Heavy breathing. Fast heartbeat. Bright lights beaming down on the show choir. Senior Ebun Toluhi focuses on her facial expressions going into the next song.
“I think that we have done so much work and put so much effort into what we’re presenting and as long as we continue that mindset, I think we could shoot for the stars,” Toluhi said.
The week before school started, show choir students came to the choir room at 8 a.m. to learn choreography for their 2025-2026 show. Their show, “After You,” is about a husband losing his wife and his journey through grief.
“I feel very accomplished and all this time we have been working since August to build this show and put it together,” senior Ezra Karanja said. “It’s very rewarding and it shows how much work we put into what we do here.”
Throughout the first semester, they practice singing and dancing to ensure their songs have dynamics and their dancing stays sharp and clean, so that when everything comes together, they deliver a strong performance. They practice diction and articulation in their singing to make sure the audience clearly understands every word during their performance.
“I feel like, compared to last year, I’ve prepared a lot more with my dances and making sure I know exactly when to hit and move and knowing the right notes and pitches,” Karanja said. “I’ve been reminding myself to just relax, and I have to have balance throughout my life and not just focus on the show.”
On Feb. 3, the show choir had a tech rehearsal where they worked on putting their show together from start to finish. They worked in the PAC on show choir risers, so they could get the feel of singing out into an auditorium and working with bright lights shining down on them. The next day, they worked with the band so they could get used to singing with a loud band in the background and not a track.
“Dress and tech rehearsal were a bit hectic. There were a lot of things to adjust to, and I had to adjust to dancing in costume and not just everyday wear. I also had to get used to singing with the band and not with tracks because it’s a completely different experience,” Karanja said. “During tech rehearsal, there was a lot of stop and go with the band, but overall it was a good rehearsal.”
Show choir is a competitive musical ensemble that combines singing with energy, choreography, staging and costumes. They perform a 15-20 minute show featuring popular music and show tunes, accompanied by a live band. They sing four to five songs and with the third song being their ballad, a slower-paced song to showcase the ensemble’s vocal technique and storytelling ability. Legacy’s show choir placed fifth at Lonestar, at Keller Central High School on Feb. 28. They had their last competition at 1:30 p.m. on March 7 at Southlake Carroll.
“I think my favorite thing about show choir is when you’re on the stage and you’re telling a story to every single person in the audience,” Toluhi said. “I like to make a lot of eye contact when I am performing, and it’s so incredible to see everyone’s reactions to the different songs and the different dances and the dance breaks and the dramatic parts that we have been putting together.”
Show choir competitions feature three different divisions: Prep/JV, Mixed and Single-Gender. Prep/JV division typically includes middle school ensembles, though high schools place smaller groups in this category. They typically perform in the morning to allow smaller, less experienced groups to compete early. The Mixed groups compete in the afternoon during the preliminary round, where all ensembles receive evaluations on their performance. The Single-Gender division includes groups made up of either girls or boys and perform before the mixed groups.
“My favorite thing about show choir is the people. It’s a very accepting atmosphere, and you aren’t judged for who you are and where you come from,” Karanja said. “I love that my friends and the people in show choir are always there for others through the good and the bad.”
Five songs in the show represent each stage of grief; denial through “Graveyard” by Halsey, anger through “The Kill” by Thirty Seconds to Mars, bargaining through “What about Us” by Pink, depression through “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron and acceptance through “I Lived” by One Republic.
“I think the song ‘I Lived’ is almost tender to me in the sense that I’ve done it all,” Toluhi said. “I’ve lived through these last four years and truly given my all and my best, and I think it’s really sweet that it’s the last song I sing in the show choir.”
Show choir students spend a lot of time with each other throughout the year. From class time to practices after school to February, when they have a full day of competition.
“Honestly, I cried about it being my last year. After our long rehearsal on Wednesday, I think I sat and was in awe of the work I’ve put in over the last four years and this is a great way to close my senior year out with,” Toluhi said. “It’s almost bittersweet because what I’ve put into this show is really incredible, and I can’t wait for the next chapter of my life, even if it doesn’t contain a show choir.”
