Judges were Verda Slinkard (Edgewood, IN), Hersel Cremeans (Ben Davis, IN), John Baker (Enterprise, AL), John Burlace (Wheaton Warrenville, IL) and Mellisa Stainbrook (Brownsburg, IN)
Rian, I am OBSESSED with Teays' ballad already. :D
I'll refrain from posting a lengthy critique of choirs, but here were my thoughts on some.
Fairfield - Unbelievable. The costumes fit perfectly and your aggression within the first half of your show is something I have never seen pulled off so flawlessly on stage. I ADORED your quartet of men with the band feature, great idea. Fantastic vocals and on point choreo. Completely deserved.
DeKalb - I am used to seeing the CLASSIC show you are known for, and although you tried to change it up I unfortunately wish you didn't. The costuming was so busy during your Aadams family number, and I thought the choreography wasn't particularly effective either.
Solon - I was nervous to see you at this competition, because I had seen you in preseason and knew you had work to do. But wow, you certainly worked. The improvement in a month and a half was mind blowing, and your opener and closer were extremely memorable. Your ballad was in signature Solon style, and I see you doing very well this season. Creative theme.
Teays - You are way too underrated. I have always been a huge fan of yours, and your choreography is honestly one of my favorites in Ohio. I feel your show was strong, and you should have placed higher. I hope other competitions judge you more fairly.
Thank you, Marysville for a very professional competition!
So I've had a good day to think about what I saw on Saturday. On top of that I've gotten to hear a few other opinions of those who were at the competition which allowed me to come to a much better judgement of the shows.
Fairfield- Fairfield's show was solid. Great choreography, excellent vocal moments, and a solid sounding band. The opener was my favorite part of the show. It was exactly what an opener should be, a strong opening that says hey we're Fairfield and we're ready to bring it. The second song was an iffy one for me. I think because it was in Spanish (I believe?), was the reason that I wasn't too fond of the number. It was good I just didn't know what the song was about and how it fit into the show. The ballad was solid and was even more interesting because it was in German and English which gave it that little bit of flare. Again a bit hard to understand how it fit into the show but that may be because I didn't really listen to the English part due to fatigue. Post ballad kind of turned me off from the show. I know the point that was trying to be given but I just did not like the mini-rock concert. The rest of the show was great. Good transition from dark to light just a solid show. Fairfield did indeed earn the awards that were given to them on Saturday.
Dekalb- Now maybe they didn't have a theme and they just had songs made into a show but I did not get how the songs were connected in this show. I don't even remember what the opener and the second number were but I do remember that I personally thought that this half could have used a lot more diction. The lack of diction was present in the most of the show and was one of my biggest complaints about the show. Lean On Me was good, but(holds up flame shield) I did not like the soloists having the entire ballad. I had the same problem I had with Bishop Leurs ballad and it's Yes these soloists can sing but for this part of the show I'd like to hear the choir as a whole. As far the second half of the show went it was very entertaining. The Adams Family number was interesting to say the least. The guys number was ok. The boys seemed a bit tired which might have led to the reason why the guys vocals may have sounded weak. Ballroom Blitz was my favorite. I don't know who that girl was that had the solo in it but she was my favorite! She was so into it that it just brought me in for the closer, which was also suprising because the girls number was the closer. Overall a good show not a show I'm too fond of however.
Solon- Once again you guys have returned for another season of excellence vocal performance and an entertaining concept. When I first heard of a work theme for a show I was a little uneasy about it. The reason being because I've seen many groups try to do it and fail. The opener was fantastic! Much sharper choreo from last year and great vocals. You guys came into finals ready to show that you can compete with Fairfield and Dekalb and all these excellent groups. That being said I do want to say that at times the diction almost seemed too much. For instance in the ballad there were a lot of hard T's that kind of took away from the effect of the ballad. This may be personal preference but you don't want too much because then it sounds like we're alll doing the diction here because the director told us to. Just soften the Ts and the ballad will be golden. Last thing I have to say is that in the closer I think the energy got the best of you guys. The excitement led to very punchy chords. While the notes were there the accents and diction kinda made the choral part of the closer fade away. Still a great closer and show just channel that energy to give enough energy while still staying choral. Keep it up and can't wait to see you guys later this season
To the girls groups I'm sorry but I don't have much to say. I'm not great at telling what's good in a girls groups but both of the groups performed wonderfully on Saturday
Teays Valley- I think that maybe I caught a bad show but I feel that this was a weak show. Maybe it's still early but I will make a better judgement later in this season
Marysville- First of all great performance of the whole show. It was definitely a way to start what I hope will be a great season for you guys. The opener was much more solid then Cabaret however I think the choreo could be cleaned up a little bit more and there could be more diction in the number and in the whole show. The second number still remains my favorite of the whole show. Great energy for a style of song that Marysville has possibly never done before. The ballad was great. Good vocal things again a bit more diction but nothing too crazy. The fourth number was obviously new but still really good. Definitely a fun number. Guys could sing out a little more in the guys section but i'm sure that will improve more this season. The closer was most improved. The energy was much more apparent from cabaret. Choreo is looking much sharper and the dynamics are much MUCH better. However girls need to sing out more when they are singing out. Not pushing it where it doesn't sound tasteful anymore but enough where the ladies are apparent. Still a really good show that I can't wait to see get even better as the year progresses.
This was a great way to start the season. I hope to see these groups as they approve over the year!
Fairfield: Great way to start off the season, your finals performance was SOLID.
DeKalb: Definitely loved the Adams Family section it was pretty neat.
Solon: Whew! I didn't want your show to end. You've come along way!
Pure Elegance: I'm sorry I didn't get to see your show (got there after you performed)
Sound Sensations: You girls are one of my favorite girls groups, loved the closer
Teays Valley: Definitely enjoyed the different PR than I was expecting, I enjoyed the ballad a lot.
1st Runner Up in Small Mixed was Buckeye Valley, I forget 2nd Runner Up.
ha ha! I knew Buckeye Valley was somewhere in there but i didn't remember the third one.
Such a fantastic day of show choir. I will write my thoughts tomorrow after I sleep. Ps in the 7 years I've gone to this competition, this was the first time that everything ran smoothly. On that note congrats to the competing choirs and I will see you all tomorrow
first of all...it's so f'n nice not to be attached professionally to a specific group when I go to a comp. & even more relaxed than when I adjudicate.
This competition ran like a well oiled machine. The talent was amazing...Jonathan Alder...YOU ROCKED!!! & the talent I witnessed from the large group choirs. Adams Family ROCKED - Dekalb GREAT show! Solon...your vocals have grown so much in just a year!
FAIRFIELD: your show moved me on a moral level as well as a personal spiritual level. WOW!
Great job to all of the choirs.
Thanks! I would give my thoughts about everyone, but I can barely type coherent sentences. I may do that tomorrow.. I will say however, that I was thoroughly impressed with what I saw, and I know this is going to be a great season!
Marysville Showcase 2011
