The solo performance was based on the musical Newsies, focusing on sections from the Tony Awards medley. Newsies is set in 1899 New York City and tells the story of newsboys who go on strike after newspaper prices are raised. The solo incorporated jazz dance styles and high-impact choreography, which the performer enjoyed. Significant practice was required to maintain energy and character throughout the challenging routine. Acting lessons helped achieve the determined character of the strikers through added sounds and heavy breathing.

1. BTEC performing arts
Solo description
For my solo, I choose Newsies, the sections I used is off the Tony
Awards, which is a medley of sections from Newsies. Newsies is based
in New York City, 1899, where a team of newsboys make a meagre
living by selling newspapers on the streets. Then when the prices of
“papes” were hiked, the Newsies were hung out to dry. The only thing they could do was
“open the gates and seize the day”. The group is led by charismatic Jack and independent
newspaper reporter Katherine. This musical is inspired by the true story of the 1899
Newsboys Strike, Newsies is an ebullient, joyful, and entertaining musical capturing the
strength that young people have when they join together and stand up against injustice.
This piece is good for me because it is mainly jazz technique styles which I what I have mainly
trained in. Also, the choreography was high impacted which is the type of dance performance
I enjoy the best. The routine was easy to learn but once I had learnt it doing it all at the same
time I found it hard to keep the energy going all the way through. However, this is my
favourite type of dance routine because it challenges me to work harder and push further to
each my goal. To achieve this performance, I had to work extremely hard and put in lots of
hours to keep the energy and character all the way through the performance. I also had to
work really hard to get the right character throughout the whole routine. I work with my
acting tutor to achieve the right character through the piece. To achieve the character, I add
grunts and heavy breathes because I made me look more determined and like I have work
really hard during the strike they were having. Overall, the performance was a challenging
one but I work hard with teachers and watched the video of the routine lots to get the
character they were portraying.