Incorporation of Attire Into Performance
The Best I’ve Seen highlights the very best in a cappella, as seen in the admittedly biased and limited view of the author.
This time, we share the best incorporation of attire into performance.
There are many different ways in which to incorporate what you wear into a cappella performance. A group like Yale’s Dukes Men put on tuxedoes and put on a certain air of distinction. A group like Potsdam’s Pointercounts wear baseball jerseys, and exude an aura of fun and team spirit. Still yet, you have ensembles that put their threads to functional use, like Brigham Young Noteworthy in 2007, wearing black shirts, green ties and pink undershirts, and adjusting their configuration slightly between each song of their championship winning set. It’s entirely possible, though, that I have never seen a more fun, creative, and purposeful employment of attire in a set than what The Buffalo Chips pulled off in 2008.
On the surface, The Chips wore matching baseball tees—a simple enough uniform, demonstrating their unity and a casual tone. But where the real magic came in was the back of the shirts, each with a letter printed on it. Observant onlookers might notice that the letters, combined and de-scrambled, would spell out “BUFFALO CHIPS.” For those who were not so observant, the guys spelled it all out at the end of their ICCA set.
Indeed, in one fluid motion, the entire group spun its backs to the crowd after their last song, spelling out the group name for all to see. It was funny, it was different, and really, what better way to leaving a lasting visual impression on the audience and judges than by putting your name right out there? It was a very smart choice, and subtly indicative of the level of thought and preparation that went into the set. No onlooker could spot the guys carefully arranging themselves on stage for that moment, and there’s no doubt that, had they messed up their ordering, it would have been an unmitigated disaster. They pulled it off—still singing their hearts out, performing the heck out of their choreography up to the very end, before spinning around, making it look effortless, and leaving the crowd with that final image. It was best use of attire I have seen.