One of my favorite observations at this competition was the variety in hand gestures from the audience specifically relating to the "silent clap." I believe most of the Midwest is very fimilar with putting one hand in the air and kind of waving it back and forth to show appreciation for something happening during the show such as silently clapping during a beautiful solo. However, one thing that I have only seen once before was the "twinkle fingers." I'm still not quite sure what it means: the same as the silent clap, good luck, both, or something else entirely. I am interested to hear others' opinions on this subject as a whole and also the twinkle fingers. I really like how show choirs can be so different, and regions do play a big role in that.
I believe "twinkle fingers" is a Mississippi/southern thing. I know in Illinois (from personal experience) a lot of the time the audience actually claps during ballads. It really is cool to see all the styles mixing together.
EDIT: At the Decatur competition the audience members in support of Craig were doing twinkle fingers so my observations were wrong I suppose!
What is the name of the male soloist from Petal who placed 3rd in the Solo Competition? He, along with Petal in general was excellent! What a beautiful show! The theme of their show was seamless from start to finish. “Mother Earth” , while not singing a note during the show, was excellent in conveying her emotions through spot on facial expressions and her dramatic motions throughout the show. Thank You, Petal for journeying so far to share your exquisite show with us, we receive it graciously!
Long time lurker, seldom poster, BUT: What a lot of posters here (and on other forums) neglect to consider about Petal is that their director is a Clinton alum. Shanna Luckett graduated in 96, the year Attaché won Showstoppers at both Chicago and Walt Disney World. In other words, don’t underestimate Petal, ever. Their director was trained by Fehr. She’s gunning for the top.
I'm still thinking about this contest today. I can't express enough how phenomenal Clinton is this year. I have never seen a group that good. I'm in shock. Still. One of my favorite shows I've ever seen
A big shout out to Mt. Zion as well. Another one of my favorite shows of all time.
And, of course, Glenwood. Titan Fever has been my favorite group for years now, but I've never been able to make it out to a performance. Needless to say, nothing has changed. The choreo... and that BALLAD. Wow.
Aaaand, it would feel wrong to not mention Wheaton's second number. That's some voodoo magic stuff right there.
Congratulations to all the groups, including some absolutely amazing ones that missed out on finals. Each group brought me so much happiness and joy, and I hope so much fun was had on that stage! You all made me want to be up there singing and dancing alongside you.
I was just thinking how interesting it is that the last group to beat Clinton (Waubonsie Valley) didn't even make finals here.. just shows how much show choir is changing and will continue to change in the coming years.
Waubonsie was one of my favorite groups of the day. They're coming back, give it another few years, and they'll be winning contests like these. Huge props to them for making a huge leap from last year.
The drastic change from prelims standings to finals was a point base prelims changed to a consensus ranking. The judges had all scores all over the place (except clinton) and thus, the drastic change.