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On Eagle's Wing

On Eagle's Wing brings to life the history of the Scots/Irish in the 1600's in their quest to find Zion in the new world called America. This original musical, composed by John Anderson, was first mounted in 2004. It has gained momentum with a new production company that has big plans for the musical. It will begin in Belfast and continue to Dublin in late September.

Gail will be directing and choreographing this large scale production musical. "This musical is a huge undertaking," says Gail, "and it is important that the dance styles match the era." "Also it will be a challenge to stage such a large scale dance show and at the same time direct the actors, lighting cues, music and fight scenes as well."

John Anderson was with Gail in London in April auditioning for the cast. Nearly 100 people auditioned for the cast of 30. Many from the oiginal 2004 cast will return, such as Peter Corry, famous for his years of playing Inspector Javert in Les Miserables. Corry is looking forward to the new production, which has an updated script, promising more audience intimacy and excitement.

Rehearsals begin at the end of August for five weeks in Belfast prior to opening. For more information on this project, please check out the main website for On Eagle's Wing here.

Hans Klok: Faster Than Magic - European Tour

Hans Klok has just embarked on a European tour, minus Pamela Anderson, but with his ever loyal, ultra-talented and beautiful Diva assistants. The European version of the show is slightly longer (2 hours) and with an intermission. Again the creative team has outdone themselves with new ways to present the illusions and the staging of the dancers. Complete with video imagery and projections, this show has built upon the Vegas show and is dazzling audiences throughout Europe.

During the first shows in Holland, Hans announced over the microphone that Gail Davies is "the best magic director and choreographer in the world." After a sellout performance in Germany, Hans called Gail from the tour bus to thank her again and to say that the show received a magnanimous standing ovation.

The show is currently being performed in both theatres and stadiums, and works well in either venue. The tour is planned to continue through the end of July. Hans is excitedly planning his next move.

Perhaps another return to Vegas???

CALLBACK Article, Oct. 2007

GAIL DAVIES – Continued

By Buzz Wolfe

Life keeps getting busier for Gail Davies. NYK Cruises Asuka II, for which Gail produced, choreographed and directed 5 full length shows in June, 2007, have now requested a mini-show. This show will be performed at the Captain’s party at the beginning of the cruise. Gail is scheduled to board the ship in September and mount the new show in 6 days. Another new set of original costumes has been created and a 15 minute musical score has been arranged to go along with the classical-themed show production. Aside from mounting the show in 6 days, the 5 existing shows will be videotaped for future promotional use.

The new shows aboard the Asuka II have received rave reviews and outstanding comments from the passengers. The cruise line has acknowledged the difference between shows which were already existing productions, compared to the brand new productions, conceived from scratch specifically for NYK Cruises. “I must say that in the past years all the production shows were already bought packages where the shows were not made special for Asuka. THESE shows are!” - Bob Tenaka – Cruise Director, Asuka II. The President of the cruise line felt that he had a hand in the production from beginning to end. This resulted in a feeling of complete “hands on” in the creative process which leads to complete passenger satisfaction. Gail gets a feeling of satisfaction from creating from the ground up, and listening to what the client has in mind. The result is repeat business from each client and positive word of mouth satisfaction with her projects.

While expanding her business “at sea,” she has also recently updated some key aspects in the Hans Klok Show with Pamela Anderson at Planet Hollywood. There was a small cast change of dancers, for which she auditioned in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It was difficult to find several dancers capable of the technical demands of the show. It’s not easy to find dancers that can do multiple pirouettes, fouette turns and acro as well. There were also some key directing changes for the magic sequences and 4 minutes was cut from the run time of the show. The magic appears faster than ever now and the focus on the story line is easier to follow.

Professional choreographers have had a difficult time in recent years, with many shows downsizing their productions and cutting costs wherever they can. It spite of all this, Gail Davies has continued to pick up more projects. She enjoys the diversity of creating new concepts that are unique for the stage.

Gail’s main ambition though, is to choreograph an original Broadway production. The thought of choreographing for Broadway or the West End has been a dream for Gail since she was a teenage ballerina. The reality of it is inevitable. Her connections are far reaching and her reputation is flawless. “To choreograph an original production for Broadway or the West End has been my desire for as long as I can remember. The challenge is to express with movement a visual element that propels the storyline.”

Gail Davies continues to gain momentum. She now has offices in Las Vegas, Brisbane and London. The upcoming cast change for NYK Cruises will be rehearsed in Australia, and the cast change for Travelscope Cruises will be handled from England. Gail has enjoyed the jet-set lifestyle, but now has expanded to the point that she cannot possibly be on 3 continents at the same time. She has been loyal to dancers and performers she has worked with in the past, and has enlisted them to assist her in mounting shows and handling the various production challenges that arise. The momentum continues on…

For more information, please log on to Gail’s website. www.choreographybygail.com

Or email her at GLDavies@aol.com

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September, 2007

CALLBACK Article,
Sept. 2007

GAIL DAVIES

by Buzz Wolfe

The alarm goes off at 6:30 am. The tea kettle whistles and a tea bag is hurriedly dunked into the hot steaming water. By 6:45 am, the CD boom box is blaring tracks from one of the 5 shows which is being created, staged, choreographed, directed and produced by world class choreographer Gail Davies for NYK Cruises in Japan. As any producer knows, one show is daunting enough to put together from scratch. Five shows at once is a feat that few mortal souls dare to risk. Gail welcomes the challenge enthusiastically.

As if that weren't exhausting enough, Gail arrives at Planet Hollywood because she is also preparing the Hans Klok show for it's Vegas opening with Pamela Anderson. She has expertly choreographed 16 dancers doing the tango, effortlessly leaping on & off the table tops while spinning, flicking, dipping and lifting. Also there is a clever tap dance routine on top of gigantic blocks of cheese. The show is a huge production and is very demanding of her time. Balancing these demands calmly and confidently marks the difference between success and failure. Gail has the integrity and knowledge to deal equally with issues whether administrative or creative.

Gail Davies was born and raised in England, and in the late 80’s migrated to Las Vegas, Nevada where she finished her dance career in the famed “Siegfried & Roy Show” at the Mirage Resort, and made the transition to fulltime Free-Lance Choreographer. Gail's early credits include Associate Choreographer for the Las Vegas spectacular "EFX!" at the MGM Grand Hotel, as well as many convention and casino production show projects.

In recent years, she has enjoyed a close relationship with Walt Disney Entertainment in Orlando, Florida, having contributed to numerous Disney projects as Choreographer, including the Animal Kingdom Dedication Ceremony, Tapestry of Nations and Tapestry of Dreams Parades at Epcot Center, Disneyana Convention, and two Travel Industry Association Pow-Wows. Also in connection with Disney, Gail acted as Choreographer, Co-Director and creative team member for the Emmy nominated Super Bowl 2000 Half Time Show in Atlanta.

Gail is particularly proud of her work on the 2002 Paralympics Winter Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies as Co-Director & Choreographer. Her efforts contributed to an eventual Emmy Award for Best Direction, Daytime Programming.

In 2002, Gail choreographed her third show for the largest revue in Europe, Berlin's famed Friedrichstadtpalast, as well as the Heineken NightLive Pop Concert with British director Anthony Van Laast to a live audience of 20,000 in Holland.

Current projects include “On Eagle’s Wing,” a Broadway bound stadium show featuring the music of famed Irish composer, John Anderson. Future projects has Gail traveling to Copenhagen to stage a seasonal show at the renown Tivoli Gardens in honor of the anniversary of Hans Christian Andersson, and to Rotterdam Holland to direct the Nickelodeon Awards.

Gail has also choreographed and directed stage shows for such prestigious cruise lines as Disney Cruise Lines, American Viking Line, Carnival Cruises, Japan Cruise Lines. and NYK Cruises, for whom she is currently producing 5 shows simultaneously.

Gail has obviously attained some lofty credits. She lives to dance and her life is a graceful integration of her skills. It's exciting to contemplate what the next project will be. Her goal is to choreograph an original musical on Broadway or London's famed West End. Whatever it may be, she will approach it with integrity and will bring her skills and experience to the table. The great stages of the world await and welcome her.

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August, 2007

Asuka II - NYK Cruises

Gail has just returned from the Asuka II, NYK Cruises' luxury liner which will set sail out of Yokohama, Japan. Gail joined the ship in New York City while it was on a world cruise. During the seven week journey back to Japan, Gail assembled five shows from the ground up. The five shows, "Amor," "Unforgettable Musicals," "Fantazia," "Shall We Dance" and "Masters of Illusion" are all original productions with custom created sets, costumes, and video backdrop imagery.

The cast of 10 are engaged for a 6 month contract with options to renew in November. The shows are getting rave reviews from the crew and passengers alike. The shows have incredible range from musicals to circus carnival atmosphere, from whimsy to breathtaking illusion and from heartfelt ballads to high-energy, pulse pounding precision choreography. Gail has had the opportunity on this project to showcase all of her skills as a gifted, insightful choreographer and to leap headfirst into producing as well. These shows will be running for the next two years on the Asuka II.

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July, 2007

Hans Klok: The Beauty of Magic

Hans Klok: The Beauty of Magic, featuring Pamela Anderson opened June 2nd, 2007 at the Planet Hollywood Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.

The show was directed by the illustrious Anthony Van Laast. Gail had the choreographic and co-directing duties. A recent review from Chuck Rounds on igoshows.com said "The best part about the show is the dancers. There are a lot of talented people that perform some terrific choreography. The dancers look good, dance great, and are the highlight of the show."

The opening number is an uptempo techno piece that sets the tone for Hans, who is reputedly "the fastest magician in the world." Watching this number, one becomes immediately aware that these are some of the finest dancers in the world. Effortlessly displaying their exquisite ballet technique while pounding out rhythmic hip-hop, techno jazz split leaps, flips, fouette turns, and pirouettes, the dancers etch out picture perfect precision while remaining poised and confident. Gail's choreography suggests drill sergeant like rehearsals, but the dancers would attest to the fact that she has the loving artists touch, which compels everyone to reach past their perceived limitations.

The show is currently set to run until early December, 2007.

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