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The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
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A picture perfect premiere performance

Show choir prepares for the head of their competition season
Alex Elgert, Staff Reporter
March 21, 2025
West In The Groove performs their show on stage. Photo from Millard West Showchoirs Instagram

For the first time this season, each show choir performed for an audience of friends and family, debuting their competition material in the auditorium.

In preparation for the Music Lives competition and fundraiser, directors Drew Firkins, Jordan Newhouse and Zach Bjornson premiered each group in most of their glory on Monday, January 13th, two weeks before the competition.

Though we didn’t compete, we never pass on an opportunity to show off our flair, and our show choirs are no exception. Swing Cats, the JV group directed and choreographed by Drew Firkins, performed a set surrounding the importance of words. With heart-clenching solos from freshmen Fiona Jackson Cusick and Preston Spanel, the group of underclassmen set the tone for the entire premiere. Featuring songs like “The Door” by Teddy Swims, the message conveyed was powerful- something Firkins seems to outdo himself with every year.

The second set of performances debuted a brand new group of artists, Wildvibez. Wildvibez is composed of ACP program students, accompanied by a handful of varsity students for support. They performed songs from “High School Musical” and “Toy Story,” singing about friendship and community.

Third to perform was the varsity treble group Uptown. Newhouse, affectionately known by his students as J-New, creatively arranged and directed a set to surround three fashion designers, each from a different era of craft, featuring choreography by Anne Chapmen. Featuring several movable prop mannequins and even an LED catwalk, it is safe to say that the lack of costuming (see; “most of their glory”) did nothing to break the immersion of storytelling by the talented group of altos and sopranos.

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About the Contributor
Alex Elgert
Alex Elgert, Staff Reporter
Alex is a sophomore at MWHS. They enjoy reviewing entertainment media, like music, movies, plays, and books. This is their first year on the CATalyst staff.