A View from the Crowd: Life in the BLO Chorus

A View from the Crowd: Life in the BLO Chorus is a series we will bring to you each production. This is a firsthand glimpse of what it is like as a member of the BLO Chorus.  

Ms. Schnitzer's feet in Geisha socks!

"Staging is well underway, and director Lillian Groag is a brilliant, inventive and extremely detail-oriented director.

Dana Schnitzer

For those of us who are playing geishas, the last couple of rehearsals have felt a bit like how rubbing your belly, patting your head and hopping on one foot simultaneously must feel. There are so many elements to remember, as we are now combining together the music (memorized), staging, and incredibly specific geisha mannerisms all at once. Lilllian told us, "we are not pretending to be Japanese...we are simply presenting a story about Japan to our audience". Indeed we are, and what a foreboding challenge it is! Clad in flowy rehearsal robes, knee pads and tabby socks, we have practiced kneeling, standing gracefully from a kneel (which, by the way, is really hard), bowing, opening parasols, closing parasols, twirling parasols, tilting the head just so, how to walk, how to accept a cup of sake......the list goes on. But when we get it all right (or close to right), and Lillian tells us we are 'like perfect flowers', all the hard work is worth it. The principal artists sound phenomenal, and all of the pieces of this operatic puzzle are starting to fit together. I am excited to finish staging and start running the show!"