The Langley Chorus will perform “Get On Your Feet: Pop Music Through the Decades” for their annual spring show May 30 and 31. Photo by Alex McVeigh.
The Langley High School chorus has explored on and off-Broadway, as well as Disney for their annual spring show in years past. This year they will take a trip through the decades, exploring pop music throughout its history with “Get On Your Feet: Pop Music Through the Decades.”
“We looked at songs from each decade of pop music, starting with the 50s all the way up to modern times, and we included a medley from each decade,” said Dr. Mac Lambert, chorus director at Langley. “Each ensemble will do a medley from a decade, as well as a contemporary hit song, one from 2000 on.”
The show’s musical style is different from the usual performances by the chorus, which the students said was a lot of fun to work out and choreograph.
“This show has been fun because we’ve really been able to do some choreography along with singing, which isn’t that common in most of our shows,” said senior Amelia Welch. “One of the best medleys is our Motown medley. I had to do a lot of research for that, looking at YouTube clips trying to capture the style of the day. It was exciting, because I love Motown, but haven’t performed it before.”
Students made the choreography for the songs very theatrical. For example, while the male singers perform a rendition of the New Kids on the Block’s “Step by Step,” they are surrounded by swooning female fans.
The show will cover everything from the Temptations to Madonna to Kelly Clarkson. In addition to specific songs, each decade will be featured in a medley.
“I’ve been singing here for four years, and haven’t done anything quite like this, with all the energy that comes with pop music,” said senior Beth Richardson. “It’s fun to explore music of other generations. Like with the disco music, we’re performing songs that our parents thought were the best songs in the world, so we think it will be fun for them as well.”
The disco medley, one of the students’ favorites, transitions from The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” to The Trammps’ “Disco Inferno” to The Weather Girls’ “It’s Rainin’ Men” to Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” to Vickie Sue Robinson’s “Turn the Beat Around” before concluding with The Village People’s “YMCA.”
The 90s medley features a twist on songs the students grew up with, including Santana’s “Smooth,” Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract” and Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
“Another fun part is all the crowd interaction, we’ll be coming offstage and getting into the audience, which we don’t often do,” Welch said. “And we’ll be looking for them to get involved as well.”
The Langley Chorus will perform “Pop Hits Through the Decades” Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m. in the Langley auditorium. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10. Tickets for elementary and middle school students can be purchased for $5.