The annual Rock Bridge Show Choir Festival begins Saturday morning, Jan. 14, at roughly 6 a.m. Both of RBHS’ competitive show choirs, City Lights and Satin ‘N Lace host this event by preparing during the course of several months. They craft every detail from parent committees and judge packets to spray-painted character shoes and fringed costumes.
The choirs took out those costumes and gave their first performance for a large audience at Camp Show Choir, Dec. 10, 2011. The showcase was a miniature preparation, getting the choirs revved up for their first step into the big leagues—their demonstration performance at the Show Choir Festival.
Junior Mackenzie Ruebling, a returning member of show choir and current member of City Lights, says after their first performance she couldn’t be more excited.
“I’ve actually been counting down the days for this year’s festival,” Ruebling said. “Last year, I didn’t know what a show choir competition looked like or what came along with it. But now I think, honestly, [last year’s festival] was probably one of the most fun days out of my entire sophomore year.”
The morning starts off with as much bustle as a typical school day. Buses pile into the circle-drive, filled with students bundled in winter coats, carrying garment bags and set pieces. Each choir is “hosted” by a pair of RBHS Show Choir members, who take the choirs to their rooms and “show them the ropes of how the competition is going to work,” Ruebling said.
Each choir is greeted warmly with a decorated room set with their school colors and—most likely—sheets of glue and glitter.
“Last year my buddy stayed at school till 11 decorating our room for our host show choir, just setting it up and making it nice and homey so that [our choir] felt welcome,” Ruebling said. “We pretty much spend the day helping show choirs and just answering any questions they might have. Because anyone who goes to a place they don’t know, in order to compete, wants to feel more relaxed and at ease. And that’s exactly what we provide.”
After the visiting choirs are settled, performers get dressed in costumes and help one another with hair and make-up. Then they’re hustled off to pictures by the planetarium, warm-ups in the vocal music room, and finally performances in the PAC. Finally, they await critique by a panel of judges, and then must anxiously await the finals ceremony later that night.
As soon as awards are presented and finalists are named, the RBHS show choirs get ready to show the visiting choirs exactly what they’re dealing with. Audience members cheer as they recognize their room hosts “dancing the night away” to Jennifer Lopez’s “On The Floor” and Carrie Underwood’s “Cowboy Casanova.” Ruebling said, there “isn’t a better feeling in the world.”
Sophomore Abbie Drown, newcomer to the women’s choir, Satin ‘N Lace, is experiencing all of this preparation and excitement for the first time. To her, each day is one step closer to what she’s been anticipating for months.
“I’m excited to see what we’re like compared to other show choirs, to see who’s better, and to get experience from some of the things that they do differently—to see if we can put that element into our own show,” Drown said. “[At the Camp Show Choir performance], I had to try really hard not to smile the whole time, since we’re supposed to be angry in several numbers, but it was tough because I was having so much fun. It was such a cool experience…so I can’t wait for a competition.”
However, not all of this excitement comes without a price. Preparations for show choir are, as all members know, anything but easy.
“The hardest thing about show choir is the time commitment that it requires,” Ruebling said. “I feel like my life revolves around show choir. You have early morning rehearsals, after school rehearsals, and sometimes all weekend long rehearsals. If you’re not truly committed to a thing like show choir, then it’s not possible to be a part of it.”
These rehearsals consist of almost non-stop dancing, cleaning moves, shaping vowels and fixing tone quality—all working toward the perfection of a 20-minute performance.
Music Director Mike Pierson, who directs both show choirs and selects their set lists, is fully aware of how much effort this tiny span of time takes.
“From the time that I start planning this show and people are auditioning for this choir, [show choir preparation] is about a seven month thing. And it’s to work on 20 minutes or less of music and choreography,” Pierson said. “Which, really, seems a little disproportionate. But there’s a lot of stuff that goes on in 20 minutes. There’s a high level of expectation as far as a tradition here at Rock Bridge, but also a high level of expectation from the judges themselves and the audience members. It’s a competitive environment and, just like the football team wants to beat everyone that they go up against, we want to do the same thing.”
That competitive environment is exactly what drives students to keep preparing for the festival, running through exercises and helping one another with careful feet positioning and hitting high notes.
“Right now we’re getting ready,” Drown said, “and Mr. Pierson’s really pushing us. He makes us lie flat on the ground and put our feet up six inches in the air and sing full out until we sound the way he wants. It hurts, but it’s helped a lot, and I know now that show choir at Rock Bridge is pretty much a legend. I mean, just look at all the trophies in the hall and choir room.”
This RBHS expectation has held show choir in very high esteem, making the annual festival important in the eyes of the students, parents and teachers. But at the end of the day, students head home with newly created bonds and happy memories for life, regardless of whether they carry the Grand Champion trophy.
“I think the overall view of the Rock Bridge festival is very positive,” Pierson said. “We have great facilities and we always hear a lot about that. The students just love walking in the building, walking through the smoke of all the grills that are making hamburgers and food out front [to sell at the concession stands]. But I think what makes me most happy is that everybody talks about how nice our kids are.”
It’s all of these kids coming together with a positive attitude that makes the festival a hit.
“I know it sounds cheesy and cliché but the choirs are really like one big family,” Ruebling said. “We spend countless hours together and, when you’re all working towards one goal, it’s just this huge support system. Nobody just sits back and laughs at you until you come up with it on your own. They’re there to help you out, so that, in the end, you’re able to perform to your very best ability.”
By Lauren Puckett