Stress, itchy dresses, and a whole lot of hairspray goes into Wahlert show choir performances. “Before the performance, your whole body is full of energy, full of excitement and nervousness,” Josie Wolbers, ‘24, said. “After the performance, you’re out of breath, yet you wish you could do it all again.” 

From behind the scenes, it’s not as fun and easy-going as the show choir members make it seem. Show choir practices last for hours on end, and sometimes it can be stressful. Grace Zhang, ‘24, says, “It’s frustrating to work really hard, dancing, and putting in a lot of effort, when other people aren’t giving it their all.” 

Wolbers agrees stating, “The worst thing is the attention to detail because if one person isn’t focused or giving their all, it makes the whole group look messy.”

The Emotions Associated With Show Choir

To some of the group members, show choir is a passion. “To me, it’s a place where I can do what I love, with other people who want the same thing that you do. It’s a place where you can leave everything else you’re stressing about behind you, and take a minute to do what you love,” says Wolbers. 

Abbey Gasper, ‘24, commented, “I grew up watching my sister dance in show choir. I always thought it looked like so much fun. But I never knew how much it would change my life  to connect to music through singing and dancing, and even creating a bond with everyone in the group.” 

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Wahlert show choir competitions have been shut down. “It was hard because it was our first year of show choir and we weren’t able to perform at competitions,” says Zhang. “But I’m grateful we were able to actually perform what we worked on for our families and friends.” 

To Ice, ‘23, a foreign exchange student from Thailand, show choir is a whole new experience. Ice explains, “It was nice meeting new people and easy coming into a community where everyone is welcoming, but it was difficult learning to do both singing and dancing. Especially since I’ve only known how to do just dancing.”

The friendship, hard work, and community are all parts of what makes show choir so special. Chris Schmitt, ‘24, states, “Show choir is so special because we get to create our own unique show and show it to everyone else as well as perform with amazing friends.”