Fort Bliss Monitor

Soldier Show set to take ‘Heart of Soldier’ on road

Tim Hipps
USACFSC Public Affairs

Pfc. Daren Taylor, center, of Fort Belvoir, Va., is flanked by Pfc. Kevin Waul Allen, left, of Fort McPherson, Ga., and Spc. James Becton, right, of Camp Red Cloud, Korea, during a performance of the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show at Fort Belvoir’s Wallace Theater.

Pfc. Daren Taylor of Fort Belvoir, Va.; Spc. Korey McAleese-jergins of Fort Bragg, N.C.; Spc. David Clemo of Fort Bragg, N.C.; Sgt. Abimael Leon of the Texas National Guard perform “Yesterday” during the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show.

The 2004 U.S. Army Solider Show will soon return to Fort Bliss with two performances at Soldier Hall, Bldg. 2.
The local stop is one of a 110-performance, six-month tour for the “The Heart of a Soldier”-themed show. Texas is one 21 states the Soldier Show will visit. The troupe will also perform in Germany, Italy, Washington, D.C., and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the 90-minute show isn’t that it includes Country, rock, pop, gospel, rhythm and blues, Latin and “80s’ hair-band rock” and includes the works of Prince, ABBA and Outkast, but that it is performed by active duty, National Guard and Reserve Component Soldiers who vary in rank from private first class to first lieutenant. They come from infantry, artillery, transportation, military police, medical, intelligence, armor, aviation, signal and other tactical units. The show is assembled in six weeks, and then tours for six months.

“This is always a high-energy, high-quality show and we’re proud to be a part of bringing it to Fort Bliss,” said Lindy Sorrel, chief of the local MWR’s Family and Recreation Division. Morale, Welfare and Recreation arranges the show each year and plays host to the performing troupe.

“We are happy to host this every year. The Soldier Show has been coming here for years and they always bring a high-caliber show,” she said.

Corporate partners for the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show are lead sponsor and partner, the Army National Guard, and corporate sponsor, AT&T. For information, call 568-6741.

Sgt. Abimael Leon, a Texas National Guardsman from Chandler, Ariz., holds Spc. Emily Plasterer, a member of the Indiana National Guard from Churubusco, Ind., during the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show.

The Soldiers who make up the performing group are selected by audition from throughout the Army. New cast members are selected each year. Aspiring Soldiers worldwide submit application packages that include videotapes, biographies, photographs, and letters of recommendation from their commanders. Soldiers must have an outstanding record in their units as well as demonstrate musicality, movement, stage presence, and versatility.

Soldier Show artistic staff, U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center directors, Soldier peers and selected senior Army leaders form an audition panel that screens all entries. There were 138 applications for 19 performer spots in the 2004 show. In addition to being scored by a panel of judges on showmanship, talent, and poise, the finalists must pass physical training and drug tests, uniform inspection and a dance audition.

The Soldier Show operates as a deployable military unit under the military leadership of the detachment first sergeant and under the artistic leadership of the artistic director. Soldiers are expected to adhere to military physical fitness, deportment and appearance standards. Soldiers in the cast and crew are assigned specific military responsibilities and show duties commensurate with their rank in addition to their functions and responsibilities within the show, such as vocal director, dance captain, wardrobe/costume manager, technical crew chief and stage manager.

The new cast and technical crew spend six weeks at Fort Belvoir, Va., in intensive rehearsal under the direction of a civilian artistic staff headed by Latin recording artist Victor Hurtado (Soldier Show alumnus) and including New York-based composer and music arranger Dennis Buck (also a Soldier Show alumnus) and Broadway choreographer Tanya Gibson-Clark.

Twelve-hour days are not uncommon for the group, and often include aerobic workouts, vocal coaching, dance training, and learning how to assemble and dismantle the stage trusses. Technical crew learns computer-based lighting and audio functions as they design the show’s lighting and sound.

Spc. Emily Plasterer of the Indiana National Guard and Spc. Korey McAleesejergins of Fort Bragg, N.C., perform a duet during the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show at Fort Belvoir, Va.

In addition to learning choreography, performers memorize as many as 40 songs ranging from country, R&B, rap and rock chart-toppers to Broadway tunes, movie themes, oldies, soul, patriotic songs and even classical operatic pieces combined in solos, duets, group and high-energy, fast-paced production numbers that make up the 90-minute show – all so they can give the best show possible.

This show is a real treat,” Sorrel said. “For installations like Fort Bliss that don’t have musical theater programs, this is an opportunity to have quality talent come here and entertain the post community.”



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	July 15, 2004

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Soldier Show set to take ‘Heart of Soldier’ on road Tim Hipps USACFSC Public Affairs Pfc. Daren Taylor, center, of Fort Belvoir, Va., is flanked by Pfc. Kevin Waul Allen, left, of Fort McPherson, Ga., and Spc. James Becton, right, of Camp Red Cloud, Korea, during a performance of the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show at Fort Belvoir’s Wallace Theater. Pfc. Daren Taylor of Fort Belvoir, Va.; Spc. Korey McAleese-jergins of Fort Bragg, N.C.; Spc. David Clemo of Fort Bragg, N.C.; Sgt. Abimael Leon of the Texas National Guard perform “Yesterday” during the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show. The 2004 U.S. Army Solider Show will soon return to Fort Bliss with two performances at Soldier Hall, Bldg. 2. The local stop is one of a 110-performance, six-month tour for the “The Heart of a Soldier”-themed show. Texas is one 21 states the Soldier Show will visit. The troupe will also perform in Germany, Italy, Washington, D.C., and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Perhaps the most impressive part of the 90-minute show isn’t that it includes Country, rock, pop, gospel, rhythm and blues, Latin and “80s’ hair-band rock” and includes the works of Prince, ABBA and Outkast, but that it is performed by active duty, National Guard and Reserve Component Soldiers who vary in rank from private first class to first lieutenant. They come from infantry, artillery, transportation, military police, medical, intelligence, armor, aviation, signal and other tactical units. The show is assembled in six weeks, and then tours for six months. “This is always a high-energy, high-quality show and we’re proud to be a part of bringing it to Fort Bliss,” said Lindy Sorrel, chief of the local MWR’s Family and Recreation Division. Morale, Welfare and Recreation arranges the show each year and plays host to the performing troupe. “We are happy to host this every year. The Soldier Show has been coming here for years and they always bring a high-caliber show,” she said. Corporate partners for the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show are lead sponsor and partner, the Army National Guard, and corporate sponsor, AT&T. For information, call 568-6741. Sgt. Abimael Leon, a Texas National Guardsman from Chandler, Ariz., holds Spc. Emily Plasterer, a member of the Indiana National Guard from Churubusco, Ind., during the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show. The Soldiers who make up the performing group are selected by audition from throughout the Army. New cast members are selected each year. Aspiring Soldiers worldwide submit application packages that include videotapes, biographies, photographs, and letters of recommendation from their commanders. Soldiers must have an outstanding record in their units as well as demonstrate musicality, movement, stage presence, and versatility. Soldier Show artistic staff, U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center directors, Soldier peers and selected senior Army leaders form an audition panel that screens all entries. There were 138 applications for 19 performer spots in the 2004 show. In addition to being scored by a panel of judges on showmanship, talent, and poise, the finalists must pass physical training and drug tests, uniform inspection and a dance audition. The Soldier Show operates as a deployable military unit under the military leadership of the detachment first sergeant and under the artistic leadership of the artistic director. Soldiers are expected to adhere to military physical fitness, deportment and appearance standards. Soldiers in the cast and crew are assigned specific military responsibilities and show duties commensurate with their rank in addition to their functions and responsibilities within the show, such as vocal director, dance captain, wardrobe/costume manager, technical crew chief and stage manager. The new cast and technical crew spend six weeks at Fort Belvoir, Va., in intensive rehearsal under the direction of a civilian artistic staff headed by Latin recording artist Victor Hurtado (Soldier Show alumnus) and including New York-based composer and music arranger Dennis Buck (also a Soldier Show alumnus) and Broadway choreographer Tanya Gibson-Clark. Twelve-hour days are not uncommon for the group, and often include aerobic workouts, vocal coaching, dance training, and learning how to assemble and dismantle the stage trusses. Technical crew learns computer-based lighting and audio functions as they design the show’s lighting and sound. Spc. Emily Plasterer of the Indiana National Guard and Spc. Korey McAleesejergins of Fort Bragg, N.C., perform a duet during the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show at Fort Belvoir, Va. In addition to learning choreography, performers memorize as many as 40 songs ranging from country, R&B, rap and rock chart-toppers to Broadway tunes, movie themes, oldies, soul, patriotic songs and even classical operatic pieces combined in solos, duets, group and high-energy, fast-paced production numbers that make up the 90-minute show – all so they can give the best show possible. This show is a real treat,” Sorrel said. “For installations like Fort Bliss that don’t have musical theater programs, this is an opportunity to have quality talent come here and entertain the post community.”