Show choir edit
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Show choir edit
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A show choir (originally called 'swing choir') is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.
Show choir traces its origins as an activity in the United States during the mid-1960s, though cultural historians have been unable to determine the date and location of the first "true" show choir group (see "F. Ritchie Walton" in paragraph 4 below). Two groups of touring performers, Up with People and The Young Americans, traveled extensively throughout the country in the 1960's, performing what could be called the show choir concept. When students and directors of the day saw these organizations, they would, in turn, start similar groups at their high schools.
Two collegiate groups which also influenced the show choir idiom are Indiana University's Singing Hoosiers and the University Singers of Ball State University. These groups are credited as catalysts for the proliferation of swing choir/show choir groups in the Midwest during the 1970s. At the time, both groups took part in extended performance tours of the United States as well as international locations.
The first high school swing choir invitational in the world was held during the 1974 school year at Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, hosted by the school's swing choir, The Minstrels1. The Minstrels felt they and other young groups might learn and profit by observing some of the area's most distinguished song and dance choirs performing in an open competition. They felt it would help stimulate a wider interest in and appreciation for swing choirs by making it possible for many groups to perform the same day before a large audience.
The 1974 Bishop Luers idea worked so well that the following year fifteen high school groups were invited to the contest, several showing up with adaptations in style known today as specifically "show choir." By 1979 twenty show choirs from around the Midwest accepted the challenge of coming to Fort Wayne to compete for trophies and medals. That year, more than 600 students and 1,500 parents attended the contest.
The local PBS station broadcast the early years of the Luers-Midwest Swing Choir Invitational, and in 1983 the program aired on PBS stations around the country. That led to international exposure and growth in show choir competitions around the country, and soon other competitions emerged, including those held at Watseka High School (Illinois), Onalaska High School (Wisconsin), Carroll High School (Indiana), Center Grove High School (Indiana), Pekin High School (Illinois), Delta High School (Indiana), Mount Zion High School (Illinois). Soon after, show choir events in the Southern California area were initiated. Today, a large number of competitions are held at high schools and other venues throughout the nation from November through April.
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Show choir is primarily a high school activity based in the United States, though it is a continually evolving art form that is regularly expanding to new areas including Toronto, Canada. Many middle schools and junior high schools have their own show choir as well, particularly throughout the American Midwest.
The main areas of focus include California and Great Lakes states (most notably Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota), but show choir has also found a home in various states, including as Nebraska, Missouri, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, Massachusetts, and West Virginia. Show choirs also exist at the collegiate level, albeit in far smaller numbers than their high-school counterparts, and in most cases adopting a slightly different format.
While there is no standard requirement for the number of performers, show choirs typically contain between 30 and 60 singer/dancers.
Show choirs traditionally wear a costume, though the definition of what is considered a costume in show choir is very broad and ranges from jeans and a t-shirt to extravagant period clothing or flashy dance-wear. It can be very conservative (such as tuxedos and ball gowns) or very edgy (such as modern or revealing clothing). Additionally, many larger show choirs include two or more costumes in their show. Participants typically wear stage makeup and shoes conducive to dancing (often "character shoes"). From the costumes to the stage makeup, show choir members all look uniform during most shows.
The choir usually has a backup band (or "combo" if it includes horns) providing instrumental music to complement the voices. The band may be as small as a single pianist or be an entire rhythm section complete with bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, several brass instruments and occasionally strings. Many larger show choirs typically have a larger combo to accompany them. The combo is usually out of sight, however some combos do come out on stage and are featured during the show.
The amount of props varies between choirs: some may have a large number to enhance the visual aspect of a show, while other groups use none at all. Similarly, some show choirs use basic theatrical lighting changes while others do not. The duties of caring for and distributing the props may be the responsibility of a technical crew. These are generally fellow students, and nearly always are clad in black so as to remain hidden. This technical (or "tech") crew may distribute the props while on or off stage, and may, if the music or choreography so dictate, include distributing the props as part of the show (examples: by acting as a character, dancing with the performers, or in an appropriate costume.)
Aside from choreographed dance movement, body language plays a key role in a show choir performance. Many show choir directors encourage the use of "facials", expressive movements of the face that assist in conveying the message of the song being performed. Facials may include dramatic representations of smiling, frowning, looks of surprise, or other emotive responses.
Many show choirs participate in competitions, sometimes called "invitationals" (though most are not invitation-only events). These competitions are often held at the high school where the "host group" attends, though some events are held at auditoriums or other facilities that can accommodate larger crowds and provide better acoustic performance. The show choir hosts usually do not compete in their own competitions as it is considered an inappropriate conflict of interest. However, they will typically perform a non-competitive "exhibition show".
Competitions can be as small as a showcase of a few groups from the immediate geographic area or they can hold many groups from multiple states. Because of the vast difference in sizes of the competitions, they can last a single afternoon or span an entire weekend. Competitions may separate competing choirs into different divisions. These divisions are often determined by age, skill level, size of school, and/or gender of the participants. The different divisions may take place at a different time, day, or at a different location or venue, though usually within the same school or close geographic area.
Some states' high school music associations require that a competition be sanctioned by their guidelines. In some states - most notably Iowa - if competitions are held without a sanction, the host school or district can lose privileges from the music association for a number of years. Due to the differences in rules between state music associations, controversies can arise stemming from rule violations that may not have been made clear.
Although competitions are a showcase for the arts, they also function as fundraising events for the group who hosts. Show choir competitions can bring in very large amounts of profit if well-planned, well-publicized, and well-attended by performing groups and spectators. Because many competitions can run an entire day or more, most competitions offer concessions for sale and take in profit from those sales as well. These profits go directly to support the group, while the events are run by volunteers from the host school. The largest of show choir competitions can draw between 3,000 and 7,000 spectators over the course of the event.
Whereas competitions reward groups based on their performances, another kind of show choir event exists called a "festival." Sometimes the term festival is used incorrectly when referencing a competition, because true festivals are not competitive events. More common in California than in the rest of the country, festivals bring together multiple choirs from many different schools and allow groups to perform solely for their own experience and for the entertainment of the spectators and other choirs. There is no scoring or rankings of any kind, though many times clinicians will be present to provide written and/or verbal critique to each show choir, suggesting things they did well and ways they can improve their performance.
For approximately the past 25 years, "National Competitions" have become a prized destination for many show choirs. These events, typically held in a tourist destination such as Orlando, Florida, Nashville, Tennessee, Branson, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, or New York City draw choirs from all over the nation and offer the opportunity for groups to compete against other choirs from outside their normal circuits. These competitions are hosted by for-profit companies (not affiliated with any high school) that sell complete trips and packages to the participating choirs. These competitions are generally hosted in state of the art venues with professional stage, lighting and sound. Some of these events do offer a performance from a designated "host choir" as well, though their duties are usually little more than an exhibition (non-competitive) performance for the other competing groups. Choirs who take home top honors at a "national competition" often like to declare that they are the "best in the nation," though no definitive national award truly exists.
Many show choir members are selected by audition where only students with reasonable singing and dancing ability can join. A fee is also usually involved to cover the high expenses of travel and wardrobe (see technical aspect). Show choirs may practice during school hours, outside of school hours, or a combination of the two depending on the level of support from the associated school. Show choirs, like any activity, require dedication and practice to improve performance.
In some places, there are also community show choirs which are not associated with any particular school. While these types of groups are much more rare, they follow many of the same patterns as their school counterparts. There is some controversy about community show choirs, however, as they are often accused of "draining" kids away from their own school programs, leaving both groups with a compromised roster both in number and in talent. In areas where it is difficult to get a large group of students to come together to rehearse, the presence of community show choirs compounds the problem even more. However, because community show choirs often do not have to adhere to the strict rules of a school district, they are often more free to push the creative envelope on stage.
Most show choir "shows" or "sets" consist of a variety of songs, often including several choreographed, fast-paced pieces and one slower piece performed with limited or no choreography. This slower number - usually a ballad - exists primarily to showcase the ensemble's singing ability. In California, it is a requirement that at least one minute of any one set be sung a cappella (it is usually one full song in the set), though this is not a standard in the rest of the country. More often than not, the a cappella selection is also the ballad, as it is much easier to sing unaccompanied while holding relatively still. In the Midwest, it is becoming popular to set one song aside as a "novelty" piece, designed to make the audience laugh.
Within a song, vocal lines typically alternate between unison or octave singing, and two-or-more-part polyphonic harmony. Songs are chosen, adapted, and arranged from a variety of sources including popular music, jazz standards, and Broadway musicals, but rarely make use of classical music. Additionally, there is often at least one solo in each performance by a standout singer in the group.
Competitive performance sets range in length, but are usually timed to total just under seventeen minutes on the West Coast and twenty minutes in the other regions. Shows consist of approximately five songs.
The cable television network MTV announced in October 2006 that it would tape an eight-episode reality TV series, Show Choir, following Morgantown, West Virginia's Morgantown High School show choir. The show was scheduled to premiere Spring 2007.234 It has yet to air, and no plans have been announced to reschedule that program.
In Nickelodeon's Spectacular!, the main character, Nikko, joins a show choir.
Show Choir! - The Musical by Mark McDaniels and Donald Garverick made its premiere at the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival. The original musical comedy was awarded two awards for Overall Excellence. After a very successful reading in November 2008, the musical is actively making its way to Broadway.
In 2009, MTV visited Showchoir Camps of America for a week to do research and ended up shooting a pilot for the new potential reality show. Twenty two students from different states and schools were picked to be featured in the pilot during the week the camp was held. It has been said, that these students might be featured if the real show airs, but nothing has been announced or released. This pilot, set-up and helped create the show concept for MTV's 2010 MADE reality show The Real Show Choir.
Also airing in 2009, Fox's Glee, a comedy about a show choir based in Lima, Ohio whose rival was to include Carmel High School, based on the Carmel Ambassodors who was one of the major contenders of Show Choir competions throughout the late 1970's through 1980's under the direction of Ronald D Hellems. Glee is a musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox, and focuses on a high school show choir (also known as a glee club), called "New Directions!", set within the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio.5 The show has received generally favorable reviews.
In 2009, the Fox Broadcasting Company, began airing Fox's Glee, a musical comedy-drama about based on the fictional show choir “New Directions” from William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. Actual show choirs have been used within the show, portraying other competitors, or as inspiration for other competing choirs. The show has received generally favorable reviews.6
In November 2009, the television series Rachael Ray featured the Wilmingtones Show Choir of Wilmington High School in Wilmington, Ohio, as a part of the Thanksgiving on Main Street special chronicling the lives of those affected by the DHL crisis.