'Young Americans' teach Sault kids to sing and dance

The Algoma District School Board (ADSB) is once again hosting the Young Americans, a group of student performers that show children and teens how to sing, dance and act in three days of workshops before they take to the stage and show what they’ve learned.

The Young Americans College of The Performing Arts is based in Corona, California.

Every year, the school’s second-year students tour the U.S. and Canada — and before COVID, in other countries around the world — conducting performing arts workshops for children and teens.

Twenty Young American performers spent Monday and Tuesday working with 145 ADSB students in Grades 5-12 in preparation for two shows on Wednesday, March 6 at the Sault Community Theatre Centre located within White Pines Collegiate. A third workshop is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Participation is not mandatory but Grades 5-12 students from all ADSB schools within Sault Ste. Marie were invited to attend along with those from Mountain View Public School, Echo Bay Central Public School and Central Algoma Secondary School.

Showtimes on Wednesday March 6 are: 

• 2 p.m. (Doors 1:30 p.m.)
• 6 p.m. (Doors 5:30 p.m.)

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for students/seniors.

Tickets will be available for sale this week through a link on the ADSB website and on Wednesday at the Sault Community Theatre Centre 30 minutes prior to showtime. 

The special performances are also fundraising events to support food insecurities in our communities.

Dance and music experience is an asset but not necessary, as the Young Americans help any student willing to learn.

Some students will be granted an opportunity to perform solos in the final production if they are comfortable to do so.

“Over the years we’ve been performers and goodwill ambassadors and we also stress the importance of performing arts in schools,” said Bruce Sampson, The Young Americans director of creative and production, in an interview with SooToday.

Wednesday’s show is one of 13 performances on the current Young Americans tour, the Sault being the group’s sole Canadian stop.

The ADSB first welcomed the Young Americans in February 2020 for workshops and a performance opportunity for students.

“We had such a good time here last time that we reached out to the Algoma District School Board and said 'we’re back' (after COVID) and the response was ‘yes, let’s do this,’” Sampson said.

“It’s a themed musical variety show. The theme is ‘together.’ Everything in the show deals with how we’re stronger together.”

Sampson said the show will include a mixture of pop, hip hop, soul and Broadway songs.

There will be performances of classic songs such as The Beatles’ Let it Be, Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, Elton John's Your Song and Carole King’s Natural Woman.

The show will also poke some good-natured fun at baseball, Sampson said.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into putting these shows and tours together but at the end of the day when you see the smiles and when you see that kid who walked in and was unsure and then they do a solo, and you watch them nail that solo, and the audience applauds and you see the smiles on their faces, you think ‘that’s why we do it.”    

“It’s heaven. It’s magic,” Sampson said.