Up with People Cast B 2010 On Tour

Members of Cast B09 in Denver

The halls are alive with the sound of Up with People!  The historic Sherman Center in Downtown Denver is full of a fresh new group of Up with People students.  Each floor of the building has different sounds and different stories.

The 4^th floor is the auditorium.  Our tech team set up the stage for our staff to perform parts of the show during opening session on Sunday, July 12^th. The staff worked long and hard to prepare an awesome first impression for the cast. You could feel the excitement as the new group entered the auditorium not quite knowing what to expect.  It was an awesome feeling walking onstage during the opening number and looking out into an audience of people I barely knew, but will soon be my family.  The host family meet and greet after the show provided an opportunity for cast members to mingle with each other and get to know the host families and staff as well.

The Debut of Jai Ho at Cast B's Opening Session

Also on the 4^th floor you can hear laughter in the morning as both staff and students answer the “Question of the Day” during morning meeting.   In the afternoon you can hear the rhythm of an Oye el Boom dance workshop or the band rocking out to the Love Medley.

One of the most inspiring sounds coming from the 4^th floor would be the intense conversation that can follow an education session.  It was an awesome feeling to watch the cast after our silent card tournament.  The rules of the game are different at every table and the cast was not aware of this added challenge.  The debate and discussion that followed was truly inspiring as the cast related the experience to living in other cultures as well as how we communicate and respond to the members of our own cast who may have difficulties with the English language.

On the 3^rd floor you can peek in on Backup Singers workshops, or maybe listen to a rap or spoken word.  In the ballroom on the 2^nd floor you can hear the harmonies in Shosholoza, a South African song, during a vocal workshop.  An hour and a half later you can watch the cast learn the dance to the new opening number, Sing Your Song.  It is so exciting to be involved with the production of this cast because of the new and different moments that this cast will originate in the show.  The opening number is such a display of raw emotion and joy that it’s almost impossible to not be caught up in the moment.  The growth in the performing arts that I have seen from this cast just in the first week is absolutely incredible.

Probably my favorite sound of the first week of staging comes from the lunchroom on the 1^st floor.  This is truly where connections and friendships are being made.  I’ve had incredible lunches with some amazing students and I know that what I’ve seen is being shared with the entire cast.  It’s going to be an adventure watching this cast continue to grow and learn as their semester continues.

-by Laura Lynn Horst, Music Coordinator Cast B09