[dropcap size=”4″]F[/dropcap]or the typical 45 minutes that go into hair, makeup and a stunning outfit that is sure to catch every audience member’s eye, the Show Choir Festival gives only a glimpse of the full competition season ahead.  This show choir extravaganza that was scheduled to be held on Sat. Jan. 14 has been cancelled due to inclement weather over the weekend.  Hosted by RBHS, this event was expected to bring 29 show choirs from across Iowa, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri.
Show choir director Mike Pierson said originally the festival would allow teams to perform their shows and be judged by clinicians.
“Based on the adjudication, they would be ranked in various divisions,” Pierson said.  “They also would receive direct feedback from their judges on paper and a face-to-face clinic with one of the adjudicators.  For the visiting schools, it is the beginning of the competition season, so it is important to get that first feedback.”
RBHS’s show choir groups City Lights and Satin n’ Lace were planned to perform in exhibition before the final results were announced. But due to the weather, the hours of pre-scheduling has turned into a freed up weekend.
“This just means I have nothing to do on Saturday,” sophomore Alex Schust said.  “The food can be given back to the store for a refund and the trophies aren’t an issue.  However the funds that will be missing is disappointing.”
Despite the fact that returning the supplies is still an option, the festival will not be re-scheduled.  This cancellation has disappointed many performances and singers alike.
[quote]”It won’t be rescheduled because the other festivals  in Missouri or plays are taking up the rest of the weekends.  These things are planned months in advance because 20-40 schools participate,” senior Gretchen Cone said. “It’s also the biggest fundraiser of the year.  Now we’ve lost a lot of money we were going to make.” [/quote] On top of losing profits that the performing arts department was going to make, the anticipation for the festival continued to rise.
“Everyone was super excited for the festival because we love seeing the other choirs. We see what has come out of their hard work and get to show our product off as well,” Cone said.  “We’re typically one of the first festivals in the mid-west area.  We get to see the first few public performances from groups we see at other festivals throughout the season, too.”
For junior Mariah Dale, it seems the months of preparation has drained the excitement that was building since the beginning of the school year.
“There’s been rehearsals since August to prepare,” junior Mariah Dale said.  “Planning had been done by the parents.  Booster club members made sure everything we needed for the festival were going to be delivered.  All the jobs were going to be covered by volunteers and students.”
With all the details that go along with the festival, the nit picky specifics that pull the performances together is only practice for more competitive achievements to come.  But for this annual show choir event, it’s only until next year before the performers will have the opportunity to relive the festival.
“I’m heartbroken just like most of the other show choir kids,” Cone said.  “This festival is something we look forward to all year and now it’s just gone.”
Were you planning on going to the show choir festival? Let us know in the comments below.