South Off Stage

Jamison Hanway Staff Reporter

When most people think of show choir, they think of the singing, dancing and the spirit fingers.

A lot of people don’t see the hard work and dedication these students in Millard South’s Show Choirs South on Stage and Stage One have.

“Our season starts at the end of July where we get our choreography, and the competition season goes from January to March,” freshman South on Stage member Mae Martin said.

With this long season, hard work and dedication are needed at every practice to form these intricate shows. In one of their practices, they go through the parts of the show and the songs, clean them up, and get things perfect. At the end of practice, they try to run through the whole show.

“Practices are very important in your success in show choir, and I think the directors do a very good job at getting work done while keeping it fun,” freshman Stage One member Abi Charity said.

Hard work isn’t the only thing going on in these practices; jokes and laughter fill the room as much as the songs.

“We make a lot of stupid jokes and work with each other on getting better at our dances or checking notes,” freshman Stage One member Aspyn Christie said.

With the balance between fun and work, the team isn’t the only ones having fun, sometimes it’s the directors. Jaymie Argotsinger coaches South on Stage and Maddie Pressler coaches Stage One. Ryan Jansen is the assistant coach for both groups.

“Directors are there to critique us and give us direction, which improves the show choir as a whole,” sophomore Stage One member Finn Tauchman said. “Directors also motivate us and encourage us to be better and always help when we need it,” Tauchman said.

The coaches are there for the team creating an environment where people can improve and help others improve.

“Everyone gets along and we bounce ideas off each other. Our directors are inclusive to new ideas, and senior leadership really brings it in and helps us get better at each rehearsal,” Martin said. “Some of the seniors will host bondings at their houses, and that really got us closer at the beginning of the season. Later in the season, we went to restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings. I feel like bondings helped us grow as a group. I wish that people know that show choir is a very inclusive community