For the past year and a half one group of youths has been making waves in the community more than any other: Rendezvous. Rendezvous is a non-profit, community show choir under the direction Daniel Marquez. According to Marquez, the group’s ultimate goal is to empower through song and dance the community’s youth for a better tomorrow. The group’s normal list of events involves weekly practices, fundraising events for public charities, and public shows. In September of 2011 the group set their eyes on a new goal, in addition to their normal activities, a trip to Hollywood to compete in a show choir competition.
After submitting both the group’s and director’s credentials, Rendezvous was officially accepted into the Fame National Show Choir Championship Series. Fame pits choirs from all across the country against each other in six national qualifying competitions: Chicago, Hollywood, New York, Branson, and two in Orlando. Marquez said Hollywood was chosen for Rendezvous because, “When you compare Hollywood to Orlando, Branson, and Chicago, there is no comparison. Hollywood is the land of fame.” He went on to remark about the rare opportunity the student’s received that the majority of student’s across the nation will never have.
In order to pay for each student’s trip, around $760 per competitor was needed. That sum covered flights and the Fame Package, a deal through the competition, which covered entry into the competition itself, hotel rooms, and a day at Universal Studios. Along with the twenty-three students (performers and crew), seventeen chaperones went on the trip. With the addition of transfers, bus and van rides, and meals, and the trip required a great deal of money.
Rendezvous intensified fundraising with their new goal in mind. Soup dinners, dinner shows, raffles, pizza selling, and donations—the list goes on. Both students and parents put in an enormous amount of work to meet the goal. Two days before the trip, Rendezvous held a show for the public of their Hollywood performance. After the show—with all other fundraisers included—the group had achieved something truly remarkable together. They raised around $40,000. They were Hollywood bound.
The group left Alliance at two in the morning on Thursday, March 1. After taking a flight out of Denver they arrived in Hollywood at about two-thirty in the afternoon. They spent the rest of the day checking into their hotel in Calabasas and resting up on the beach for their big day on that Friday.
The Fame competition took place that Friday. Rendezvous arrived at eleven and spent the next ten hours there. Each group had one hour to get costumed, made up, warmed up and mentally prepared, and a half an hour to actually perform their show. Nine choirs attended the Hollywood competition, five of which were in Rendezvous’ division. Rendezvous’ five opponents were from California, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Rendezvous’ is one of only about seven Nebraska show choirs who have ever gone to Fame and the only from the Panhandle. While Rendezvous did not receive a placement award, Marquez said, “Did they win? Yes. Because they did their best. They did nothing wrong. We competed against some amazing talent, and for a town of nine thousand people and a team of seventeen singers and dancers, it was absolutely phenomenal for them to be able to go out their an maintain their composures and be professionals…. There was not one kid who was disappointed that we didn’t win because we learned a lot about ourselves, the other groups, and where we were.”
On Saturday, Rendezvous spent all day at Universal Studios which was, “…one of the highlights of the experience other than the competition.” That night Collin Cox, a member of Rendezvous, had a very unique experience. He had lost his wallet in the middle of the street Friday night. A passerby named Russell Neese, who then called the Alliance Police Department who then got in contact with the group, found it. On Saturday night he went to Rendezvous’ hotel and returned the wallet.
Sunday morning the group left their hotel at ten for their long trip home. They got into Alliance about nine-thirty at night and headed home to rest up for a school day that Monday. Rendezvous is far from done. They continue to be very active in the community and have just recently held auditions for the next additions to the family. The Hollywood trip, though, was surely a milestone event in the group’s brief but impressive history. Together, Rendezvous did an incredible thing. They had a dream and weren’t satisfied with the dream stage of the idea. They worked together as one family to make it reality, and were rewarded with the experience of a lifetime.