Where they really that bad??? I saw them at their Get in the Spirit Concert and I thought they were pretty good. . .just curious and was wondering if you wouldnt mind expanding on that comment?
I thought Linn-Mar did pretty good. Yeah, their show needs some cleaning. But their vocals are awesome, especially on the ballad. They definatly did not deserve such a low placement.
For your information "show choir prophet"..... Michael (Billy Joel) has won best soloist twice this year already...so if you think he sucks... then you're not much of a prophet.
Does anybody else have positive comments or constructive crtisism for Onalaska's show?
I have PLENTY of positive comments for Onalaska's show. You guys were AMAZING. We (F.C. Singers) were sitting in the front row after finals while you were performing. We were the ones doing the roller coaster . Anyways...we were screaming our heads off during your whole show. You have a really amazing year a head of you seeing as how this is only January. We were really amazed by your show. You have great vocals and great chorography. You should be very proud of how far you are this year. Onto your show now in a LITTLE more detail. I loved the show up and down. It seemed as if every single person on stage was meant to be there. All your soloists were great. Sarah Brown was very good. We talked to her and some other members of your school after your show. She is....wowww....idk how to say it...just simply AMAZING. There was another soloist...he had red hair. He was also very good. I'm hoping that I don't offend him by saying this, but we never got his name so all i can say is the little Chinese guy! WOW!!!! That kid ROCKS!!!!!!! We couldn't take our eyes off him half of the time. He is one of those where, when he gets on stage, everyone wants to watch him. Anyways, you all should be proud. You have an amazing show that is going to take you a very long way this year. You have a director that can take you all the way and is proud of what you are accomplishing. Good luck Onalaska, go get em! Thanks for hosting a great competition too!!!
Congratulations to all the groups that performed at Onalaska this past weekend. It was an awesome competition and all of the places were definatly earned!!
as i'm reading this post, more and more posts are being put up... it's so crazy! i'm never gonna finish reading this topic yikes!
oh and congrats to MTZ!!!!!!!! i can't wait to see you all at sullivan!!!! congrats to all the other groups too!!!!! good luck w/ the rest of the season!!!!!!!
Everyone thanks again for all the great comments and criticisms...To whoever said our show is more audience friendly than judge friendly, ha I guess my thought on that is fine by me! I am not speaking for TG or any of it's members, but I know I personally would rather have a show that's fun to perform and that I know people will enjoy than a show that judges will eat up. There's only 5 or 6 judges at a competition, there are MANY more people sitting in the audience, most of whom pay to be there, and are really ready to be entertained. If giving the audience what they want costs the group a high placement, then I guess such is life. This is also something that I think many groups consider when they're deciding how difficult their choreography should be, what kind of costuming they should use, how difficult their arrangements should be etc. It' so important to find your group's niche. Why not try a harder show if your kids will enjoy the challenge, and the audience will appreciate it? Or why not do a two part song if you love how it sounds, and it's fun to sing? It's all so relative to each group, but it's equally important for each one. It's fun to watch groups that have really figured out their identity and are comfortable enough with what they do to really do it well. I think groups like Fort Atkinson, Mount ZIon, F.C. Singers, and GCS are all groups that KNOW what they want to do, and what they enjoy doing- and it really adds to their success, not necessarily in the placements, but in really engaging their audiences.
It's interesting to really think about, whether or not you'd like to know you'll place high, but have the audience not think you deserve what you placed, or to have the audience behind you... I admire groups who can have both judges and audiences behind them- I think almost all of the finalists and MANY of the day groups at Onalaska did this very well.
to OARFreak, i believe it is constructive for members of groups to see that it's not just judges that notice when their diction is off or their dynamics are weak as long as it's said respectively. as to your comment about opinions, it's a discussion forum. generally, one enters these things in order to share his opinions or read others'. and perhaps it's your opinion that the best soloist guy was awesome . . .
Obviously you don't know what constructive criticism is. It's telling them what they did wrong and how to fix it in a nice way. Not bashing everyone who isn't your favorite group, or didn't meet your "expectations". And by the way, my comment about opinions merely expresses that if you are going to share your opinion, it's just that.... an opinion. It doesn't become a law when it's stated. If someone wants to disagree with me on how hott someone was, thats fine. However, when someone makes a comment and feels that everyone has to agreee with it, thats when that person thinks that they are God. And for those of you who are wondering... you aren't God.
Where they really that bad??? I saw them at their Get in the Spirit Concert and I thought they were pretty good. . .just curious and was wondering if you wouldnt mind expanding on that comment?
This post is way late because i was in a car all day on sunday on my way home from onalaska so this is the first time i have been able to get on and post. After reading opinion posts of finalists and such it is very clear who just saw pre-lims and who just saw finals. If you just stayed for finals then the rankings were very obvious...Mt. Z was clearly the winner at finals and the rest followed suit.(and on Mt. Zion they stepped up the vocals this year those of you who disagree are probably going on what you wanted to hear or were sitting were the sound wasn't so good)...now for the rest of course some could of gone either way but really not big jumps or surprises in my book. Now if you just stayed for prelims the shows there were very different. Totino Grace stood out in pre-lims and was absolutely amazing. GCS put on identical shows from night to day...they were good but nothing exciting in my mind that streak was way over its time. The rest of the groups really stepped it up in finals. My big shocker of the day was Urbandale. I thought Taeys would make finals but the solos really hurt them...I am sorry but please cut them..especially Billy Joel (LET THE CHOIR SING!) Now back to Urbandable and the only time I was blown away all day was after there Ballad how they got the music to that song and got it that good simply amazes me (for those you not there it was Josh Groban's When you say you love me) The auditorium just that amazed hush over it after that song when you just now it was amazing. That ballad alone should have carried them.
I was there from 9 in the morning to the end of finals and was overall impressed with most of the groups. The only plea i will make is probably a lost cause but i will once again please ask Sauk Praire stop to doing musicals. Props to everyone it was a great day and a great comp. THe pre-lims were great and every group flat out just stepped up there game in finals.
My last comments will address onalaska's show which was the very good. I only have two real problems...the carbon copied choreo from mt.z on your opener and closer. My second beef is with the ballad. Onalaska's ballad has been for about three years now my favorite of the year. Your choral sound has always been unmathced. And altought the soloist was amazing you choir didn't sing at all during the ballad. Your whole ballad was a a solo. YOur choir sound is amazing so why on earth did you do this. Let her win the solo competition with that and let your choir sing the ballad.
Onalaska was a GREAT competition. I was there the whole day and in the afternoon everyone did well but it seemed like noone really had any punch. However, in the finals everyone really stepped it up and it turned out to be an amazing competition. This is what I thought of the competition:
Bemidji: I thought your show was alright. Nothing really special except the ballad. It was beautiful. I also enjoyed Our House. Everything else was just kinda blah.
Crete: You guys did an awesome job. Your show is really good and you guys perform it well. The opener is undeniably good. The ballad was amazing and I thought your girl soloist should have won for best female soloist of the day hands down. The closer was high energy and extremely good. You didn't make finals cause the diction and vocal energy was not always the best. They will do well everywhere else they go this year.
Ft. Atkinson: The show started out well. Typical April crazy arms choreography and you guys do it the best! Your ballad was beautiful and the wings were a cool touch. However, after the ballad, I wanted to throw up. It was like a circus was on stage. It was awful. WAY too much going on and mistakes everywhere. First part of the show good. After the ballad, bad.
Linn-Mar: Your opening was really really cool and the first soloist was great. But the rest of the song and the rest of the show was just ok. Nothing was bad but nothing was great. All your songs are openers or closers. Wonder Why and Love is a Healer do NOT fit in the middle of a show. Nice job on Vienna, I thought it was sung well. Boo to April for giving you the same choreography as she gave Edgewood on Love is a Healer. I hate when other groups do the same song and same choreography as another group especially the year after. That being said, I do NOT think you should have been placed as low as you were.
Logan: The show was ok. Clean clean clean. Everything was sloppy.
Milton: The opener was good. The ballad is an awful arraingement and not a good show choir song. Mr. Cellophane was actually decent. The bathing suit song is not good. The elvis closer was bad simply because you should never do a song Clinton just did the previous year.
Mitchell: I actually liked this show a lot. Your vocals were not amazing but they were good. And your dancing was innovative and new. It was also very clean and the costumes were really cool. Not amazing but a good show. Keep it up.
Westside High: Louder than Words was good and good vocals. The remedy is not a show choir song and was all shouted and not the best. I thought There she Stands was a good song and really well sung. The closer was just ok but its been done before.
Sauk Prairie: The worst show I have seen from them in a while. Boring, predictable, and no vocal power. If you are not going to dance at all, then you better at least sing beautifully but that wasn't done. A down year for them.
Teays Valley: I thought you would make it in finals on your name alone but good judging prevailed. You sang well the whole show but blending needs to happen. All the songs were predictable and boring. Nothing new and creative like last years show. The ballad was awesome I thought. The male soloists are dreadful, cut them cuz that killed the show. The closer was not good at all. A great group with a lot of talent, with a bad show given to them.
Urbandale: One of the few judging mistakes of the day I thought. You should have been in finals for SURE. Your opener was good. The choreography was clean and the vocals were good. I move on was just ok. The ballad was one of the best of the whole day. The closer was high energy and fun. I don't like all the word changes but they are understandable. You should have made finals, everyone knows it.
Waconia: We both Reached for the Gun was the only good number in the show. The rest was boring and just ok.
FINALISTS:
Buffalo Grove: BORING. I hated the show until the closer. You should not have made finals. Yea you sung well and the dancing was clean but it still doesn't make the show exciting or new. Shine on was alright, DICTION though. We're dancing, well I was asleep. The ballad sounded good but it is a horrible song. Crazy bout you baby was a good guys number. The girls number was ok. The closer was great and the only reason you made finals.
Franklin Central: You guys did a great job. Lord of the Dance was great with awesome clean dancing and great vocals. A little more diction though. Cookies was great and worked cuz all of you gave your all and it was so over the top. great job. The ballad was gorgeous and the soloist, especially the girl, were really good. Come dance with me/come fly with me was kinda boring but sung and executed well. I don't like Jelly's Jam as a song but you guys performed the hell out of it and really deserved to do well here. Awesome vocals the whole show. Great show.
Totino: A wonderful show. One of my favorites of the day. The opener is awesome and great soloists. Great energy and dancing. Hernando's Hideaway had an awesome solosists and was so funny. Putting it Together was ingenious. A wonderful transition into the ballad. Spit out the words though. Sunday was beautiful and one of the best of the day. King of the Road was one of the best guys numbers in a long time. Ease on down the road was ok. Predictable though. The closer was awesome with great choreography. I loved the show.
EEE: When you performed in the morning I was not impressed but in finals I was blown away. You guys deserved third and did an awesome job. The opener and the second number are similar but both have awesome vocals and some of the best choreography of the day. You have some really talented kids. The ballad was good. The first soloist did a good job but kinda shouted to reach the top notes. The second soloist was awesome but can't control his own runs sometimes and they come off as out of tune, but he did an awesome job especially in finals. The choir sounded really good during the ballad as well. Crazy little think called love was really enjoyable. Crazy in love is the weakest point of the show. The closer was really great as well. You sand very well but did not deserve to win best vocals.
GCS: The opener was one of the best. The choreography is sooo cool and I've never seen anything like it. Great energy and wonderful vocals. The book number was fun, creative, and done to perfection. The ballad was sung beautifully and you had an awesome arrangement. The closer was where I think you lost steam. I just don' think Jelly's Jam is a great closer. You guys still sang extremely well and danced the crap out of it but it just doesn't have that extra punch. A great show, but a deserved second. I thougt you guys deserved best vocals.
Mt. Zion: After finals, definitely the best show of the day. Nearly flawless. The costumes are the best ever. The opener was the best of the day. The solosist was great and the dancing was the best as always. The second number was so fun and just great. The ballad displayed a wonderful soloist and an amazing choir. Everyone can now shut up about Mt. Zion's singing. It was gorgeous. You guys won cuz you danced your heads off with the hardest and most innovative choreography, and you sang beautifully. They sounded amazing throughout the whole show. The guys number was good but the hat trick on the foot needs to be cut. It was very uncharacteristic of you guys to have that in there. Its not clean and not funny. The girls number was good. The guys and the girls number is the only place the show kinda slowed down. But when the guys rejoined the girls it was an awesome mix and a great fourth number. The closer was awesome and the final dance break was immaculate. A deserved grand champions.
Onalaska: First let me say that I think they will probably win everywhere they go this year unless they meet Clinton which I don't think they will. It has everything in it, high energy, good vocals, a little cute kinda character number. With that said, I did not enjoy it very much. The opener was really good. They did a whole different arrangement of Bring the House Down than Mt. Zion did in 2002 and it was really really good. The Next Five minutes was a great number. Inside Out was cute and worked well. Then came the ballad, or was a solo vocalist in the middle of the show? Did she sing well, yes. Did she sing the whole song, yes. Could you hardly hear the rest of the choir over her, no you couldn't hear them. It was an awful ballad, simply because it was not a ballad. It was a huge drop from the awesome ballad they had last year. Get it together was ok. Throw Your Hands Up was mostly the same choreorgraphy as Mt. Zion and it was just ok.
Get your own ideas and let the choir sing.
tons of groups have done the doll thing, so great job to each and every one of them who has used it! i loved totino again i loved totino. and btw to eee the only solo i liked the was 1st of in "crazy in love" it was good but otherwise the others were bland. and btw andy isnt the only unoriginal one. lord really did u see the one section of one of gcs' number where they had a lil group move across the stage in the front. that was taken from petal's show from last year just downsized. but i bet that it has been used before by weaver. but really andy isnt afraid to use numbers over with the same choreo. and if he wants to let him. if you dont want a recycled show find new music and i dont mean in the past 2 years i mean just came out and find out if any of your choreographer's other groups are doin them. be innovative, imaginative. try something new i mean come on if mtz wasnt dwights favorite i guarentee they would still be innovative and new. gemar likes new music. so he picks it. and dwight likes that. so no recycld shows for groups that know how to play the sc choreo system!
For whoever asked, FC is not going to Mt. Zion. They will be in Kettering Ohio on Feb 21, Mooresville the following week, Carroll (i think) the next week, and then Showstoppers in Orlando.
As an alum, Im pleased to hear that everyone (for the most part) enjoyed the show, especially Cookies! I just saw it at the rehearsal before they left. I loved it! They didnt do it at Southmont cuz it was the one song not done. And to those of you who saw us (them) for the 1st time, hope you enjoyed it! We've been trying to branch out of IN the past couple of years & its good to know that they did so well being at Onalaska for the 1st time & I know they made our director, Mr. Bill Griffel, very proud, since he is a Hilltopper alum. Good luck to all groups this season. Enjoy it while you can, cuz its over in a heartbeat! Ive been gone for 2 years & contest season is when you really miss it.
ooops - sorry - I just saw a "Carolina Spirit" reference about Andy Haines just above (which was the "doll" reference I was refering to above, though that was Weaver w/ Totino) doing the old "Carolina Spirit" bit.) True that the repetition is getting old, though alot of times they're probably like, "well, it was like 15 years ago, so who's gonna remember that?". Do you think that's ok? Is it possible to actually RUN OUT of creativity?? Or just take the easy road? Though I can't say I blame them - tough job working with so many groups.
Thought I would throw comments into the ring as well. Beginning with some non-finalists and moving into the finalists.
Bemidji: Plain. Nothing special.
Linn-Marr: Truly horrendous.
Crete-Monee: Thoroughly ejoyable. The group was outmatched at Onalaska by the incredible level of competition but at other competitions they will do well.
Omaha Westside: Sound very nice. Visually bland. This ain't show choir for the blind.
Waconia: A mess.
Ft. Atkinson: The only show I enjoyed more all day was Onalaska's exhibition. I think they judges were way off on this one. Visually stunning. Vocally strong.
Teays Valley: Here's why Teays didn't make finals: The second half of the show is dominated by solos who are merely passable. In fact, their show is way too heavy on solos. Another concern I have is the fact that Findlay opened with It's Today a number of years ago and the staging is very much identical. I am bothered by choreographer's who lack originality. In this day and age, choirs are competing all over the country. Years ago Andy Haines could do the same show for Carolina Spirit and Findlay and never have to worry about the groups crossing paths. That is no longer the case.
Urbandale: Bring Me To Life does not bring me to life at all. Lots of pop music translates to show choir. Evanessence does not. Visually very simple.
Milton: Fun, fun show. Like Crete, I anticipate this group doing well at other competitions.
Buffalo Grove: Say what you will about Expressions, Linda McEachran knows what she's doing. It might not be the most exciting show but it is executed very well from a technical standpoint. 32 kids sing very well together. The blend is terrific. Strong dynamics. More discernable parts singing than unison. Clean, clean, clean choreography. The movements are so precise and angles are just about perfect. The next time you have an opportunity, watch this group with an open mind.
Franklin Central: In the 15 or so years I have been attending show choir competitions, I have never seen the FC Singers before. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity. What a great show. So many different styles of music and movement. I was very impressed and look forward to seeing you again in the future.
Totino-Grace: I agree with many of you who have said that Company of Singers have a great show. It builds to a climax where many were flat. There is some excitement, some drama, some comedy. It's a great show but my feeling is it is a more audience friendly show than judge friendly show. I am always happy when Sondheim shows make it to show choir. Thanks for doing selections from Sunday in the Park with George. Some doofus made a comment about all the painting stuff and I would like to beat that person for being a moron. They're talking about painting because within the context of Sunday in the Park with George, the artist, George Seurat, is creating a painting. A very famous one, in fact. Being ignorant isn't an excuse. Another minor complaint is with Ease On Down. The two solos are identical. If you're going to have two solos, they need to be vocally different and nuanced. Otherwise, one solo is enough.
Eisenhower: This show was one of my favorites but completely dies at the end. Cut the Beyonce number or at least give it some soul. Way too white bread. However, the rest of this show is outstanding.
LaCrosse Central: This group has become overly formulaic, much like Westside Delagation. The audience is never surprised and knows what to expect before even seeing the show. This is not to say that the show isn't good or isn't well done. All I mean to say is, break the mold. Think outside the box.
Mt. Zion: Where GCS follows a formula, Mt. Zion has a style. I have an idea of what to expect from Mt. Zion but it is always original. They find unique music. Sing in a way that is stylistically appropriate and are on the cutting edge as far as movement is concerned. This groups innovations raise the bar for the rest.
First off, great job everyone. Once again, Onalaska has been proven as one of the toughest competitions in the nation and the groups that competed were all high caliber. I had only one problem with the whole experience. I didn't start seriously watching groups till after lunch. Most of the pre-break groups were consistantly good, Crete was absolutly amazing for example. But as the afternoon kept going, the shows started looking more and more the same. Simple-clean choreography with strong vocals. So after awhile, the entertainment value of the performances for me dropped significantly. So here's what I concluded, first, Mt. Zion was one of the exceptions having a thoroughly entertaining show and deserving the win, congrats to them, second, with a competition like onalaska, the only way to place high is to perform your material in a clean, professional matter. Some groups like Fort, Crete, Teays, Milton, and many others had shows that while enjoyable were not at the caliber needed to place high. The point is despite what places were awarded and how everything came to play, no group this weekend should be dissapointed as everyone I saw has the potential to do some amazing things this year. Good luck everyone, keep working at it, the competition has only just begun.
Onalaska Show Choir Classic 2004
okay, next topic...
. Anyways...we were screaming our heads off during your whole show. You have a really amazing year a head of you seeing as how this is only January. We were really amazed by your show. You have great vocals and great chorography. You should be very proud of how far you are this year. Onto your show now in a LITTLE more detail. I loved the show up and down. It seemed as if every single person on stage was meant to be there. All your soloists were great. Sarah Brown was very good. We talked to her and some other members of your school after your show. She is....wowww....idk how to say it...just simply AMAZING. There was another soloist...he had red hair. He was also very good. I'm hoping that I don't offend him by saying this, but we never got his name so all i can say is the little Chinese guy! WOW!!!! That kid ROCKS!!!!!!! We couldn't take our eyes off him half of the time. He is one of those where, when he gets on stage, everyone wants to watch him. Anyways, you all should be proud. You have an amazing show that is going to take you a very long way this year. You have a director that can take you all the way and is proud of what you are accomplishing. Good luck Onalaska, go get em! Thanks for hosting a great competition too!!!