Picture it: Los Alamitos, CA. 1988. I am standing on a stage with 23 other seniors. 12 males. 12 females. I am dressed in a brown polyester tux with cream colored ruffled tuxedo shirt adorned with gold sequins. Fortunately this is a costume - not really the look I am working. This ugly-ass costume gets ripped off me (thanks to well placed Velcro) and underneath I have on a pair of white Levis and a short-sleeve blue sweatshirt top. I am singing "Do You Love Me?(Now That I Can Dance)", one of the hit songs off the soundtrack to the hit movie Dirty Dancing, with the same 23. We are rehearsing for the "Young Americans National Show Choir Invitational" where we will be representing the state of California as the best Show Choir in the state. We will also be competing. We are all considered ringers. This is all true.
Flash forward to New York, NY. 2008. I am sitting on my couch with my dog. I am dressed in A&F sweatpants and a Marc Jacobs t-shirt. This is the look I'm working - I call it "relaxation after work". I am watching TV. On the television is a new competition show called Dance Wars: Bruno vs Carrie Ann. It, too, is a show choir competition. It is disguised, however, as a dance competition with dancers who sings. They are all considered ringers. This makes me vomit in my mouth a little bit.
Wow! Who knew that 20 years later being in a show choir would be so chic? Yes, I realize this show is not supposed to be a show choir competition, but it is. They wear horrible costumes, dance half-ass to bad choreography and sing the most vanilla arrangements of songs that should be sung with flavor. If that's not a show choir, then what is it? Hmmm? Well, we can start by admitting it's not chic. Am I wrong?
All that being said, I wish Zach and Phillip were in my Show Choir when I was in High School. Especially Zach. I might have come out earlier.
DAYS LEFT IN OFFICE: 362
Remember when we performed on the moving stage at the Disneyland Hotel? It felt like a scene from the movie Earthquake!! We still won!!!
Posted by: Bobby Jack | Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 05:16 PM