Marianne Machin

Choreography, Dancing and Pop

MFOR. Dancing on My Own #7. Gotta Get Thru This

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If only I could get through this

 I was excited to do this one ’cause I thought it was from the 90s. And I’m pretty sure I’ve never choreographed to anything from the 90s? Turns out to be 2002 so missed that decade by a hair. Ah well. It’s still an unusual choice vibe-wise for me and, I have to admit, I was a teeny bit daunted when approaching it. ‘Cause it’s really fast and club-y and I don’t really know what to do with that? So, this routine took ages. It took lots of traipsing the streets listening on headphones. Followed by hours of bedroom sweating attempting to translate my outlandish mind-dancing into my inadequate actual dancing. I often have this really clear vision of what I want to achieve, yet never quite manage to hit the dizzy heights of my own imagination. Sigh. Having said that, I am happy with this routine now it’s finished. I feel like I did get at least some of what I wanted into it (although completely stumped by the end so it does tail off a bit. Ha ha. Fact!).

And a word about this crazy, cool, gigantic pop smash. Under 3 minutes long! Can you believe that? It doesn’t feel short at all because it’s crammed full of ideas and ambition. No wonder it was so irresistible at the time! Bloody hell. We didn’t stand a chance. And what happened to Daniel? I’m in awe of musicians who kill it and then do a runner. Isn’t it the greatest triumph? To turn your back at the peak of your game and never outstay your welcome, as so many unfortunately do. Respect.

This routine is fast and furious. It has to be to keep up with this song. Go wild!

Watch on YouTube here

Disclaimer: These are not virtuoso performances. Just me, in an attic, grappling with an iPhone, creaky floorboards and a bad haircut. The sound is a bit ropey and the elements make numerous uninvited appearances! No left or right instructions – do whatever feels most natural to you…mirror me or flip it and use the same arms and legs as I do. Dancers’ choice. The routines are as simple or as complex as want them to be…and remember, repetition is key. Happy dancing!

For Liam. Playlist junior (ha ha).

Previously: Germ Free Adolescents. X-Ray Spex
Up next: Dancing on My Own. Robyn…

MFOR. Dancing on My Own #6. Germ Free Adolescents

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You may get to touch her
If your gloves are sterilised

Full disclosure: There is a real life germ free adolescent in my lockdown home. Plugged in and oblivious to my crashing around above him (I hope?). And it’s his mum who ignited the spark to use this song ‘cause she bloody loves it. And I didn’t know how great it was until this project and now I’m fully smitten. And this is my first time choreographing to PUNK. Into it.

In terms of the lockdown playlist, I see this as a pretty cool entry. It’s a bit clever-clever which makes it a very satisfying addition. The best ones are where it’s not totally obvious but works beautifully for the situation. They make you want to punch the air when you think of them (see also: No Scrubs, Zoom, Evacuate the Dancefloor). In the case of Germ Free Adolescents, we all know kids got a free hall pass with this virus. When we were first learning about COVID it was big news that young healthy people were not in as much danger as the rest of us. But this song has another reading too ‘cause it’s about germs and how to deal. Hot topic. It feels like there’s an undercurrent of OCD here and this is interesting considering the world we now live in…a world of hand sanitizer, masks and zero contact. I wonder, is the new normal a comfort or a terror if you are a slave to cleanliness?

This routine feels a bit different to the others and is definitely more stylised. It was also probably the hardest to film in the limited space. I absolutely loved creating it and when alone in my bedroom it feels marvellous. But the reality of this clip is that I don’t really do it justice and look disappointingly average (boo). I hope you fare better!

Watch on YouTube here

Disclaimer: These are not virtuoso performances. Just me, in an attic, grappling with an iPhone, creaky floorboards and a bad haircut. The sound is a bit ropey and the elements make numerous uninvited appearances! No left or right instructions – do whatever feels most natural to you…mirror me or flip it and use the same arms and legs as I do. Dancers’ choice. The routines are as simple or as complex as want them to be…and remember, repetition is key. Happy dancing!

For Antonia. Oh My Goddess.

Previously: Afternoon Delight. Starland Vocal Band
Up next: Gotta Get Thru This. Daniel Bedingfield…

MFOR. Dancing on My Own #5. Afternoon Delight

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Looking forward to a little afternoon delight

It’s a funny old thing making decisions about what to choreograph to. I’m talking about when a choreographer gets to select music for a piece themselves (as opposed to a job where they don’t). I’m lucky enough to have worked independently with Sparklemotion for many years where I was very much in charge of song choice. And song choice is what? Fundamental. It dictates the level of ambition your choreo can achieve and it’s key to the impact a performance will have. Bad song choice can render great dancing dead in the water. I guess people would assume choreographers just pick things they like, but that is not the case. Not for me anyway. I mean, I do always love the songs I work with but sometimes that affection comes later. Like an arranged marriage. It’s hard to explain. Often I will hear a song for the first time and instantly know I want to use it. Or, I’ll be working around a theme and something will suddenly be the obvious choice. There are all these different criteria I’m listening out for – the journey of the song…a narrative I can latch onto…a video I can take inspiration from. Not once have I picked something because it’s a favourite. I do require the music I use to meet my own (imagined) standards of cool – ha ha (asshole) – but apart from that it all feels a bit fated. And this project has been no different. I made a shortlist, got a feel for how I wanted this MFOR journey to progress – making sure each track was distinct in both style and lockdown content – started with Screwed, and one pop gem just led to another…

…and so we come to Afternoon Delight. This is one of those Radio 2 jams you don’t hear very often but has a kind of kitsch pleasure to it. And it was a no-brainer for this project. Firstly, the subject matter offers a funny slant on lockdown life, which makes it appealing, and secondly, I knew it would be great to choreograph to. Pop music in the 70s was completely ridiculous. Look no further than Bohemian Rhapsody. And this OTT-ness makes great choreographic fodder. It’s a gift. I’ve had a ball with classics like Rasputin and Macarthur Park, and I always seize upon modern songs displaying glimpses of the overblown ambition of the 70s – We Are Never Getting Back Together, Uptown Funk etc. etc. Afternoon Delight is a bona fide bonkers 70s banger. It’s got this C&W vibe so immediately there’s a context to work within, and when you can be larger than life with the moves I think the results often make good choreographic sense. I really feel I have a knack for these kind of routines?? (maybe not something to celebrate???). Lord knows I’ve had plenty of practice! So don’t think you won’t like this dance if you don’t know or aren’t bothered about the song. Trust me, it’s a hoot.

Watch on YouTube here

Disclaimer: These are not virtuoso performances. Just me, in an attic, grappling with an iPhone, creaky floorboards and a bad haircut. The sound is a bit ropey and the elements make numerous uninvited appearances! No left or right instructions – do whatever feels most natural to you…mirror me or flip it and use the same arms and legs as I do. Dancers’ choice. The routines are as simple or as complex as want them to be…and remember, repetition is key. Happy dancing!
(The clattering noise you can hear in the background is rain. Pay it no mind.)

For Stu. Float like a bird and back.

Previously: Single Life. Cameo
Up next: Germ Free Adolescents. X-Ray Spex…

MFOR. Dancing on My Own #4. Single Life

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I’m living the single life

This one is a big old cheat. ‘Cause it’s Cameo and I can’t better Cameo. Who can? So, I’ve taken this opportunity to appropriate Cameo…which I’ve been waiting for an excuse to do for a really long time. Basically, this routine is taken straight from their 1985 Top of the Pops performance. If you’re not familiar, look it up right now and sit back and enjoy 4 minutes of pop perfection. My routine is their routine but fleshed out and tidied up for these purposes. And the lockdown connection is clear.

But let’s get back to that performance. ‘Cause, like, WOW.

Old people love TOTP (we really do). This is a much overstated fact and does possess its’ own whiff of MFOR. Many a cliché is wheeled out on music docs about the significance of TOTP for kids growing up in the 70s and 80s. What can I say? It’s all true. And now, thanks to BBC4, we get to re-watch old eps, and that, it turns out, is quite an interesting experience in itself. Because it’s so different to see this programme today! With a context for the artists and the songs and a knowledge of where they sit in the grand pop history of the world.  When I was a kid, I watched to get a visual representation of the chart I was obsessed with, and if I loved the song, I was probably gonna be into whatever took place on the screen, abomination or otherwise. But now, as a stupid adult who thinks she knows shit, I see it all much more critically. Shame. BUT, with these grown up eyes, it’s become clear that certain artists are TOTP gold. They just always bring it. And Cameo fall into that category for sure. This performance has everything…great song…great choreo…unbelievable fashion. But what it really comes down to is Larry. I mean, that’s star quality living right there. I want to be able to freestyle like that! I really do. I really can’t.

Warning: Ok, so I watched the video for Single Life in prep for this dance. I thought they might bust out the TOTP routine and I’d get to see more of it…but sadly, that is not the case. I was actually ready to be impressed because the video for Candy is amazing and still looks mega today. Single Life, however, does not. Man, it is so eighties (as in weren’t-pop-videos-terrible-in-the-eighties eighties)…bizarre storyline…weird representations of women…unexplained dance studio subplot…inappropriate full out jazz hands number mid song. Don’t go there. Watch Candy instead.

This routine is easy! Super easy. Like I said, I’ve filled in the gaps and added some bits to make it work for a lone dancer. The difficult thing here is making it look half way as good as they do. If we can accept that’s not happening, it’s very enjoyable. Sure, the freestyling is a teeny bit humiliating, but mine is on film so I’ve taken that one for the team. (And what is going on with my gormless face??? Too much concentration!).

Watch on YouTube here

Disclaimer: These are not virtuoso performances. Just me, in an attic, grappling with an iPhone, creaky floorboards and a bad haircut. The sound is a bit ropey and the elements make numerous uninvited appearances! No left or right instructions – do whatever feels most natural to you…mirror me or flip it and use the same arms and legs as I do. Dancers’ choice. The routines are as simple or as complex as want them to be…and remember, repetition is key. Happy dancing!

For Bernie. Backwards Vogueing superstar.

Previously: Level of Concern. 21 Pilots
Up next: Afternoon Delight. Starland Vocal Band…

MFOR. Dancing on My Own #3. Level of Concern

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Would you be, my little quarantine?

When I first heard this it blew my tiny mind. That word ‘quarantine’ in a song? Really? Did I actually hear that??? You see, I wake up to Radio 1 (forever and always). It’s in my DNA so, hey ho, what’s a girl to do. And through the fog of sleep my brain just snagged on that one word. It seemed extraordinary considering the wider situation. And when I listened again (conscious) it wasn’t just one word – they were using this kind of ‘pandemic vocabulary’ throughout the whole track. WTF? It didn’t seem possible for such a slick pop song to have been turned around in the few weeks we’d been behind closed doors? But the internet tells me that’s exactly what happened. Yes girl. I think over the coming months we’ll be bombarded with music written about what we’ve gone through (are still going through) – it’s already happening – but this was my first instance of hearing a completely new lyrical perspective reflecting a forever changed world. It’s really clever. It does what all great pop songs do – tackles something devastating and wraps it up in a bow. It’s not maudlin or earnest. It’s jaunty and it tricks you into thinking you’re on safe ground. Ostensibly about the relationship between two people, I’m definitely hearing a subtext about the contract between those in power and the rest of us. ‘In a world where you can just lie to me’. Come on.

I don’t know much about 21 Pilots – I guess they’re not really meant for me – but I am aware they’re huge with a certain (youthful) demographic AND without ever having been a fan per se I’ve always been a little bit intrigued cause the singles are weird and interesting. So I’m into it that they wrote this and made an unapologetic pop song. In lockdown no less. Plus, it’s totally giving me first album Phoenix vibes. (If I Ever Feel Better shortlisted for this project btw).

Hmmm. This routine is a bit trickier. Not the dancing itself – just the order of the different sections. It assumes a familiarity with the song not everyone will have…but no matter! I’ll be shouting random instructions to guide us through. Fun. I love this dance. Choreographing to brand new stuff is a THRILL.

Watch on YouTube here

Disclaimer: These are not virtuoso performances. Just me, in an attic, grappling with an iPhone, creaky floorboards and a bad haircut. The sound is a bit ropey and the elements make numerous uninvited appearances! No left or right instructions – do whatever feels most natural to you…mirror me or flip it and use the same arms and legs as I do. Dancers’ choice. The routines are as simple or as complex as want them to be…and remember, repetition is key. Happy dancing!

For Gracie. She’s in fashion.

Previously: Bedsitter. Soft Cell
Up next: Single Life. Cameo…