DETROIT
JEWISH NEW S

Left: Part of the plan

was for some of the

boys to play female

wedding guests.

Below: After weeks of planning

and rehearsing, Greenberg AZA

members go all out performing

a Jewish wedding during BBYO's

annual talent show.

it's show time!

a behind-the-scenes look at the making
of a BBYO talent show number.

by Sam Gringlas

T

he lights haven't dimmed,
at least not yet. Siblings
scurry up and down the
long aisles and parents chase after
them. Grandparents find their way
through the crowds and so do the
college-aged alumni. But all this is
background noise, a low monotone
mush of voices.
Waiting behind the black curtain,
I can only think about the next five
minutes. Step left first and don't for-
get to switch partners on count four, I
remind myself. I'm more excited and
energized than anything, but I still
can't help feeling that small trace of
nerves. My chapter goes through one

fun fact.

last round of high-fives before we hear
the crowd hush and the lights soften.
It's show time!
On Dec. 29, Michigan Region B BYO
held its annual talent show at Temple
Israel in West Bloomfield. The compe-
tition is part of Regional Convention
(RC), a five-day program that draws
more than 400 BBYO teens each year.
AZA (boys) and BBG (girls) chapters
take part in a series of competitions,
including athletics, song, cheer, ban-
ner and storytelling, to obtain the cov-
eted distinction of Most Distinguished
Chapter.
Known as one of the "big three"
competitions, many view the talent

• The dot over the letter T is called a "tittle."

show as the most anticipated event of
the week.
But before chapters hit the stage,
the anatomy of the act takes shape
months earlier. In most chapters,
two to three elected RC coordinators
brainstorm the initial idea. After much
thought, my chapter, Greenberg AZA,
decided on performing a Jewish wed-
ding dance.
"I came up with the idea from
watching past talent shows and deter-

mining which acts pleased the crowd
most and which ones the judges liked
best, then tried to blend the two to-
gether," said Ben Stollman, 17, of
Farmington Hills.
Next, the coordinators work on
the choreography. This process can
become difficult in a chapter where
many of the members lack coordina-
tion and dance skills.
"The hardest part was coming up
continued on page TT4

teen2teen January 20.2011 TT1