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"Up With People” was one of the best variety shows that we have had in Sierra Vista.
Judging from the reaction of the audience, it was certainly a show that appealed to nearly all people.
The idea behind the show is good. It is the idea that when people get together they can solve any problem or accomplish the most forbidding tasks.
The show plans to do something that will benefit any community where they perform. In our city, they had a constructive session with the Detention Center.
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The personnel of the cast are drawn from all over the world. There were about 50 countries represented in this cast, all young people from 18 to 29. There was talent galore, both singing and dancing. Early in the show, there was a solo by someone I took to be Native American, from the style and language of the song. That might have been the song listed as “Ayiko.”
In this show the songs seemed to be more important than the singers. Many of the songs were really memorable. “Rhythm and Stomp,” “It Takes a Whole Village” (to bring up a child), “Keep the Beat,” “Culture Jam,” “One to One” and of course the theme song, “Up with People.” This is not a complete list — other songs were equally as good.
One of the leading singers was a girl from Tucson who appears to be blind, but has a terrific voice. There were several girls who sang very well, and the rest of the cast was always a responding chorus. Several of the men had excellent voices and sang very well. The man who opened the show has a knack for generating excitement and sings well, too. A couple of the other men appear professional, though we realize that the show is basically amateur.
A large part of the show’s impact was due to the rather remarkable lighting. For one thing, it was a relief to be able to see the entire stage, but the vast array of lights of all colors was played like a musical instrument. The lighting was part of the stage setup that came with the show.
Amplification was powerful but not extreme. It must have been quite a trick to have the soloists just loud enough to be distinguished from the chorus, but it worked.
The dancing was exceptionally good. There was a quartet of young ladies who performed a dance worthy of the Mark Morris dancers. The general cast danced a lot; the dancing fit seamlessly into the show.
During the “Culture Jam” music, there were several couples dancing everything from jitterbug to Latin rhythms, each couple so good that one hated to shift attention from one to another.
By coincidence, on Monday I watched clips from the new Disney movie, “High School Musical II.” So far as I could tell, the general show was very similar to “Up with People,” even in quality and talent.
Several Sierra Vista children came on stage in a group to sing and dance one number with the cast. They were very good, and must have done a lot of rehearsing in the few days before the show.
This “Up with People” show brought a burst of energy and a feeling of celebration to our city. It is rare indeed to find a show so entertaining that also brings a constructive ideal to life.
For the sake of the whole world, may their message become a ruling theme, though it may happen slowly, “One to One.”
Annie Dee White wrote on Oct 28, 2007 1:53 PM: