From left to right, Sgt. Dawn Florence of MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla.; Pfc. Susan Noga of Fort Bragg, N.C.; Sgt. Jennifer Noel of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; and Staff Sgt. Nafrettiti Griffin of Fort Meade, Md., perform...
FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- There were lights, cameras, action and plenty of bopping at the 2009 U.S. Army Soldier Show held June 13 and 14 at the Solomon Center.
The touring show's cast is made up of 15 Soldiers from various installations, who represent the best of two-month's worth of auditions.
They train at Fort Belvoir, Va.; and then for the next seven months or so, they entertain audiences with renditions of musical acts from yesteryear to now.
"There is something for everybody," said Sgt. Daren Taylor of Fort Belvoir. Taylor is the show's music production associate. "There is music that will touch the more aged and young folks."
The 2009 Soldier Show cast sung the best of Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Sugarland and classics from the 1960s and 70s.
Sgt. Sarah Connell, a medic at Moncrief Army Community Hospital, performed in several renditions, including one called "Romeo and Juliet." It featured her and two other Soldiers singing "Stay" by Sugarland and "Love Story" by Taylor Swift.
Although this is a second go-around for Connell, who also performed in the 2008 Soldier Show, she was still a bit on edge.
"I am actually more nervous about performing here, because it's going to be in front of friends and family," she said prior to the show.
In addition to Connell, there are two other Soldiers with South Carolina ties in the 2009 Soldier Show. Reservists Spc. Carlos Benefield of Union, and Staff Sgt. Toure Clark of Columbia's 321st Regiment, 98th Division.
At the Saturday night performance and live broadcast of the Soldier Show, Soldiers exclaimed, "Hooah!" while family and friends swayed to Beyonce's "Single Ladies."
"I like the entertainment. It is all pretty good. They did a great job," said Staff Sgt. Lenworth Gregory of Company C, 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment.
First Sgt. Prescotte Hawkins, of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, said he wished more Soldiers would have been allowed to attend the event.
"We were allotted only 300 ... My whole company would have enjoyed this."
Soldiers interested in performing in the 2010 Soldier Show should contact its music production associate, Sgt. Daren Taylor at (703) 380-8829.
Delawese.Fulton@us.army.mil
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