The Lincoln Log

Abraham Lincoln High School’s Varsity Gold Show Choir swarmed the stage at the 5678 Show Choir Festival in Disneyland on Friday, April 13, competing against five other high school show choir groups from around the nation.

The 5678 Show Choir Festival was sponsored by Disney, the multimillion-dollar corporation. The group of young and talented singers and dancers left for Disneyland on Thursday at 1 a.m. by charter bus, accompanied by director Shawn Aluk, and chaperons, Andre Jordan, and Shannon Manini.

Upon arriving in Disneyland around 7 or 8 in the morning, the Varsity Gold attended workshops lead by professional entertainers from Disney. They worked with the professionals and focused on three key things that are vital for stage performances: stage presence, how to stay in character, and vocals.

“The experience was really good because a lot of new performers got to learn from the professionals. They learned different techniques and learned how to be a better performer and how to stay in character on stage. It was really fun,” junior, and Show Choir President, Terinna Chen said.

The competition itself was on Friday. The Varsity Gold Show Choir competed against five other co-ed high school show choir groups. Most of the groups were from southern California, and there were some groups from out of the state. There were also other levels of competition such as the middle school show choir competition and the all-girls’ show choir competition. Each show choir group had 15 minutes to performance their piece. There was a panel of three judges, as well as an audience of random spectators from around the Disney Park. The Varsity Gold performed Disney songs such as “Yo-ho,” “Eye to eye,” “He Lives in You,” and High School Musical’s “We’re All in this Together.” This year they received the highest rating compared to previous years, but they still placed fifth because the other groups were just a little more up to par. The group that placed fourth was just two points higher than our Varsity Gold Show Choir.

“[Overall I think we did] great. The best we’ve ever done so far,” Aluk said.

Preparations for this competition was on and off throughout this whole school year. Financing this trip was no a problem this year, as there had been problems in the past. Each member was responsible for paying for their own expenses, but there were many fundraising opportunities to pay it off. The show choir group was able to pay off or subsidize their trip payment by participating in several fundraisers.