by Kirby Lindsay, posted 20 September 2013
On September 29th, at McCaw Hall, at 6p, Seattleites have a chance to see the upbeat, international entertainment of ‘Up With People’. The world-wide tour of this performing arts/social service organization has scheduled a stop here, to showcase the talents and cultures of its cast, while they also demonstrate the power of volunteerism.
Local Rotary International Clubs, including Seattle 4, Lake Forest Park, Bellevue/Overlake, University District and the Rotary Club of Fremont, co-sponsored the performance, along with providing housing and volunteers for the service projects organized and performed by the ‘Up With People’ cast and staff. The show – performed in 64 different countries – delivers a two-hour artistic expression through song and dance, but ‘Up With People’ will also provide Seattle non-profits with willing, enthusiastic and ready volunteers as the cast of 100 young people perform several service projects in the days leading up to the show.
On Thursday, September 26th, from 6p – 8:30p, the public (and potential cast members) can join in the work of the international cast, from 20 different countries, at a variety of community service projects, particularly supporting Rotary First Harvest partners. As Ashley Wright explained, “we want people to rise up and help where help is needed. They can make a difference!”
Help Before Help Arrives
Six weeks ago, an advance team that included Wright, came to Seattle to organize this stop on the ‘Up With People’ tour. Originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, Wright began with the organization as a cast member – touring the world, singing and dancing in the shows, and learning about the power and gratification of helping others.
Wright signed on for a semester – a six month tour – in January 2012, which involves performing in 20 – 25 cities. Cast members can also volunteer for a one-year tour. Cast members must be between 18 – 29 years old, and most either attend college or plan to attend. All need to have a high school degree – or GED equivalent – and be conversational in English.
In July 2012, Wright stayed on with ‘Up With People,’ as part of a four person scouting party/advance team. Throughout the world, 13 – 14 teams work out in advance of the cast, setting up host homes, performance spaces, service projects, etc., and hoping everything works out when the cast arrives. “Most of the cast have never been to Washington State,” Wright acknowledged. This will be, for some, their first experience of our area – ever. Also, “Seattle is the biggest city on this tour, so far,” she explained.
Wright serves as a Promotion Representative, and she said, “Getting the word out is generally the hardest. We talk to everyone and anyone we can.” The teams, including Wright, often have little knowledge of the cities and towns they visit, and learn on the fly how to communicate effectively in each community.
‘Build Bridges Of Understanding’
Part of the difficulty also comes from trying to get people to understand the show. “Sometimes it is hard to explain,” Wright admitted, “it is an International show. It’s not a musical, but there is music.” They wear colorful and native costumes, perform songs and dances from Europe, Africa and Asia, and sing medleys of music from the 1960s to today. They always include music from the host country, and, she explained, “our goal is to have songs that everyone in our audience will recognize, no matter what generation you are from.”
They also perform original ‘Up With People’ music. The organization began in 1965, born out of the civil rights movement and the tradition of hootenannies. They started with a bus, traveling around delivering a message of acceptance. “People who wanted to would join them – get on the bus, – and get off when they were done,” Wright explained. Her father traveled ‘on the bus’ in 1967. At that time, a majority of international students made up the cast and, Wright reported, “Definitely there were some shows where they were not received well.”
“Our mission was, and still is, to bring the world together through service and music,” Wright explained, “to build bridges of understanding between people and cultures all over the world.”
‘A Thanks To The Community’
While in Seattle (the cast arrives September 23rd,) the group will spend two days at area middle schools – coordinated by the advance team – performing a specially developed anti-bullying workshop. Then, they’ll spend September 26th in a day of service. Usually, this means the cast work on Habitat For Humanity or Boys & Girls Clubs projects. In the evening, they’ve invited Rotarians – and anyone who wants to help – to join in on community-wide service projects at area food banks. “Whatever they need us to do,” Wright explained, “at the smaller food banks, it will probably be bagging food and at the larger, it could be sorting or boxing.”
“The community service we do depends on the need of the community we visit,” Wright explained. In the U.S., they do more school/youth group and food bank based projects – particularly the cultural diversity/anti-bullying program they’ve developed for the U.S. and Europe. In Mexico and the Philippians, they’ve had more beautification/clean-up and education projects.
The evening of service is a good time for prospective cast members to meet the cast and see what they do. While during the show on September 29th the cast will sing original and international songs, and dance choreographed numbers designed to inspire, energize and entertain the audience, the tour actually focuses on good works of a more active, less glamourous type.
“In the Philippines,” Wright recalled, “we stayed with wealthy families.” Their service projects took them into the slums, however, where people literally, “lived on the garbage heaps,” she recalled. “One host family cried when seeing the conditions of their own people,” she said.
The cast will spend a day of their stay in Seattle rehearsing, and another day will be spent sightseeing with their host families – particularly since this will be their last days in North America before the tour takes them to Mexico.
“It’s so fun to end with the show,” Wright observed. The cast doesn’t always have a week to get familiar with the host city, and their host families, before they perform. As a result, Wright described the September 29th show as, “a thanks to the community.”
To find out about ‘Up With People’ and the volunteer activities on September 26th and the show on September 29th, visit the website, the Facebook page, or call the Seattle Promotion Team – including Wright – at 425/890-7439. Tickets can still be purchased for this unique and powerful performance – and this rare opportunity to get in on ‘Up With People.’
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©2013 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.