Comprised of amazing acts organized by show choirs “Starship” and “TBA” who traveled all the way from Enterprise High School in Redding, “Starmakers” from our next door neighbor Magnolia Intermediate School along with Bear River’s “Starlite” and “Jazz Unlimited”, the 28th annual Fantasy of Stars featured glittering outfits, enchanting voices, songs that had you singing along, and plenty of dancing. Only appearing for three performances on March 8th and 9th, it was not a show that you’d easily forget.
With each group’s upbeat and lively playlist, the performance had the audience captivated. From the African style dancing paired with the well-known Michael Jackson hit song, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” to the numerous acapella songs, it made you want to get up and start dancing. Along with the performances, separate specialty acts composed by Bear River choir students were also shared.
As Bear River’s Band and Choir teacher, David Ahrens, noted at the beginning of the performance, both show choirs from the high schools based their sets on themes.
One of the numerous phenomenal sets Starship performed was Broadway themed. Consisting of songs almost everyone would know from an array of widely-known plays such as “Hairspray” and “Newsies” paired with their incredible choreography and singing, it made the show that much more lively.
Starlite had a theme of New Beginnings, introducing top hit songs such as Beyonce’s “Startover” and Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
With an overall theme of Beautiful, Starmakers started this outstanding production strong with their glamorous performance.
These sets wouldn’t be the same without the amazing choreography that backs up the singing. Even with the loss of their previous choreographer from earlier this year, Starlite surprised the audience with new styles of dance providing an energetic performance. What makes it better is the fact that some students, such as Seniors Shelbi Beghetti and Katrina Ecke, assisted with the choreography, adding their own personal flare.
The costumes also take part in forming the whole performance. As for Starlite, they dazzled the audience with their sparkly uniform and, occasionally, their added elements to their costume to better fit the song or the dances they are showcasing. Starship also took the stage with their glittering outfits, the audience unable to look away. Even the amazing musicians who make the show possible appear a few times on stage with their costumes as well.
Through the duration of the show, colorful lights were added to all of the performances. The lighting crew did a brilliant job at presenting the show at its finest – making sure that the lights weren’t too overbearing, but being present just enough to make that everlasting affect on the audience.
One of the aspects that would improve the performance is the volume. While the audience is able to hear the specialty acts perfectly fine, Starship’s performance was very loud while on the other hand Starlite had a problem with being heard compared to the previous performers. Whether this complication was the fault of the singers or the sound crew, it would better future shows if this problem was resolved.
Bear River’s annual Fantasy of Stars is a fun, cheerful performance that many look forward to all year. If you haven’t seen one of these remarkable shows, make sure to mark it on your calendar next year. You won’t regret it.
