RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR - THE ROCKETTES

Music/Lyrics: Mark Waldrop and Mark Hummel, Book: Mark Waldrop and Linda Harberman.  The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is an annual show that is held at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. The show is held during the Christmas season. It is seen by more than a million visitors a year. The show uses over 140 performers, lavish costumes and an original musical score. It presents a combination of special effects, music and dance during various acts. The featured performers are the women’s precision dance troupe known as the Rockettes. The show runs for six weeks from November 9 to December 30 and has, over the many years since it was first presented, become an annual tradition in New York at Christmas time. 

History - The Christmas show has grown and changed over the years. It began in 1933 as the live holiday show between movie screenings. This was just one year after the opening of the Music Hall in 1932. The show was created the Music Hall’s stage producer Leon Leonidoff. It consisted primarily of The Rockettes’ “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers”, choreographed by their founder, Russell Markert, and “The Living Nativity”. These scenes have continued in every edition of the annual show up to the present day. The Christmas show, like all the Radio City stage shows, was produced and choreographed by Leonidoff and Markert through the early decades of the Music Hall’s history.

In 1979, after the Music Hall ceased showing feature films, the Christmas show was transformed from a 30-minute stage feature into a hit stand alone 90-minute show. It incorporated many new scenes and additional acts have since been regularly added. Technology that did not exist in 1933 has been incorporated to bring the show up to date with many special effects, including the 3-D film which now opens the show.

In addition to the show’s annual presentation at Radio City, road companies have presented a touring version in theaters throughout the United States, in cities from Fort Lauderdale to Costa Mesa. The first Christmas Spectacular outside of Radio City was presented in Branson, Missouri at the Grand Palace Theatre in 1994. The Rockettes, having been originally founded in Kansas City (where they were called the Missouri Rockets), literally returned home for the extravaganza. The show was very successful and launched a national tour the following year. The original touring show was presented in conjunction with Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation and lasted from 1994 to 2003. In 2008, a new tour consisting of the 2007 edition will be launched, playing at arena venues around the country.  

Outline of the show - The Christmas Spectacular begins with a performance from the Radio City Rockettes performing the new opening number called “Ring Out Those Bells”. Before the song is over, Santa appears on stage and they have lift off. Once they lift off it is time for the 3-D movie where the audience sees Santa Claus flying to New York City from the North Pole in his magic sleigh. Once he arrives there, we see him flying in his sleigh around some of New York City’s landmarks. The sights include the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. We see Santa heading towards the Radio City Music Hall, for his annual visit. When watching this film, it is important to wear the 3-D glasses that the Music Hall gives to its patrons. Once Santa arrives at the Music Hall, the movie ends and the show really begins. Santa appears on stage and acts as host. His first act as host is to introduce the Rockettes. The dance group then performs their recently added opening number “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (Rock and Dance Version).

Santa than announces the act called “Every little girl’s dream”, which is a scene from The Nutcracker. The scene involves a little girl dreaming about opening her presents on Christmas Day, and dancing with the six-foot tall toy bears and rabbits that she finds in the unwrapped boxes. Next is one of the show’s original acts from 1933, “The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers”, again performed by the Rockettes. The toy soldier costumes worn in the act are the same design as the original 1933 performance, although each costume is made for the individual dancer.  The next dance number starts with The Rockettes out in front of Radio City with a big double decker tour bus. They go all over New York on the bus singing the new number “New York at Christmas”. The bus arrives at Times Square where the Rockettes finish off their dance with on-stage fireworks.  The next act is where Santa is on a street corner where two boys, Ben and Patrick, come up to Santa. Ben asks Santa for help to find a present for their sister. Patrick claims that it isn’t Santa. But Santa influences Patrick that it is the real deal with the number “I See Santas’ Everywhere”. Santa then trys to get to Patrick that it is the real deal and sings a song to get him to understand called ‘Magic is There’. Then with magic, the boys and Santa fly. Then they take off on a blizzard to the North Pole. At the North Pole, Santa arrives with Ben and Patrick. Santa says for them to find a gift in the warehouse. He says “When it is really the right gift, you don’t find the gift… the gift finds you.”. Then the Rockettes perform the number “The Ragdolls”.

It is time for liftoff. Santa and his reindeer (Rockettes) take off on Christmas Eve to deliver the presents. Ben and Patrick magically return home to Times Square and Patrick admits that he believes and sings a reprise of ‘Magic is There’. The final act is the “Living Nativity”, one of the shows original scenes. Special effects are used to dramatize the birth of Christ. This has a new narration by Ben and Patrick, reading to their sister. The scene is also called “One Solitary Life”. The show ends with a show stopping number called “Let Christmas Shine” where everything is silver. The audience is asked to turn on the lights, to light up the theatre, that the theatre employees gave them on their way to their seat.  Reff: from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!!  To view Show Dates and times visit: http://dreamcatchercalendars.com/travelogue/view_event.php?id=131&eDate=1227682800

 

10 ways to Negotiate your way to success:

Trevor Ketler Presentations presents: Are people walking all over you? Are you always on the losing side of Win-Lose situations? Positioning is everything in negotiation. The way that the situation is initially approached, and when, are more influential on outcomes than all of the other negotiating tactics and techniques combined.

1. Have an alternative - negotiate with freedom of choice:
If you can’t walk away because you need the deal so badly or perhaps the other side is the only one in town, then you are placing yourself at a serious disadvantage.

2. Negotiate to acquire a win-win deal:
If you start to negotiate before receiving this commitment you’ll concede ground and the customer will attain a better starting point.

3. Aim for the best outcome:
If you’re buying, aim very low - but do it politely. The seller can often achieve a higher selling price than he anticipates if he hears what the buyer is prepared to offer first.

4. Let the other side go first:
Knowing the other person’s starting point before you have to give your own, is clearly an advantage to you. For example, if selling, ask the other side if they have an ‘outline budget’.

5. List all of the other side’s requirements before negotiating:
Establish what the other person needs, including personal and emotional aspects. Everything that is part of or related to a deal has a value. Everything has a cost to you or your organization.

6. Trade concessions - don’t give them away:
Never give away a concession without getting something in return

7. Keep the whole picture in your mind:
The buyer’s tactic will be to separate out single issues, or introduce new ones later. If you allow this to happen your position will be eroded.

8. Keep searching for variables, concessions, ‘bargaining chips’, incentives:
A variable or tradable is any factor that can be altered and which has a real or perceived value. The other person may not be totally open, or even fully aware of all the possible variables that are of interest, so keep looking for them.

9. Keep accurate notes:
Controlling the negotiation is vital. The other person may forget, misunderstand, or attempt to distort the interpretation of what was discussed and agreed. Keeping notes shows that you are in control, professional, and enables you to summarize and assess continually.

10. Summarize and clarify the negotiation as you go:
This avoids misunderstandings developing, accidentally or otherwise. These can be catastrophic, not so much because of the way they affect the structure of the unfolding deal, but because they undermine the rapport and the trust, which is critical to being able to do business in the first place.

Did you find this article helpful? We have courses coming up soon that are designed to develop the skills required to Negotiate more effectively.

For more info or to subscribe to our monthly newsletter visit our website on http://www.ketler.co.za

The Most Desirable Client

Advertising genius David Ogilvy started in the ad business by making a list of some corporations he would most like to have as clients. His attitude was, if you have to pursue new clients why not pursue especially desirable ones.
Goal setting is an important part of business success. As part of the goal setting process you should determine who your desirable customers are. There may be differences between your existent customers and your most desirable customers and you’ll need to take careful notice of those differences. Explore why they exist and determine what strategies are needed to attract and satisfy those preferred customers.
Now that we have talked about identifying our most desirable prospect for out business I’d like to welcome you to the wonderful world of mailing lists. To the uninitiated it’s usually a real shock to discover just how many different mailing lists are available and how sophisticated you can get in selecting mailing lists.
I want to emphasize right off the bat that 99% of all small business and small company owners have very minimal knowledge of this subject. They know very little about the availability and use of mailing lists, particularly those tied to national databases. Taking the time to acquire and creatively use this knowledge can be a huge competitive advantage.
I have in front of me the SRDS Directory - Standard Rate and Data Service. This is a directory of just about every mailing list and mailing list supplier in existence. My issue consists of over 1,600 oversized pages crammed with tiny eight and six point type listings and descriptions of one list after another.
It is important to know that there are three basic kinds of lists.  Subscriber lists - those people who subscribe to a particular magazine, newsletter or other publication. Generally they’re available as is, separated by expires, current subscribers and hotline subscribers, that is the very new recent new subscribers, and by many other basic sorts - geographic for example. So a list of the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine subscribers for the city of Chicago is easy to get and readily available, for example.
Then there are purchaser lists. The buyers of just about anything and everything are available. Here are a few examples - Omaha Steaks customers, Maple Grove maple syrup buyers, purchasers of tickets to the Boston Ballet, Brooks Brother’s mail order customers, mail order buyers of Giorgio perfumes, General Nutrition Corporation vitamin customers.
Many different sorts are then available in most purchasers’ lists. You may be able to specify by the amount of their average purchase, by repeat purchase behavior, by use of credit cards, by the recency of their ordering and of course geographic area.
The other type of list is a compiled list. Compiled lists are different in that they generally come from different sources merged together rather than one. Although a notable exception to that is business category lists compiled from the yellow pages.
A good example of a compiled list is chief executive officers of companies with at least fifty employees. That list is put together from information in various directories and from telephone surveys. You can rent these lists as is in the entirety broken down into specialized sorts or merged/purged.

In you next Success Marketing Strategy I will discuss the different capabilities of each of the different types of lists and how you want to consider the value of each one. Look for it in just a couple of days.

Dedicated To Multiplying Your Income, Dan Kennedy www.Glazer-KennedyWebstore.com

TINA TURNER LIVE!!!

Eight-time Grammy Award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Tina Turner, is making her long-awaited return to arenas throughout North America and across Europe. Tina’s brand new stage show will feature hit after hit spanning Turner’s entire career, with a spectacular and stunning production plus the singer’s incredible band, innovative choreography, hi-tech lighting and much more. The tour kicks off in the United States on October 1 and runs through Europe, concluding in April 2009.   The brand new stage show will feature hit after hit spanning Turner’s entire career, with a spectacular production including the singer’s top-notch band, innovative choreography, hi-tech lighting and much more. The set, the production, the songs, and Turner’s unique stage presence will delight her legions of fans who have followed the legendary diva’s extraordinary creative journey, while seducing new admirers and proving that her vocal majesty still continues its reign to this day.

Tina Turner was Born in Brownsville, Tennessee, and raised in Nutbush, just like the song says, and was in recording sessions as early as 1953 when she was barely a teenager. In 1958 she married guitarist and bandleader, Ike Turner, and in the 1960’s they recorded a string of hits, including “A Fool In Love” and “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine”.The recording of the ground breaking “River Deep, Mountain High” with producer Phil Spector was a monster hit in Europe and the start of Tina’s superstar status.

The 70’s brought hits such as “Proud Mary” and Tina’s self-penned “Nutbush City Limits”, but the marriage was disintegrating due to Ike’s abusive behaviour and after starring in The Who’s 1976 film of “Tommy”, Tina was ready to strike out on her own.  As the massively successful film “What’s Love Got To Do With It” would later depict, she had to haul her way up a mountain of debts and disinterest but in 1982 she landed a solo deal with Capitol Records and by the summer of ‘84 the album “Private Dancer”, with its acclaimed singles “Let’s Stay Together” and “What’s Love Got To Do With It”, was on its way to world sales of 11 million and 4 Grammys.

Since that time the successes have just kept coming: a starring role in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome; duets with Bryan Adams, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and Italian superstar, Eros Ramizotti amongst others; a best-selling autobiography, ‘I, Tina’; which was made into the critically acclaimed film “What’s Love Got to Do with It”, chronicling her life and receiving two Academy Award nominations; a string of hit albums and awards; and sell-out world tours; including:

• the 1986 “Break Every Rule” album and world tour. Tina entered the record books when she performed in front of the largest paying audience ever to see a single performer -186,000 spectators at the Macarana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro;
• the 1989 “Foreign Affair” album and tour, spawning hits such as “Steamy Windows” and “The Best”;
• the 1995 “Wildest Dreams” album and extensive world tour, breaking box office records in 12 countries; and
• in 2000 the phenomenally successful “Twenty Four Seven” millennium world tour, the highest grossing US tour of the year.
• In 2004 Tina released her last album, a compilation of Greatest Hits with the newly recorded single “Open Arms“. It was a worldwide hit, debuting at #2 in the US charts.  In 2005 Tina was honoured as one of Oprah Winfrey’s legends, African-American women who broke barriers through their work, and ended the year as one of the recipients in Washington DC of the Kennedy Center Honors, the highest form of recognition of excellence in the arts in America.  In February this year, Tina performed with Beyonce at the 50th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. She electrified the audience and received a standing ovation for her performance and duet with Beyonce, and garnered highly positive reviews in the press. It was due to this overwhelming reaction, and requests from fans all over the world to perform live once again, that she has decided to do some select concerts in North America and Europe.  With sales of 170 million albums and a phenomenal number of hit records to her career;  River Deep, Mountain High, Proud Mary, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Better Be Good To Me, Typical Male, What You See is What You Get, Steamy Windows, We Don’t Need Another Hero, Goldeneye, The Best … Tina Turner is the most successful female rock artist of all time and the undisputed Queen of Rock N Roll.  To view tour dates and times visit: http://www.dreamcatchercalendars.com/aam/view_event.php?id=377&eDate=1225522800