By Quinn Masek, South Dakota contributor
South Dakota doesn’t have the largest show choir scene, but what it has is variety. Many different types of shows can be found, as well as a who's who of Midwest choreography - shows from Kevin Chase, Ben Eklund, Stephen Todd, Mike Weaver, and Nick Quamme, among others. Most people know the names Sioux Falls, Mitchell, and Aberdeen Central, but below the heavy hitters are a handful of groups who battle it out in the small division.
O’Gorman Ovation
Located in the heart of Sioux Falls, Bishop O'Gorman High School is a private Catholic school with a little over 700 students. Their only show choir group, Ovation, has built quite a name for itself over the past few years.
Back in 2022, they weren’t able to make finals at any of the four competitions they went to. Not making the evening round at Sioux Falls Washington was the end of a successful run for Ovation that saw the group make finals every year since the competition's inception. O'Gorman also went through several director changes during the 2022 season, making it a tumultuous year.
The spotlight fell on Ovation in 2023 after their achievements at the Papillion La Vista South Titan Classic, where the group not only made finals, but placed in the top three. This was thanks to first-time director Nick Engbers and the group's new choreographer, Kevin Chase. Over the course of the rest of the season, Ovation made finals at every single competition they went to, as well as garnering multiple caption awards including two People's Choice awards and a Best Soloist award, courtesy of Aiden Giever.
The group's success rolled over into the 2024 season, where Ovation received two more People's Choice awards, a Best Crew award, and soloist Jacob Thomas garnered a pair of awards. While Ovation hasn’t won a competition since 2017, the group is certainly on the rise and it's not out of the question to see them hoist a trophy in the near future. O’Gorman will be competing at Sioux Falls Jefferson, Ralston, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Sioux Falls Washington, and Omaha North in the 2025 season.
Harrisburg Eclipse
Eclipse is another group that has seen large improvements in the past five years or so. Harrisburg High School is just a few minutes outside of Sioux Falls, and interestingly, while the group is rather small, the high school is not with nearly 1,500 students. Eclipse has been around since 2017, originally starting off with the name “Tiger Tones” before changing to its present name in 2020.
It also wasn’t be until 2020 when the group would make finals at every competition they went to that season -- well, the pandemic canceled the last two, but a run of four finals appearances to start the season was a welcome sight. That season was also the first for current director Ali Hefner. Consistent finals berths didn’t happen again until 2023, when Eclipse put together a season comprised of two sixth-place showings, a fifth, a fourth, and a second at Aberdeen Central.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Eclipse swapped out choreographer Amanda Loomis for the combo of Matt Watson and Dalton Myatt. Another modestly successful season ensued, with finals appearances at South Dakota competitions paired with a sixth at Sioux City East and a finals miss at a deep Elkhorn South Crystal Cup in Omaha, Nebraska. Harrisburg will be competing at Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Omaha South, Sioux Falls O’Gorman, Sioux City East, and Aberdeen Central in the 2025 season.
Vermillion Rhythm In Red
Moving south of Sioux Falls, Vermillion High School has maintained a show choir program since 2001, and has hosted a competition since 2009. Trisha Fisher has been the group's director since 2007, carrying on a Gemar family legacy that defines generations of South Dakota show choir. Rhythm in Red often seeks out competitions that bring together smaller show choirs, and made finals at Spirit Lake, Iowa, this past season. Northwest Iowa has treated the group well, as Vermillion's last grand champion win was back in 2005 - they took Best Vocals and Best Band in Okoboji, Iowa. Rhythm In Red will be competing at Sioux Falls Jefferson, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Spirit Lake, Lewis Central, and Mitchell in the 2025 season.
Dell Rapids Espresso
The newest show choir in South Dakota is Dell Rapids, a school of 300 students just north of Sioux Falls. Espresso will hit the stage for its third season of show choir in 2025. Currently, Espresso has not made finals at any of its competitions. In its first competition ever, at Sioux Falls Washington in 2023, Espresso faced six other choirs in small division alone - quite the introduction to show choir! The 2024 season was rockier for the group, as two of the three competitions Dell Rapids planned to go to were cancelled. In 2025, the group is competing at Sioux Falls Jefferson, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Sioux Falls Washington, and Vermillion.
While not being the largest groups in the state, eyes are on all of them to have a successful competition season in 2025.
Comments