Looking Back

The Celebration Iowa tour is beginning to wind down. We only have twelve more shows before we finish on August 10th. To some people in the cast, this is a relief. To others like me, it means that in three more weeks we'll be crying so hard our eyes will pop out.

More than halfway through the tour, it's strange to consider how we started out. I feel like I've known all these people forever and that rehearsal camp just began yesterday. When I think back to our dress rehearsal, I remember the huge adrenaline rush, the way I was out of breath after the first five songs and the way our cast worked together to make the audience forget about the boiling outdoor temperature. Most of all, I was excited to realize I'd have thirty more chances to do this.

Looking at our show now, I'm amazed at how much we've learned. Aside from the actual choreography-which has been changed more than you would think-so much is different now. We've become skilled at dealing with rain, cold temperatures and the accompaniment of mooing cows. Instead of the adrenaline rush taking the show out of control, it keeps us going strong. Our cast and staff (if it's possible) have grown even closer. Most of us have become very comfortable with sharing our personal feelings and thoughts about performing.

The coolest thing about the tour, though, is what hasn't changed at all. Every night, no matter where we are, how big or small the crowd is, or how many mess-ups we've had, the audience stands up after the final number and whistles and claps until their hands are numb. Just that steady flow of appreciation has encouraged us to make the show better each day.

Goodwill stops allow us to "pay it forward". Visits to nursing homes and care centers are the most painfully rewarding part of this tour. When we perform at these places, we usually sing through most of our first and third sets and then the band joins us for the Iowa Corn Song. After we're finished, we go and talk to the residents. At our last goodwill visit in Knoxville, I went up to a lady in the front row, took her hand and held it as tears ran down her face. I can't describe what I felt when that happened.

When you see a performance by the Celebration Iowa Singers and Jazz Band, you never think of everything that goes on behind the scenes. I believe that what makes it so high caliber is something even the cast members can't see: it's the way we feel and sense each other and the audience that puts the show in a league of its own.