Find Your Joy And Share It
One of the things we all love the most about the marching arts is experiencing the joy of the performers participating. We strive to teach our members to reach a level where they can feel mastery of their show and really “perform” for us. We love when they share their joy with us.
Last night I saw the touring production of Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. It’s a terrific Broadway show which follows the formation of the group and shares the triumphs and challenges of becoming the top Rhythm and Blues group of all time.
The performers were talented and worked hard, singing and dancing practically non-stop throughout the show. While I enjoyed learning this story and seeing these fantastic performers work so hard, I had a difficult time really enjoying the show. The designers decided to highlight the grit and struggles of The Temptations, choosing a palette that was almost entirely black, white and gray. Rare pops of color were a relief to the eyes. And though there were non-stop musical numbers, I felt the weight of the difficulties of the group and the challenges of dealing with fame, especially as black men trying to be acceptable to white southern fans.
It could be that this was the experience of these men as they traveled and toured and performed. Clearly they were exhausted, but I found that I was also. After seeing the show I couldn’t quite figure out why I had not really enjoyed the show as I had hoped. This morning I woke up realizing that I had rarely felt the JOY of their performance. The men talked about how much singing meant to them, but I rarely felt their joy from the audience.
Perhaps this was a design choice to make a point about how hard their work was. But I missed that familiar experience I get at Broadway performances where those on stage share the love of their craft with the audience. Recently the touring production of The Prom was in Orlando and it was the first live show after the pandemic. It was palpable how excited the performers were to be on stage, and the audience felt the thrill of live theater again. The exuberance of singing and dancing flew off the stage, but my experience with Ain’t Too Proud was missing this.
Of course, this could all have been my mood on this night, but I don’t think so. Either way, I encourage you to continue to see live performances of all kinds whenever possible! And I encourage you to allow yourself to express and experience joy in all the things you love to do. This is a gift to the world that we all need right now!
As you work with your groups, strive to create an environment where your performers feel safe and comfortable to really express themselves and share their joy. Give them the training and design they need to accomplish this, then help them learn to perform and express without reservation. We’ll all thank you!
Tim Hinton
January 28, 2022
