The one time you will see Where’s Waldo singing “Runaway Baby”. All Platte County show choirs held a Parent Preview on Jan. 17 after months of hard work and preparation, to build up to their competition season at Pleasant Hill, which was cancelled due to weather concerns.
Walking into the auditorium, the audience was met with three backsplashes designed to look like an amusement park, with the pit set up behind. The mens show choir, “Sound Explosion” was the first to perform with the theme, “Finders Keepers.” All the boys ran out in colorful striped long-sleeve shirts, diving straight into intense choreography and singing. Explosion performed an arrangement of five songs, including “Waldo Theme Song”, “Who Are You”, “Run Away Baby”, “You Will Be Found”, “No Where To Run”, and two costume changes.
“I was a bit scared because, you know, I’ve never been in a show choir before,” freshman Evan Cabeen said. “But quickly I learned to really appreciate it, it’s my first time ever dancing, so it was hard to get used to but just getting the new experience, making friends–that’s always important.”
The women’s choir, “Sound Elegance” also performed with a “Family Vacation” theme, accompanied by road sign decorations. With costumes including floral button up short sleeves, pink “Sound Elegance” shirts, black skirts, and sparkly black shoes with hot pink laces, Elegance made sure you couldn’t take your eyes off the stage.Performing a set composed of “Vacation/Leaving on a Jet Plane”, “Route 66”, “Mamma I’m Coming Home”, and “Rather be”, the feeling of a family vacation was felt all throughout the room.
“It was supposed to be fun, just a little tacky, but in a cute way,” senior Meilani Seymour said. “I think that everybody put in their best work, and it’s hard for the new people, but I think we honestly did a better job than what we’re giving ourselves credit for.”
There was also a special performance by “Sound Experienced”, a group of show choir parents who came together to perform “The Time Warp” with only three rehearsals. This was the second year of Sound Experienced, and it included a solo from Micheal Schlocter Sr. during the performance.
Finally, the Platte County Chamber choir, “Sound Express”, performed “Dance, Dance, Evolution!”. Performing “I Can’t Dance/Just Dance”, “Dancing Shoes”, “Dance With You”, “I Feel Like Dancing”, “Dance With Me Tonight”, and “Dancing Machine”, this arrangement was high energy and made sure to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. With engaging visuals, vocals, and three costume changes, Sound Express captivated parents and family who came to share the joy of showchoir.
Between each group ensemble, there were soloists who got the chance to perform the song of their choice. These soloists include sophomore Cali Sellers, senior Micheal Schlocter, junior Keston Wimberly, junior Jackson Von Glahn, senior Paul Wright, and two duets, one with senior Celestte O’Rourke and senior Hailey Koppowitz-Kumm, and the second with senior Micheal Schlocter and sophomore Amelia Unruh. One standout of the night was Seymour, who performed “I Am Beautiful.”
“I absolutely love the show A.N.T. farm,” Seymour said. “It was one of my favorite shows growing up, and the character, Chyna, sang ‘I Am Beautiful’, and I just was so enamored by that song. So [the choir directors] were like, ‘Guys, if you want to do a solo or duet or whatnot, you should do it.’ At first I was like, I’m not gonna do this, it’s stupid. But then I realized it’s my senior year, I would have felt sad and regretful if I hadn’t tried it.”
