Move · Videos · Dance · 28 min

Broadway Theatre Dance Lesson: Put On a Happy Face

Broadway Theatre Dance Lesson: Put On a Happy Face — video by Ailey Extension Play · 28:27

Video by Ailey Extension on YouTube · Open on YouTube

Singer, dancer and choreographer Lainie Munro, who teaches at Broadway Dance Center, Steps and Ailey, teaches a playful beginner theatre-dance routine to Put On a Happy Face from Bye Bye Birdie, acting out a story with a hat, section by section and then to the music. Warm up first.

  • 28 min
  • Beginner
  • Moderate impact
  • No equipment
  • Jazz

Good forDancing for funFun workouts

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Step by step 13

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Walk in: a clockwise circle of walks, right foot first. 1:39
  2. Chassé ball change and sways; beginners can follow just the feet. 2:19
  3. Grapevine left and right, hat over the heart, a heartbeat, kicks, then the hat goes on. 3:25
  4. Turn, parallel passé and the open Gene Kelly pose, then a grapevine with a drag. 4:44
  5. Run section one slowly with counts, then dance it to the cast recording. 6:06
  6. Section two: sailor steps, pops, a slow lunge, chorus-line accents and a pas de bourrée. 7:48
  7. Travel upstage with opposition arms, take the hat off, then touches and a cross. 9:09
  8. Dance sections one and two with the music. 11:20
  9. Section three: trace the hat brim, a Charlie Chaplin plié, drag ball changes and a kick. 12:45
  10. Eight counts of acting, walk away, then the ending with a step out and a look up. 14:44
  11. The whole routine, talked through with the music. 17:28
  12. From the top again, with tips on acting the story, opposition arms and holding the hat. 19:00
  13. Dance it to the music without talking. 24:06

The steps are a summary in our words, checked against the video — the coach shows every move.

Form cues from the coach

  • Learn the footwork first, then the arms, then add the hat
  • Use opposition: the opposite arm to the stepping foot
  • Tell the story with your face as you dance

What it works Whole body

Tap an area for more videos that work it.

Joints it uses 1 take load

  • Knees takes loadchassés, pliés, a slow lunge, pivots and turns
  • Shoulders movesarm lines and hat moves
  • Hips moveskicks, passé, grapevines, drags
  • Ankles & feet movesball changes, pas de bourrée, sailor steps

Easier option from the coach: Beginners can follow just the footwork and leave out the hat

A guide to the joints this video’s moves load, from what the coach does — not medical advice. Some ache is normal; stop if a joint hurts sharply. How joints are rated

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Video by Ailey Extension; the summary, steps, cues, body areas and joint notes are Notbroken’s, written from what the coach actually does in the video and checked a second time. Warm up first, take the easier options until a move feels easy, and stop if you feel sharp pain, chest pain or dizziness. General instruction, not advice for your body. About & safety