Dolphin Talent’s Acting + Industry Guide

In preparation for the TV debut of  “Spectacular!” I thought I’d give you all a brief breakdown on the history of Show Choir, as I know we all learned a lot about it through “Spectacular!.”

The first high school show choir was formed in 1955 at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, CA. They were called the Chanteurs. Twenty-five years later, Arcadia High was also the home to the first all girls show choir named New Spirit.

 The 1962 creation of The Young Americans directed by Milton C. Anderson in Los Angeles, CA marked the start of the show choir phenomenon. The Young Americans performed with Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, George Burns, Vicki Andrews and many others and were featured in an Academy Award winning documentary in 1968.

Show choir then went on to make its collegiate mark on the Midwest. Indiana University’s Singing Hoosiers and the University Singers of Ball State University during the 1970’s. Through extensive touring through out the US by both the Singing Hoosiers and the University Singers, show choirs started to pop up all over the Midwest and competitions were born.

The first high school show choir invitational was held in 1973 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at Jefferson High School and continues today.

National Competitions are held yearly and are typically held in destinations such as Orlando, FL, Nashville, TN, or New York, NY.

Lucky for you, if you have not seen a show choir in action, you can watch “Spectacular!” on Nickelodeon on February 16, 2009. Get your jazz hands ready!

SttlMeg