (arranged by Jim Jordan, the Musical Director). Several people contributed to choreography, including Ana Maria Shexnayder (who is hotter than Venus - Wait! She IS Venus!)

Today in Step Aerobics class, Pepper Von intimated that the show is getting a bigger buzz than he expected. According to him, several agents from LA, Las Vegas, (and did I understand Miami?) have either come to see the show, or heard about it, with a thought to picking it up. (I was going to tell Pepper that the show would look completely different with Celine Dion in it, however.)

To rev up excitement, the audience was encouraged to cheer on either the dancing or the singing teams, but in this show, it was a friendly competition, with no losers, and many crossing over the line between teams. (Nevertheless, the team concept reminded me of Riverdance, with its good Irish step-dancers, and the opposing dark step-dancing compatriots, ultimately resolved by Michael Flatley's blistering hot feet.)

Several people excelled:

• Misty Barker - Marvelous, with her hip-hop moves;
• Cory Betts - Excellent dancer, of recent RCTC vintage, but going places;
• Kingi Brown - Young singer from Bret Harte Elementary (a Curtis Park school, which must mean he lives near my house);
• Hannah Collins - What a fierce dancer! She is a familiar face at Step One, and in companies like Pulse;
• Carla Fleming - She was recently in one of my step classes. What a voice!;
• Laura Lothian - Recently she was "Val" in Magic Circle's "A Chorus Line";
• Gabrielle Perez - Pepper was so proud - "She's my daughter!" And she commands attention on stage!;
• Elaine Lenae Douglas -Wonderful gospel voice!
• Tyler Drewitz - Good dancer!

Left: Shantá Robinson. Shantá has been cast in Garbeau's upcoming "Little Shop of Horrors". Shantá was so small that Keith could lift her with seeming ease, making them both one power dance couple.

Left: Rashad ("Q") Grisby, with yours truly. Rashad was brimming with strength and confidence in today's show.

Left: Cory Betts. Cory is currently enrolled in Sacramento Ballet's Educational Program, and, at age 17, is already a great dancer.

Left: Crystal Barrett, Pepper Von, and Mark Ferreira. Crystal was a featured singer in many of the segments of this musical revue, particularly in the Country Medley. Pepper Von created and directed the show. Mark Ferreira is Garbeau's CEO.

Mark wants to encourage Sacramento's live theater community with a civility campaign. Mark is concerned whenever people inadvertently (or otherwise) trash other theater companies. He points out that all live theaters benefit when any one theater benefits from presenting live shows.

I replied that, as an example, that people sometimes assume companies like DMTC and RSP are engaged in a competition for talent and attention, when, in fact, both companies work closely together towards the mutual goal of expanding audiences and giving deserving performers opportunities to take the stage that they might otherwise not get. No one can trash DMTC without also trashing RSP, and vice-versa.

I think we can all get behind and support Mark's kind-words campaign!