The Spirits Speak Out

in Behind the Camera by Kevin Railsback — January 16, 2010 at 11:31 am | 3 comments

You’ve seen them at events all over Iowa and the United States. They’ve captivated audiences wherever they go. They perform, sign autographs and then like rock stars, vanish.

I had the opportunity to sit down with some of the team once again to learn a little bit more about the women that make up the CR Spirits.

This was the second round of interviews for most of the team. I figured that after the first round of interviews the butterflies would be settled and they’d feel more relaxed. I was perplexed to discover that they were just as nervous, possibly even more. Had I discovered a form of CR Spirits Kryptonite? Were they worried that if they flubbed an answer I’d put it in the documentary?

Being in front of the camera can be a scary thing. I’ve had to do it and it’s not an easy thing. I think we’ve developed a great amount of trust with each other. ( Correct me here girls if I’m wrong ) So I’m not sure why they were so nervous. I could see as they made their way down the hallway the urge to bolt and run. I’m sure that all the new lighting gear that I added this time around didn’t help. I also was fortunate enough to have my brother from another mother, Jon Van Allen come down and help me out this round. So that probably added to their nervousness as they had never met Jon before tonight.

Jon is a master at lighting. He’s worked on projects for MTV, HBO, feature films,you name it. I’d been trying to get him to stop in for over a year but he’s in such high demand all over the country that his schedule never permits it. So, I was ecstatic when I learned that his schedule had opened up and he could come down for the interviews.

I’m not sure what they were worried about. They were fun, they were engaging, they did just fine.

There were certainly some prized soundbites that I just have to save for the documentary. Amy gave what will probably be the best line in the whole documentary. If it doesn’t bring the house down I don’t know what will.

Even though I asked a lot of the same questions, the answers weren’t just a repeat of the first interviews. I really came away with some fantastic footage.

HD cameras need a ton of light. If they get that light, the images they produce are just magical. Adding about 3000 more watts of light, which isn’t very much in filmmaking terms made the set come alive as my camera was operating in a range that made it happy.

Returning to the team this year are several veteran members. One of them, Rachel, had the task of being the first to get interviewed. The team had only had a few practices so far so she really hadn’t had an opportunity to see what I was all about and get to build that trust I had with the team members from last year.

Even though she may have been very nervous. She did great.

Here’s a little clip from her interview where she talks about how she is able to find a balance with dancing and family life.

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But before all the interviews were filmed that night, the lighting had to be tweaked before any of the team arrived. Luckily we had Tiffany agree to sit in so the lighting could be adjusted and checked.

Now I’m sure I’ll get an email from Tiffany as soon as she watches this clip but you know, I think it really shows a part of why she’s been so successful. Now don’t get me wrong, she’s dead serious when it comes to dance. But she can run a serious practice and have fun doing it. This is a little bit of her fun side. Here’s her response to my question of who is your favorite filmmaker as only Tiffany and maybe Paris Hilton could respond.

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We’ll be doing more interviews over the next few weeks. I’ve already made Deatra cry so who knows what will happen during these interviews!

You’re beautiful Deatra you have nothing to worry about when this film comes out!

Tags: Cedar Rapids CR Spirits Dance Studio Dance Team Escape to the Music Iowa Kuehl Professional Dance Team Routine Tiffany