The Pitch Pipe - January 2009 - (Page 8) By Maggie Ryan, Greater Harrisburg Chorus, Region 19 Here’s what we’re learning as this Audience Choice Award gains traction … you have to be a little nuts to take one home. In 2008, the audience at Sweet Adelines International’s 62nd annual convention and competition were treated to a dog show and women in inflatable fat suits. No further explanation of that “nuts” comment seems necessary now, does it? The three-year-old award has clearly become a favorite of the folks from Region 9 — choruses from there have won all three, and one, Spirit of the Gulf, has already taken home the plaque and rainbow ribbons twice. Toast of Tampa Show took home the honors in 2007. It must be something about the Florida climate that brings out the wackiness. “We’ve decided they’re going to have to rename it the Region 9 award,” laughed Spirit member and choreographer Carol Ann Bagley. “We’re already looking forward to the next one.” Spirit’s performance package was inspired by the movie “Best in Show,” which is a spoof of the annual Westminster Kennel Club Show. Carol Ann, as well as Master Director Karen Breidert and other members of the visual team dug into their research. They found, to their delight, that many of the visuals spoofed in “Best in Show” played out in real life, and the skit was hatched. “The visual team barked its way through all these ideas and came up with the package,” said Carol Ann. “It started as a ‘101 Dalmations’ theme, and grew from there. We have a woman in the chorus who is a dog show person. A bunch of us went to the Fort Myers (Fla.) show and said, ‘Wow, it’s true!’ ” At the show they saw men and women dog handlers wearing evening attire and sensible shoes so they could jog their dogs around the ring, and judges whose comments rivaled, well, Sweet Adelines judges. “Betty Clipman was working with us (as a coach) and she said she just had to be involved,” Carol Ann said. “She joined as a dual member and we made her the 2008 Audience Choice Award YOU Chose ‘Em hound judge.” Betty came up with many of her own lines, even mimicking Sweet Adelines-speak (“With a score …”) to announce placements in the mythical doggy call-off, Carol Ann said. Longtime Spirit coach and collaborator Debbie Connelly, who also joined Spirit as a dual member, got into the act with a double-take-inducing turn as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Connelly’s entrance, coming within days of the United States’ presidential election, drew laughter and cheers as she impersonated Palin’s elbow-style wave and “You betcha” patter. Spirit is blessed with a veritable performance-package machine in Nancy Barkley, who, according to Carol Ann, inundates Karen with so many ideas, notes and e-mails that she has compiled “The Nancy Files,” which she dips into often. And you just know that a woman named Barkley is going to be wellspring of humor when it comes to ideas about dogs, right? Starting from that zany point of view, Karen and her creative team built a seamless and funny performance that was enhanced by choice parody lyrics throughout. The result was a res-“hounding” success. But even with Spirit’s customary fun-loving approach, the package would not have been as memorable without that one, defining gag. Credit Gayle Cox with being the magician behind the groaninducing joke: “Why isn’t the puppy singing? Because she’s not off the paper.” Gayle also came up with the most-recited line in Spirit’s award-winning 2006 airline 8 January 2009
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