
Updated
22.11.08
Dear fans, friends,
and colleagues,
Firstly I am
very excited to announce that from 2009 DANCING QUEEN - Australia's
Ultimate ABBA Show will be known as ABBALIVE. This is an exciting
new season for DANCING QUEEN and a more universal name seems appropriate
with the anticipation of things to come.
The highlight
of 2008 so far would have to be the Mamma Mia Movie Premiere. We were
invited to do a meet and greet with the guests including quite a few
Brisbane celebs, and stayed to see the very first and exclusive showing
of this great movie. ABBA have done it again and have proven their
music appeals to any generation, in any country on this earth. I wouldn't
be surprised if they were playing ABBA right now on a planet in the
next galaxy!!!
DANCING QUEEN
has gone through some major changes over 2008. We have an almost completely
new lineup with the replacement of the parts of Bjorn, Benny, and
Frida. This has been a very difficult time finding members who can
fill such large shoes, and we will miss Matt, Renato, and Astin very
much.
I would like
to pay special tribute to Matt who played Benny. Matt has been with
DANCING QUEEN from the very beginning and was also a teacher at my
music school for quite a few years prior to that. This past month
without him has been very hard and we miss him desperately. His final
show in Hervey Bay was to say the very least a "tear-fest"
and I have worked alongside him for 8 years. He has left an enormous
hole and we hope that his new ventures are as fulfilling as his time
with DANCING QUEEN
And now to our
lovely new members. James as Bjorn is the true rock God and is already
getting fan mail saying "Who is this new hunk of spunk!"
Jaqueline who is our lovely new Frida has been describe as having
a beautiful natural vocal so rich and close to the sound of Frida
it is frightening, and it has been said her hair is more like Frida
than Frida's hair herself! And to our lovely new Benny, the youngest
member of the group. We hunted through about 30 applicants of Australia's
finest and are happy to announce Luke Adeney is meeting our expectations
filling the shoes of our irreplaceable Matt. Welcome to you all.
Myself and our
dear devoted drummer Tim who has been promoted to Assistant Manager
will be staying for another season. "Timmy" is very happy
to have a new playmate in the rhythm section of Dancing Queen, our
new bass player, Nick, who is equally tall and gorgeous as Tim but
with tanned skin and dark hair. I personally think they like a pair
of salt and pepper shakers!
We are still
constantly adding new items to our costumes in the quest for authenticity.
We have JUST added our fourth costume - the goreous gold and white
outfits that ABBA wore for the encore in ABBA The Movie (as well as
numerous European appearances). We do feel rather naked in them as
they are very short, but once again they are exactly like the real
thing! I am also eyeing off a very striking black outfit I found on
youtube.
Finally and
always thanks to ABBA for the music. Without the music from these
four amazing people we wouldn't get to perform these incredible pieces
of artwork, and would be undertaking employment that would be no doubt
far less satisfying!