From the time Joan Cooling first choreographed an ACT I show (Bridge to Terabithia, 1994) until 2001, Joan was the only choreographer who had ever worked with us. After Terabithia, her unbroken string of shows included The Sound of Music, Oliver!, Bye Bye Birdie, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Secret Garden, Hansel and Gretel, Charlotte's Web, My Fair Lady, The Emperor's New Clothes, and The Red Shoes. Above, Joan works with her young dancers preparing a number for The Velveteen Rabbit; below, she works on the same number in that show's performance space in the IBSSS Auditorium in Vinton.
Oliver! was one of the largest and most complex shows ever staged by ACT I. Joan created several large scale production numbers for that show including "Food, Glorious Food," (below) which opened the show. The number was a lively and energetic opening for the show.
As with Oliver! and all our other major musicals, Joan works with children and adults with equal ease. Below is pictured her "Little bit o' Luck" production number from My Fair Lady.
For Bye Bye Birdie (1998), another big dance show, Joan proved she could take an adult who'd never danced before and make him look like a pro. (And he's been dancing ever since!) Below right, Gerald Horst rehearses the "Put on a Happy Face" number from that show with his daughters, Erin and Clare.
Joan is a firm believer in giving everyone a chance and creating opportunities for as many people as possible to make it to the stage. Below left is a great example of that -- the Sweet Apple Dancers from Bye Bye Birdie. Two different groups of little girls performed a dance routine in the Ed Sullivan show sequence, giving that many more dancers a chance to be in a "really big show!"
For The Sound of Music (1995) Joan created choreography that was both charming and elegant, using adults along with two different casts of children.
Although most of Joan's choreography is splashy with lots of tap, for our children's version of the Humperdinck opera Hansel and Gretel (2000) she created a beautiful ballet sequence, shown below.
In addition to the many musical productions Joan has choreographed, all of our four Variety Shows have also included numbers which she has staged.
In the fall of 2001, for the first time, Joan took a break from being our house choreographer. Charlie Vogl and Larry Adams-Bowers took over the duties and together choreographed our production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
A gifted young dancer from Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids who has danced since age three, Charlie was a veteran of two previous ACT I productions including Oliver!, and he comfortably moved into the choreographer's role.
Later that season, Charlie created the choreography for our 2002 production of Romeo and Juliet, below, staging the Italian Renaissance dances used for the party scene in which the lovers first meet.
During Season 2002 - 2003: A Cast of Outcasts, choreography for our musical Kiss Me, Kate was done by Heather Happel. A student at Kirkwood Community College and a former dance student of Joan Cooling, Heather first appeared for ACT I in Oliver! and has also appeared in many WHS productions and dance activities.
During Season 2003 - 2004 Joan Cooling returned to choreograph Annie, (below) and in Season 2004 - 2005 she will choreograph the revival of The Sound of Music.
Dance is definitely an excellent, major component to ACT I productions!
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