[slideshow_deploy id=’254657′]
Though the homecoming weekend’s dance ended at 11:30 p.m. Friday, the dancing didn’t end there for the RBHS Show Choirs, Satin ‘N’ Lace and City Lights.
Throughout the weekend, these choir members, along with director Mike Pierson and choreographers Kevin Breazeale from Atlanta, Ga., Antwon Chavis from New York City, N.Y. and Tammy Walker from Columbia put in 16 hours to learn choreography for their shows, which they need, Pierson said.
“It takes about an hour to teach 30 seconds of choreography and to clean it up,” Pierson said. “We spend quite a bit of teaching in two different regions, one for City Lights, one for Satin ‘N’ Lace. Plus, when you have choreographers coming in from out of town, it makes sense to cram it into one weekend because it’s easier to do that and keeps the cost of hotels down as well.”
The themes, chosen through a collaboration among the choreographers and Pierson, are “The Latino Experience” for Satin ‘N’ Lace with some spicy hip movements and traditional ballads, and “Gatsby,” that depicts the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald through music and dance, for City Lights.
“We bat some ideas around, look at some music and songs, watch some YouTube videos [to pick the show],” Pierson said. “We have to decide between do we just want to have a show with different songs put together or a specific theme. If we decide to do a theme, we look at songs we think will fit that theme.”
Senior Meghan Shwartzkopf, member of Satin ‘N’ Lace, said these themes should not only be fun to perform, but also have the potential to push the Satin ‘N’ Lace show choir far.
“I honestly think that this is one of the best concepts I’ve seen come out,” Shwartzkopf said. “It’s original and I just don’t think it’s done to the scale on which we are doing it. I think it will be another good chance of the female show choir to be undefeated.”
City Lights junior Alex Fuchs said he enjoys the theme of “Gatsby” for his first year in show choir, but for males in particular, the dancing can be a little bit harder for them to learn.
“There’s a lot of hip work that the guys aren’t as used to,” Fuchs said. “Most of the girls are more experienced, too.”
Though it may be hard for males to learn, according to Fusch, Pierson said the themes are stong and should make for good performances.
“I think they’ll both be exciting shows,” Pierson said. “The Gatsby show is pretty current and pretty fresh with the new movie that just came out and the Latin one is one that is not done very often but its got a really good variety of Latin style in it that should keep it fresh.”
By Justin Sutherland
Throughout the weekend, these choir members, along with director Mike Pierson and choreographers Kevin Breazeale from Atlanta, Ga., Antwon Chavis from New York City, N.Y. and Tammy Walker from Columbia put in 16 hours to learn choreography for their shows, which they need, Pierson said.
“It takes about an hour to teach 30 seconds of choreography and to clean it up,” Pierson said. “We spend quite a bit of teaching in two different regions, one for City Lights, one for Satin ‘N’ Lace. Plus, when you have choreographers coming in from out of town, it makes sense to cram it into one weekend because it’s easier to do that and keeps the cost of hotels down as well.”
The themes, chosen through a collaboration among the choreographers and Pierson, are “The Latino Experience” for Satin ‘N’ Lace with some spicy hip movements and traditional ballads, and “Gatsby,” that depicts the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald through music and dance, for City Lights.
“We bat some ideas around, look at some music and songs, watch some YouTube videos [to pick the show],” Pierson said. “We have to decide between do we just want to have a show with different songs put together or a specific theme. If we decide to do a theme, we look at songs we think will fit that theme.”
Senior Meghan Shwartzkopf, member of Satin ‘N’ Lace, said these themes should not only be fun to perform, but also have the potential to push the Satin ‘N’ Lace show choir far.
“I honestly think that this is one of the best concepts I’ve seen come out,” Shwartzkopf said. “It’s original and I just don’t think it’s done to the scale on which we are doing it. I think it will be another good chance of the female show choir to be undefeated.”
City Lights junior Alex Fuchs said he enjoys the theme of “Gatsby” for his first year in show choir, but for males in particular, the dancing can be a little bit harder for them to learn.
“There’s a lot of hip work that the guys aren’t as used to,” Fuchs said. “Most of the girls are more experienced, too.”
Though it may be hard for males to learn, according to Fusch, Pierson said the themes are stong and should make for good performances.
“I think they’ll both be exciting shows,” Pierson said. “The Gatsby show is pretty current and pretty fresh with the new movie that just came out and the Latin one is one that is not done very often but its got a really good variety of Latin style in it that should keep it fresh.”
By Justin Sutherland
