The History of Show Choir

Definition Show Choir: originally called swing choir; a sport in which a group of people combine choral singing with dance, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.

History Historians haven’t actually found the first “true show choir, but they have traced its origins back to the mid-1960s in the US. Two groups of touring performers, the Young Americans (1962) and Up with People (1968) traveled extensively throughout the US during the 1960s and 1970s, performing as the first “show choir”.

History cont. When students saw this, they would soon start their own groups at their own high schools. There were two collegiate groups that influenced the show choir idiom as well – Indiana University’s Singing Hoosiers and the University Singers of Ball State University. These groups are credited with being catalysts of show choir groups in the Midwest in the 1970s.

History Cont. During the time of the 1970s, both groups took part in performance tours o the US as well as some international locations.

The Firsts of Show Choir The very first high school swing choir invitational was held in 1974 at Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The school’s swing choir was called The Minstrels. The Minstrels thought that they and other groups might learn and profit by having a competition between the area’s most distinguished show choirs.

Firsts cont. During the first competition, Indiana’s Marion High School’s 26th Street Singers introduced a new brand of song and dance. Usually, swing choirs would have a stand-still during songs, but then would have drum breaks between songs. Whereas the 26th Street Singers performed a full set of songs, fully choreographed with modern, tap, and other dance styles, each song setting up in the next sequence. The director, F. Richie Walton, then set them up for the trophy in 1974 at Bishop Luers, and has been attributed with the role of “the father” of the high school show choir movement. This then encouraged groups to transition from “swing choir” to “show choir”.

Firsts cont. The 1974 Bishop Leurs idea worked so well that the following year, there were double the number of high school groups at the contest, and several showing up with adaptions of the choir style known as “show choir”. By 1979, twenty show choirs from the Midwest accepted the challenge of coming to Fort Wayne to compete for trophies and medals. That year, more than 600 student and 1,500 parents attended the competition.

Location Show choir is primarily only a high school based activity in the US. Although it is a continually evolving art form and regularly expanding to new areas. While most high schools have show choirs, many middle schools and junior high schools now have their own show choir.

Costumes There isn’t any requirement for the member of performers, but choirs usually have 30 to 60 singers/dancers. Show choirs traditionally are in costume, although that definition is quite broad.

Examples of Normal Costumes

Examples of Not-So-Normal Costumes

Costumes cont. Larger show choirs tend to have multiple costumes in their show. Show choirs also wear stage makeup and jazz or character shoes.

Behind the Scenes Choirs also have a band in the back providing complementary music to their voices. A common band consists of guitar, bass, drums, trumpets, trombone, alto sax, tenor sax, piano, and synthesizer. The band is usually hidden during the show, although the band can be featured during the show.

Props Along with the band, there are usually props. Some groups have a large number of props to accentuate the theme of their show. These can easily be handled by a technical crew that usually consists of the peers of the choir students. These students are dressed in black, so they are “hidden” from the audience.

Etc. As well as these, the use of facials is encouraged STRONGLY. These “facials” are facial expression that convey the mood of the song. These help the judges understand more of what your show is about, and it looks like you are actually living your life through the song.

Competitions Many show choirs participate in competitions, sometimes called invitationals, although no one send out invitations anymore. They are usually consisted of regional show choirs and then they are based on classes – B, 3A, 4A, 5A, and so on.

Characteristics Shows are consisted of a variety of songs, several choreographed, then on ballad performed with limited choreography. The ballad showcases the group’s singing ability. *Fun Fact!* - In California, it is required to have at least one minute of the ballad to be a cappella.

Video putting it all together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8T10w-- pLM&list=PL6491579D89E43BE9