Recently, the Sparta Show Choir has been hitting the road, traveling to competitions in neighboring states. They have gone North, to Saint Paul, Minnesota and South, to Chicago, Illinois. The nation has its eyes on the Sparta performers, and the proof is in the top 20 ranking that they currently hold, in the United States. For a program that has no classes with the Sparta curriculum, they are doing quite well. Last weekend, on February 18th, the student performers and their coaches put in a 22-hour day, up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The group was exhausted, but their efforts brought home a 3rd Runner-Up placing, with Parker Calkins taking home the Showstopper award for wowing the judges with his performance.
This past weekend, the top-twenty performers headed south, to Naperville, Illinois, for the Clash of the Sequins competition. Sparta was the only team representing the great state of Wisconsin. The competition pulled in some heavy hitters from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Before the dawn had a chance to drink its first cup of coffee, on Friday morning, the Sparta Show Choir was Chicago bound. For many of the students, it was their first visit to the big city, one with a population of nearly 3 million people.
In the shadows of skyscrapers, on the north side of Chicago, the enthusiastic performers visited Navy Pier, a 3,300-foot-long pier, on the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The Sparta syndicate could not keep from smiling, as they ventured around the area, taking in the sights and a bit of shopping. They would all spend the night, resting up for the early start of the competition, on Saturday.
When the moment came, the Sparta Show Choir was ready. “The kids got up on stage and presented an amazing show,” said Skyler Erickson, co-director of the performers. “Our shows continue to improve as we add little nuances here and there. We take the notes from judges, in previous competitions, and implement them, thus keeping our performances at a pique level.”
The student performers placed 7th out of 15 groups, falling just 10 points shy of making the cut for the finals competition. The band actually took 5th place. Adrian Jewell took home a Showstopper award as well. His performance was noted as extraordinary, by the judges.
Their bus pulled into the Sparta Senior High parking lot, at 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, dropping off a group of seasoned professionals, who are now, well-traveled. Although the group did not come back with the big trophy, which was a super-cool sequin wrestling belt, they did come back with more experience and knowledge. The knowledge that they gained will benefit both them, and the Sparta Show Choirs the follow in their footsteps, for years to come. This group, under the direction of Skyler Erickson and Camie Schneider, are breaking down walls and shattering glass ceilings for the smaller schools of the world.
Being that this program is not a part of the curriculum in the Sparta School District, they rely heavily on raising money, so that these students can improve and do well in what they love to do the most, entertain and make the audience happy. Their major fundraiser is coming up on March 25th, as they will be holding a spaghetti dinner show. Titled, “The Sparta Show Choir Spectacular,” it will start with the dinner, beginning at 5 p.m. and going until 6:15 p.m., with the show starting at 6:30 p.m. There will be shows from:
-Burst of Adrenaline, Grades 1 - 4
-Adrenaline in the Making, Grades 5 – 8
-Alumni Members
-Adrenaline Rush
-Solo Competition students
-Upstage Adrenaline parents
The cost for adults is $15, for the dinner and the show. For students and seniors, the cost will be $12. If people just want to see the show, the cost will be $8.
Skyler Erickson informed the Herald, “The money our fundraisers bring in helps us to purchase music rights, music arrangements, choreographers, costumes and accessories, clinicians, hotel stays, travel expenses, instrument equipment, etc., in order to keep the costs down for the students. The fundraising is a huge necessity for all things this group has to do. Every little bit helps.”
If you have any questions, you can contact Cami Schneider at cschneider@spartan.org or Skyler Erickson at srerickson@spartan.org.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here