Evolution turned out to be everything we wanted it to be. And more.

I have to honestly admit that I did not expect such a positive reception to our show and the Keep It Real Campaign.

From the comments we have received, I realised it wasn’t just a great show.

It wasn’t simply about beautifully choreographed dancing, colourful costumes, harmonious singing, mesmerizing colors and scintillating lights.

It was a platform to something much bigger.

It was a powerful message to our students. And to all women.

About how amazing they truly are. When they believe in themselves enough, that is.

And this is why Evolution was a completely unique event that has reached out and touched more people than we could ever have hoped for.

 

THE PREMISE

As most of you now, Evolution was the result of a collaboration between leading Performing Arts school The Power House and top Life Performance coaches The BodyForge.

In what journalist Mark Laurence has called “a stroke of genius”, this was an event that established several unprecedented milestones in the Gozo cultural scene and concurrently knocked some long-standing stereotypes out for the count.

Let’s start.

 

THE MAKEUP. WHAT MAKEUP?

First off, it was, as far as we know, the first show in Malta and Gozo to be performed entirely without makeup. Every single performer was completely cosmetic free.

It’s a definite act of courage to go out there on stage that way. It’s a testament to how confidence is inside each and every one of us and not outside.

I salute each and every single Power House student in the show for making history.

In addition, this makeup-free decision was also taken to highlight the irrefutable link between cancer and the cosmetic industry. Malta has the highest share of breast cancer deaths among women in the European Union. The unregulated cosmetic industry is one of the dark forces that has a lot to answer for.

 

 

THE COSTUMES – IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PERFORMER

Secondly, we had that little issue with the dancers’ wardrobe.

A little issue that gave us a lot of sleepless nights.

It turned out that finding costumes that were not tailored around showing too much skin was almost mission impossible. The fact is that women have been objectified for far too long in the Western World and their expected behaviour is dictated to them by an industry who is interested in pawns not people.

The costumes available on the market are an exact reflection of this dictated mantra.

We had resolved to make this a point that we want to be a defining point for The Power House and The Body Forge.

No matter how much work it took, we wanted to do something to show our students how much we cared.

So we went to work. And “went to work” means that every single one of the several hundred costumes in the show were either tailor made from the ground up or altered to flatter the performers’ talents and no their assets.

In other words, almost every single costume in the show had to be altered to reflect this ideal.

With so many costumes being needed, the alterations were never-ending. Our seamstresses were working overtime trying to get everything ready by the deadlines I was giving them. I’m sure I heard them plotting my demise on at least a couple of occasions.

But, we finally managed to get it all done. The costumes turned out even better than we had hoped. Our student look just marvellous. In a society that glorifies physical appearance and glamour as the ultimate goals, this was a slap in the face of a ruthless industry to show all and sundry that women will not sit down and be tools.

 

 

THE CHOREOGRAPHIES – HOW TO WOW AN AUDIENCE

Thirdly, each dance was individually choreographed to highlight our performers’ skills.

We wanted our dances to be technical, entertaining, and engaging…but not sexual. Which is an incredible rarity, if you just take a look at the music videos that are being put out nowadays. Music videos have certainly gone down the drain since their first appearance back in the 1950s. These days, it’s all about using women.

And again, this is not what The Power House an The BodyForge want to be about.

So, as with everything else, we took this task seriously. All choreographies were designed from the ground up with that principle in mind.

This was all about our Power House students, their dignity and their character.

And again, if the huge applause in the packed theatre after every number was anything to go by, we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.

 

 

THE CURTAIN CALL – IT’S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU

Gratitude is definitely in order.

We could not have ever accomplished something like this without the help of several individuals who gave us their time, their talents, and, above all, their patience.

So, thank you so much to all of you who made Evolution such a great success.

First of all, a thank you to all our students. Every single one of you is a star. We could never have done this without you.

Here are some special mentions.

Thank you to all the parents for being so patient and bringing the kids for all the rehearsals.

Thank you to the Astra management for assisting with the arrangements needed to set up the show.

Thank you to Rachel and Ruby for ably assisting with the guests and the front of house arrangements.

Thank you to composer and pianist Maria, who gave us some seriously cool Stoptime Rag.

Thank you to Antoine who dropped the bass and pumped up the volume.

Thank you to Reno,  Tonio and Marlon who immortalized every single moment.

Thank you to Ismael,  Alex and Juan for the striking visuals.

Thank you to Manuel and Matthew who graciously stepped in and helped with the editing of some of the videos at very short notice.

Thank you to Denise who helped out with dresses as best as she could.

Thank you to Keith for being so patient with our quest for aural awesomeness.

Thank you to our seamstresses, Alda, Jane, Cetta, Vicky, Joanne, Salvina, and Rose who did such a great job with the clothes.

Thank you to all the people who believed in the Keep It Real campaign and endorsed us – Amy, Aviv, Esther, Jonas, Michael, Andrew, Stephanie, Nadine, Andreana, Mark Laurence, Melanie Kelly, Destiny and H.E. The President of Malta.

Thank you to Vanessa, Natasha and Antonella who received the full force of the backstage tsunami and handled it so capably at very short notice.

These are the people without which Evolution and The Keep It Real campaign would never have happened. We are highly indebted to all of you.

While we have done out best to remember everyone, if we have forgotten anyone, please forgive us. Get in touch and we will put your name right up.

And yes, we have more amazing things planned. Keep your eyes peeled. We will keep on making history.

The Power House and The BodyForge

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