Do The Igor

Anyone who is familiar with the old black and white movies about Dr. Frankenstein, his sidekick, Igor, and their Transylvanian escapades will appreciate this very tongue-in-cheek song. In the movies, Igor (pronounced ee-gore) was the laboratory assistant of the mad doctor during his attempts to bring dead tissues back to life (yuck!). (In a more recent parody, writer/director Mel Brooks gave Igor a new perspective through the eyes of actor Marty Feldman who distinctively portrayed Igor - this time pronounced eye-gore. The movie was called Young Frankenstein and it's still one of our favorites!)

In this song, a disco beat, a pipe organ and a lot of cool sci fi sound effects, combine to create the perfect setting. It seems that on a dark and stormy night, Igor goes into a trance, and (wouldn't you know it) is compelled to dance!

Part 2 begins with the chant, "Yes, master" which was Igor's classic response to the doctor's every request. It should be performed in whisper, albeit a loud, exaggerated one.

Part 1 joins in with a melody which is almost familiar. Your students will have no trouble learning it quickly. Interspersed throughout the melody are optional, various spoken solo responses. Listen to the recording for performance suggestions, but don't feel you must follow our example exactly. Encourage your students to come up with their own creative sound effects and/or responses!

Since the song is about the dancing of this fictional and funny character, you will find that it's the perfect opportunity to add your own dancing. We have written in a suggested movement part on the music. You can use it as it is, or adapt it in any way. Your students will no doubt have a few thoughts on the subject. Again, let them contribute ideas. (Note: we deliberately avoided mentioning that Igor was probably a hunchback and didn't employ any "hunchback-like" lyrics or movement. We thought better of that and you may wish to do the same.)

"Shrug" is pretty self-explanatory, so you shouldn't have any problem deciphering that part of the movement suggestions. For example, "shrug L" means shrug the left shoulder. "Step to L" and "slide to L" means that a student steps sideways with the left foot then slides the right foot to meet the left one. A wee bit of a crouch or bend at the waist during the move will add a nice, Igor-esque touch.