Millard West Show Choirs

The Millard West Show Choirs are the three featured show choirs at Millard West High School. There are three groups that comprise the program: Swing Cats (SCATS), Uptown Girls (UTG), and West in The Groove (WIG). Each group has 50 members, a show band, and a tech crew. All groups, bands, and tech crew members are added to their team by audition only. Auditions are held in the spring before the following school year. All choirs rehearse from August through April in preparation for their competition season, which begins in January and concludes in March.
History
The three show choirs were founded when Millard West opened in 1995 by Mike Jannis. Jannis handed the direction to Joel Johnson in 2001. Johnson was the first director to take the choirs to compete in 2004. In 2006, Kathy Simpson was handed the choirs, and began to compete regularly. Lauren Ballou joined as a director in 2010, and co-directing Swing Cats alongside Simpson for one year. In 2011, Zack Bjornsen took Ballou's place, but went on to solely direct Uptown Girls in 2012. In 2014, Bjornsen became the head director of Uptown Girls and West in the Groove.
Swing Cats
Swing Cats (SCATS) is the Junior Varsity Mixed-Gender Show Choir of Millard West. Swing Cats is composed of approximately 50 freshmen through senior performers.
Under Kathy Simpson's direction, Swing Cats put on many theatrically styled shows. This theatricality is showcased through her use of "novelty" songs in the show choir set.
The Swing Cats are choreographed beginning in the fall of their school year, and learn their music and choreography simultaneously.
SCATS rehearses for approximately four hours outside of school during the week.
The Swing Cats show band has approximately seven members.
Music for SCATS and the show band is arranged by Luke Furman and Drew Firkins.
Uptown Girls
Uptown Girls (UTG) is the Varsity Women's Show Choir of Millard West. Uptown is composed of approximately 50 freshmen through senior performers.
The Uptown Girls were undefeated by any women's groups they competed against in their 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons, under the direction of Zack Bjornsen. This winning streak consisted of over 15 competitions and nearly 40 individual groups. It should also be noted that Uptown was awarded the Grand Champions of the Women's Division at FAME Branson during their 2013 season. The most recent defeat by any other women's group was during FAME Nationals in 2013, where UTG placed 8th in their division.
UTG rehearses for approximately four hours outside of school during the week.
Anne Chapman has choreographed for Uptown Girls since 2012.
The Uptown Girls are choreographed during early August with choreography sessions finishing in October.
The Uptown Girls show band has approximately 18 members.
Music for UTG and the show band is arranged by Luke Furman.
West in the Groove
West in the Groove (WIG) is the Varsity Mixed-Gender Show Choir of Millard West. WIG is composed of approximately 50 sophomore through senior performers.
In 2005, West in the Groove earned their first Grand Champion placement under the direction of Joel Johnson.
Kathy Simpson's theatrical style of directing was evident in the West in the Groove shows she produced. Under her direction, WIG's shows would have a theme that all the songs would adhere to. The novelty songs were a trademark of Simpson's style, and continued to surface throughout her direction. Simpson's theatrical style included the use of quick costume changes, fog machines, and large backdrops.
In 2014, Zack Bjornsen became the director of West in the Groove, and reverted WIG to a classic or traditional style. This style consists of themeless shows, and no longer uses novelty pieces in the set. The first show under his direction consisted of a wide variety of music of contrasting styles including musical theatre, jazz, soul, and pop. The 2014 season was successful for West in the Groove in comparison to their entire history, as they were placed Grand Champions twice at steep competitions. In 2014, West in the Groove was awarded caption awards for "Best Choreography", "Best Vocals", and "Best Band" more consistently than any year previous.
WIG rehearses for approximately four hours outside of the school during the week.
West in the Groove has been choreographed by Ben Ecklund, Melanie Walters, and Stephen Todd.
WIG is choreographed from August through October.
The West in the Groove show band has approximately 17 members.
Music for WIG and the show band is arranged by Luke Furman.
Student Leadership
Each year, Dance Captains are chosen by the choreographer and the director of each group. Four members are chosen to lead the choreography and correct any differences among members' choreography execution. Two separate student members are elected to be on the Leadership Team for each group. The Leadership Team is responsible for planning group bonding events, regularly meeting with the director, and maintaining the focus of the group. The Leadership Team is also responsible for collaborating with the Leadership teams of the other two groups to schedule large group events, and decide what the designated dress is for the day of a performance. The Leadership Team and Dance Captains correspond with each other throughout the year in order to decide how to run rehearsals and how to maintain focus leading up to performances.
Events
Red Carpet Premiere
The Red Carpet Premiere is the first Millard West event. This event takes place in mid-December and features all three choirs. There are two showings of the Red Carpet Premiere. This event is free to the public. The event was founded by Kathy Simpson.
Hosted Competition
Each year, the Millard West Show Choirs host a competition in late January. Schools from Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas all compete in the event. SCATS, UTG, and WIG perform in exhibition during the day. Students from the Millard West Show Choirs host students from the participating schools. This competition is a vital fundraiser for the show choirs and has even very successful in its decade of existence.
That Show Choir Show
That Show Choir Show is the final Millard West Show Choir event of the year. This show takes place in April of each year. Tickets go on sale during the weeks leading up to the performance, and seats in the auditorium are reserved for those who bought tickets. There are two showings of That Show Choir Show.
== "Singsation" Lawsuit ==
Since 2006, the choirs first hosted their annual competition under the name of "Singsation". The competition began with schools from the Omaha-metro area. Through the 10 years of the competition, it grew to include over 2,000 performers from a number of midwestern states including Kansas, Iowa, and South Dakota.
In November 2014, Willie Wilson of Illinois filed a class action lawsuit against the Millard West Show Choirs, claiming that the name and logo of their competition caused "irreparable harm" and "marketplace confusion" to his business of the same name.
It was agreed that 2016 would be the 10th and final year of the Millard West Competition's name, and the term "Singsation" was permanently retired for Millard West in the January of 2016.

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