Stupid Guest Tricks

An amazing performance from this past week's BHS International contest in Nashville, by New Zealand chorus VocalFX:

[video][/video]

And while I'm posting, check out this unreal medley from Hunchback of Notre Dame by Swedish quartet Ringmasters, our 2012 champs. Hard to believe just four voices can do this! Do yourself a favor and crank up the volume.

[video][/video]

BRWombat wrote:An amazing performance from this past week's BHS International contest in Nashville, by New Zealand chorus VocalFX:

[video][/video]

Just out of curiosity... does the lady have a specific roll with the chorus? She didn't seem to be singing or directing, just dancing. It was OK, but, was very unusual, I would think.

Goofyernmost wrote: Just out of curiosity... does the lady have a specific roll with the chorus? She didn't seem to be singing or directing, just dancing. It was OK, but, was very unusual, I would think.

Good question. She is actually their director. The BHS being a men's singing organization, she can't sing onstage, but at this level of competition, she -- and all the directors of other choruses -- are more performers than directors anyway.

I saw one chorus, Parkside Harmony, just 18 months old and at their first International competition, where they barely had ANY directing going on. They all just faced the audience and performed. They were outstanding -- and placed eighth! (VocalFX placed sixth overall.)

Here's the winning chorus, the Ambassadors of Harmony out of St. Charles MO, their 4th win. Although their two directors do overtly direct most of the time, watch how they'll join in the dancing and performing themselves.

[video][/video]

BRWombat wrote:

Goofyernmost wrote: Just out of curiosity... does the lady have a specific roll with the chorus? She didn't seem to be singing or directing, just dancing. It was OK, but, was very unusual, I would think.

Good question. She is actually their director. The BHS being a men's singing organization, she can't sing onstage, but at this level of competition, she -- and all the directors of other choruses -- are more performers than directors anyway.

I saw one chorus, Parkside Harmony, just 18 months old and at their first International competition, where they barely had ANY directing going on. They all just faced the audience and performed. They were outstanding -- and placed eighth! (VocalFX placed sixth overall.)

Here's the winning chorus, the Ambassadors of Harmony out of St. Charles MO, their 4th win. Although their two directors do overtly direct most of the time, watch how they'll join in the dancing and performing themselves.

[video][/video]

I thought it must be something like that, but, there was no identifying situation in the video. Anyway, I'm glad I don't do that anymore, because I would look like a fool trying to either remember the words or the moves and being as clumsy as I am, would probably fall all over people.

I remember when we used to go to competitions, we had to remain rigid, arms by our side and no unneeded movement was allowed. You would lose points for random movement at the time. (We're talking the early 60's here) Those guys are good too. I still hear you guys once in a while on Pandora in the Buffalo Bills station.

Goofyernmost wrote: ...

I remember when we used to go to competitions, we had to remain rigid, arms by our side and no unneeded movement was allowed. You would lose points for random movement at the time. ....

Yeah, the style is always evolving. In fact, we're in another style shift right now. The contest last week was the last to use the judging category called Presentation; it'll now be called Performance, and they're explicitly trying to go toward a more natural feel to performances. There will still be choreography, but "moves for the sake of having moves" will not be rewarded as much as moves which enhance the music. Less artificial emotion, more sincerity, that sort of thing.

BRWombat wrote:

Goofyernmost wrote: ...

I remember when we used to go to competitions, we had to remain rigid, arms by our side and no unneeded movement was allowed. You would lose points for random movement at the time. ....

Yeah, the style is always evolving. In fact, we're in another style shift right now. The contest last week was the last to use the judging category called Presentation; it'll now be called Performance, and they're explicitly trying to go toward a more natural feel to performances. There will still be choreography, but "moves for the sake of having moves" will not be rewarded as much as moves which enhance the music. Less artificial emotion, more sincerity, that sort of thing.

To be honest, that sounds more professional and real. I am amazed that you guys can sing and do all that movement at the same time. At least big recording artist can lip sync. But, I'm probably old school. That movement does make a good show if the sounds of feet stamping and elevations creaking don't drown out the music. I've seen it do that as well.

Goofyernmost wrote:To be honest, that sounds more professional and real. I am amazed that you guys can sing and do all that movement at the same time. At least big recording artist can lip sync. But, I'm probably old school. That movement does make a good show if the sounds of feet stamping and elevations creaking don't drown out the music. I've seen it do that as well.

In Vocal Majority we've always tried to value sincerity and heart over flash, though I'm sure we've crossed that line many times.

As for the singing, the outside choreographer we bring in is herself a singer -- in fact, a barbershop chorus singer, with her mom being a longtime director of a championship-level Sweet Adelines chorus -- and she is masterful at creating moves and effects that still keep our "core" (the singing mechanism of our abdomen, torso & head) in line and supportive of quality singing. The front row gets any truly acrobatic stuff, while those of us on the risers have smaller moves which echo or enhance the full visual picture without sacrificing our singing.

Edited to add: If you want to see what this looks like in action, go back and look at our winning uptune from 2014 on YouTube. Not just for the front row versus risers moves, though you'll see that. There's one part, around 1:45 in, where the entire chorus "collapses" in. Watch the guys on the edges of the risers and you'll see how they're bending their knees and keeping their core straight as they lean in.

I've been doing this for almost ten years now, and I am still awed by the amount of talent behind the scenes -- visual, musical, administrative, everything -- that is involved in this "hobby."

BRWombat wrote:

Goofyernmost wrote:To be honest, that sounds more professional and real. I am amazed that you guys can sing and do all that movement at the same time. At least big recording artist can lip sync. But, I'm probably old school. That movement does make a good show if the sounds of feet stamping and elevations creaking don't drown out the music. I've seen it do that as well.

In Vocal Majority we've always tried to value sincerity and heart over flash, though I'm sure we've crossed that line many times.

As for the singing, the outside choreographer we bring in is herself a singer -- in fact, a barbershop chorus singer, with her mom being a longtime director of a championship-level Sweet Adelines chorus -- and she is masterful at creating moves and effects that still keep our "core" (the singing mechanism of our abdomen, torso & head) in line and supportive of quality singing. The front row gets any truly acrobatic stuff, while those of us on the risers have smaller moves which echo or enhance the full visual picture without sacrificing our singing.

Edited to add: If you want to see what this looks like in action, go back and look at our winning uptune from 2014 on YouTube. Not just for the front row versus risers moves, though you'll see that. There's one part, around 1:45 in, where the entire chorus "collapses" in. Watch the guys on the edges of the risers and you'll see how they're bending their knees and keeping their core straight as they lean in.

I've been doing this for almost ten years now, and I am still awed by the amount of talent behind the scenes -- visual, musical, administrative, everything -- that is involved in this "hobby."

Very nice and I see you got a lot of air time in that video.