Celebration Iowa in DBQ

On Sun nite, 29 July 2007 the Celebration Iowa Singers & Jazz Band made a return appearance in DBQ. The performance was at 6:30 pm in the Packard Amphitheater at Marshall Park/DBQ Arboretum. It was co-sponsored by the DBQ Arts Council & Fuerste Eye Clinic.

They are a group of musically talented Iowa HS students who spend the Summer touring Iowa. (They must be from Iowa to be a member.) The group was founded in 1983 by 2 Luther College educators, Dennis L. Darling and Dr. Judith Bowstead Nye. (A short history can be found on their website.)

The Jazz Band has a repertoire from which they choice different pieces to perform at each show. They perform 4 sets in every show.

The Singers do 3 sets of coreographed tunes. Each set has a theme arround which the songs are selected. Their sets are the same throughout the Summer tour & do not change from show to show. The 1st set this year is entitled Tuxedo Junction: Swing Tunes From the '40s & '50s. The 3rd set is Everybody Cut Footloose! Hits of the '80s. This year the 2nd set was an original musical composed by founder Dr. Dennis Darling in honor of their 25th Anniversary. It was a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Watching the cast perform was a joy. You could tell that they enjoy what they were doing. & you could see from the quality of their performances, the hard work & hours of rehersal they put in to be able to get the dance moves down right. Watching them perform you'd never know all the hours of hard work that went into the production, from the aforementioned rehersing to the arranging of the muisc, to the coreography, etc. The performers may be HS students, but they get the experience of a professionally run show.

At the end of the show they have the hometown roll call. This is an opportunity to acknowledge what parts of Iowa they represent. To do so they combine parts of 2 songs. The 1st part is a couple of lines from the Iowa Corn Song: "We're from I-O-way, I-O-way. That's where the tall corn grows!" Then they go into the end of Iowa's own Meredith Willson's song Iowa Stubborn from Meredith Willson's The Music Man: "You ought to give Iowa, Dubuque . . . . a try. They put in their own hometowns in place of the towns mentioned in the original.

Watching their show I realize some would say this is a throwback to the '60s. I say so what. The performers are talented, the music & dancing done well. & what is wrong with celebrating the greatest state in the union by showcasing some of its young talent? Nothing!!!!!

Happy 25th Anniversary

CELEBRATION IOWA

SINGERS & DANCERS!!!!!

I am looking forward to many more years of enjoyable performances from you.

(Post 600)