“A Look To The Past” is a series in which I write about individuals in the swing dance community that take performances/routines from the past and attempt to recreate or put their own spin on it.
For this second installment I am writing on a performance done at Lindy Focus IX by Laura Glaess and Mike Roberts in which they performed homage to the modern musical number called “Broadway Melody” from what is frequently described as one of the best movie musicals ever made…
Singing In The Rain (1952)
Singing In The Rain is my favorite musical of all time, it features a comedic plot that pokes fun at Hollywood and portrays the transition from silent films to sound films. In case you haven’t seen it (If you haven’t, seriously stop reading right now, rent a copy, and then watch it.) there is a breath-taking performance titled “Broadway Melody”, featuring legendary dancers Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse.
Laura and Mike when recreating this piece appeared to take everything into consideration; the mobsters at the beginning and end of the scene, costumes, props, and movement. It seemed not one little detail left unconsidered and it really gave the performance a polished feel. What really sold it for me though was both of them were in character, matching every step with the emotion or message they were trying to portray.
When I was watching Laura teach a class on how to dance like Cyd Charisse at Northeast Girl Jam 2010 in Rochester last Spring, I was already impressed on how well she could portray Cyd. However when I saw this pop on on vimeo, this performance just blew me away.
Original Clip:
Lindy Focus IX Performance:
It's The Way That You Do It 
One should also note that Laura Glaess made her green Cyd Charisse costume – all the skirt panels, sequins, details…awesome!
Wow, I can’t fathom the time it would take to meretriciously recreate that dress. Definitely kudos to Laura.
Cyd Charisse’s green shoes are very very very hard to find. I danced with a woman with yellow high heels (no joke). She was of Mexican origin and myself a son of a Greek native.