Super Hero
Created 2007
Choreographer: Marcia Little, Darby Wilde, & Dan Hollander
I have been working on this routine for close to five years! I knew that I wanted to figure out a way to have muscles that can pump up, like using a bicycle pump or something. I got tickets for a special effects company in CA to come back stage to meet me in 2001. “Well, after watching you skate, we can build you a suit that can inflate as long as we run cables out to you.” Uhm, hello, that won’t work!!! Oh, and did I mention the $80,000 price tag that went with it!!!! Needless to say, I didn’t use them and put that number on the backburner.
I found a Superman kids suit this year that uses a fan running continuously to inflate it. However, that wouldn’t work for many reasons, but it really lit a fire under my butt to get this routine figured out and brought to life. My good buddy John figured out a way to inflate for less, which you will see in the video (can’t give away our secrets!) My biceps are able to pump up, and the price tag was $300…much better than 80grand! The belt is part of the mechanism, which is why there is SOOO much bulk to the “utility” belt. So no, I’m not fat, just a lot of stuff on me this year!
A body builder was one idea, yet I couldn’t figure out music for that theme. Eventually the idea of saving a girl tied to train tracks and being multiple heros was the way to go. I had an idea of an “urkel” like superhero, but trashed that idea. Of course I had to add in a female super hero, gosh knows Tommy loves me as an ugly woman!
I also wanted to add a little bit of “hip hop.” Well, that is at least what I am attempting to do with the help of Darby with the Frou Frou version of “i Need a Hero” from Shrek in the footwork section. I have to say this is the bulkiest outfit I have skated in because of the multiple layers. And I wanted a “stepping” part like they do in college. So I kept thinking of the “Hollerback” girl song…and when I threw a count of 8 in there of it, and got a lot of laughs from people on the ice, and kept it.