SPOTLIGHT: A LOOK AT STUDENT PERFORMING ARTS: Getting the show on the road

When performing arts groups travel, no amount of rehearsing can prepare them for what awaits Cloaked in the guise of weekend drives down the coast, many performing arts groups take their shows off home-base and spread a taste of University spirit to other locations. While these mini-tours provide for, above all else, a showcasing of musical talent, they often offer such added incentives as group unity and events that are anything but the same old song and dance. For the a cappella group The Inspiration, "taking the show on the road" came to acquire a whole new meaning after a trip to Duke University two years ago. On the last leg of their return drive from North Carolina to Philadelphia, the group's minivan got into a three-vehicle accident. The performers were found to be at fault and, while they sustained only minor injuries, the van suffered a different fate, according to Inspiration member Nayre Greene. "It was a rent-a-van, so we got in big trouble," the Nursing junior said. "We totalled it." Despite the legend-like quality that the story has achieved, members recount that, at the time, the incident was anything but humorous. However, they maintain a "something good from everything bad" philosophy, and said the accident helped to foster a kind of closeness that recast their sprains and bruises in a relatively insignificant light. "It got us all closer together because we were all worried about each other," College senior Jeanette Melendez said. Greene agreed, saying "the bonds that resulted from that trip have never been broken." She went on to point out that a road-trip itself is usually enough to cultivate group cohesiveness, with or without traffic violations. "It's definitely the best bonding one can ever imagine," she said. "You really get to know how people are when they're away from their environment." This absence of a familiar environment also means the loss of friends, relatives, and other loyal audience members whose diehard cheers can be counted on to deliver a hearty boost to group morale. Melendez said fresh audiences provide the performers with honest assessments of their work, and that, because strangers may be more difficult to impress, their accolades are taken as signs of certain achievement. "At Penn, we're used to people saying 'Oh, you're so good,'" Melendez said. "When we go to other campuses, we wonder if they're going to think we're just the norm. But so far, we've gotten a really good response. "When you get there and get all that applause and appreciation, you feel like we're not just a group that's successful at Penn," she added. The world truly is a stage for the all-male a cappella group Chord on Blues, which has sung impromptu gigs at such locales as Disney World and their group president's backyard. Although their longest trip together -- to Florida -- was intended only for pleasure, the group couldn't help but let a little business slip into their routine. Chord on Blues President Derek Robinson, a Wharton senior, described a vacation that had the group giving instant shows wherever space and one or more spectators were available. "We sang on the beach," he said. "We sang for my mom, out on [my] deck. "We sang at Disney World, on this patch of beach there," Robinson added. "It [was] nighttime, and people [were] sitting out by campfires, and we'd just start singing." Like The Inspiration, members of Chord on Blues also tell a legendary tour-related tale. Theirs too includes an encounter with law enforcement officials, although fraught with slightly more criminal implications. Their account dates from a trip to Italy during spring break in 1992. "After a night of drinking, two of the guys [in the group] were in one of the plazas, and they were relieving themselves on one of the statues," Robinson said. Sensing a presence behind them, the two men did an about-face, expecting to see a fellow group member. To their surprise, however, they found themselves face to face with an Italian police officer. Both perpetrators were, in the end, let go with only a warning. Robinson said such overseas travels are the exception rather than the rule. Usually, touring means weekend getaways to other colleges and universities, which make contact based on either word-of-mouth or prior joint performances. "We travel a few times a semester to different schools," he said. "It's usually over a weekend, and we'll come home the next morning [after we perform]." Chord on Blues Music Director Alan Modlinger said that while these trips can take their toll on academic work habits, the group tries to avoid this predicament through long-term planning. "We only choose those weekends when we're [all] free," the College junior said. "It can be problematic, but usually we know far enough in advance [so] that it's not a problem." Modlinger said that under extreme circumstances -- such as multiple finals -- a group member will be excused from a particular road-trip. In general, though, everyone is expected to attend. "We like 100 percent attendance, if we can get it," he said. "That's part of being in a group. But we have a good time, so it's worthwhile." While spreading their sound around the globe may be viewed as an effort towards cultural exchange, Counterparts President Graham Robinson said language barriers can be particularly troublesome during numbers where the words are essential to maximum enjoyment. This became an issue last March, when the group flew to Club Med in Nassau. Although the week-long holiday included few singing engagements, the humor in some of the songs the group performed was lost on an almost completely non-English speaking audience. "The entire clientele was almost entirely French, and so they continued to introduce us incorrectly, as 'Counterpoints,'" Robinson said. "We made the mistake of singing 'Spiderman,' where the words are fairly important to understanding the song. "We had very stony faces after that," he added. The group is presently readying itself for this year's trip to Hawaii, where they will be singing in Honolulu and Waikiki. In contrast to Nassau, Hawaii will include nightly engagements, in addition to daily daytime performances at area schools. "Everyday we have a show at one school or another, which hopefully will allow us to help out the Penn admissions committee in some way," Robinson said. Not all accommodations are as cushy as those found in luxury, beachfront hotels, however. During an engagement at Georgetown University, Robinson said the group was given a less-than-welcoming dinner, a firsthand look at hazing, and nonexistent sleeping arrangements. "The dinner end of what we got was two pieces of cold pizza," he said. At the post-performance party, Robinson said their hosts "sat around and hazed their members and broke glass bottles all over the floor." Later, the group was told to "get the hell out of my room," as they were looking for a place to spend the night. That was followed by an offer of floor space covered with the broken glass from earlier in the evening. "We ended up finding a freshman who set us up with some futons in a study lounge," Robinson said. As revenge, the group made long distance phone calls from the home, at the expense of their 'hosts.' "They were completely screwing us over," he said. Under normal circumstances, the group is met with a more cordial response -- which typically comes in the form of dinner, a place to stay, and a party, Robinson said. For Counterparts, road-trips vary from two to four per semester. Past destinations have included Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Georgetown, and Princeton Universities.

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