Soldier Show ready to entertain troops

By Mr. Tim Hipps (FMWRC)April 17, 2009

Soldier Show
Left to right, Spc. Dawn Florence, Sgt. Sarah Connell, Spc. Julio Petersen, Spc. Carlos Benefield and CW2 Elaine Hudson sing and dance to T-Pain’s “Freeze” featuring Chris Brown during rehearsals for the 2009 U.S. Army Soldier Show at Wallace Theater... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Army News Service, April 17, 2009) - The U.S. Army Soldier Show is scheduled to begin its 2009 tour April 24-26 with three performances at Fort Belvoir, Va.

The theme of this year's show is "Lights, Camera, Action!"

"The audience is going to have the rare experience of feeling and being in a live television studio, including commercial breaks," said Soldier Show production director Victor Hurtado, who spent much of the past year working on TV productions "Nashville Star," "America's Got Talent," "Clash of the Choirs," and country performing artist Michael Peterson's "My Real Life - Strong For America Tour," presented by the U.S. Army.

"Some of that comes from some of the experiences I've had this last year with network television, and just realizing what a great experience these audiences have and how the set changes are part of what makes it kind of cool before you go back on the air," Hurtado explained. "At the end of the day, an artistic director is just a vessel responsible for experiencing as much as he can and putting it into a product.

"The planets have aligned," Hurtado said - just in time for "entertainment for the Soldier, by the Soldier," the working motto of Army Entertainment Division, to embark on a 6 A,A1/2-month tour with more than 100 performances on 46 installations, including stops in Hawaii, Korea and the storied Warner Theatre in Washington.

The show will open with Kirk Franklin's upbeat "Declaration [This is It!]," co-written by Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald, which addresses survival of the everyday trials and tribulations through a positive declaration of one's purpose in life.

"It makes use of the tune of Kenny Loggins' "This is It," Hurtado said. "But it has been completely redone in a very inspirational way."

Another scene features the new retro sounds of Duffy's "Mercy," Dominican Juan Luis Guerra's "La Llave de Mi Corazon," which translates in English to "Key to my Heart," and "I Decided," by Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyonce.

"It has a little bit of English, a little bit of rap, it's all meringue - so it moves," Hurtado said. "There are also some really cool Kanye West and Rhianna numbers, with black lights and interesting drums - a lot of visuals."

A lot of dance, rap, English R&B, visuals, patriotic tunes, movement, love of country - even a roller skater - will grace the stage of the 2009 U.S. Army Soldier Show during the 90-minute theatrical concert production.

Soldier-performers will wear traditional attire from India during "Jai Ho," a soundtrack piece from "Slumdog Millionaire," the 2008-09 Oscar Award-winning best motion picture of the year.

The Soldiers will perform Frankie Smith's 1981 funk song, "Double Dutch Bus," while playing the streets of Philadelphia-acclaimed jump rope game on stage. Raven-Symone covered the tune in 2008 and it was released to promote the film "College Road Trip." There also will be a throw forward to modernized versions of more '80s hits, complete with choreography and costuming reminiscent of the "Solid Gold" television show.

For the finale, the troops combined "The Warrior's Anthem," by Michael Peterson, with the late Robert Humphreys' "Warrior's Creed," and put it to music.

"It's a combination of that and a song called "Make Them Hear You," Hurtado said. "It's a declaration of being heard."

That, in itself, is the director's goal for the Soldiers' show.

"I'm an artistic person by nature," said Hurtado, who during the past year founded Martenvee Media to help expand the entertainment horizon for enlisted troops who aspire to perform. "Just being able to focus on that, and to work from the stage back, is where I'm most comfortable, especially in working with the music.

"This is basically writing an hour-and-a-half record with feet and hands and clothes and hearts - and a roller skater this time. I'm really an artist at heart, although I have an organized side of myself that comes in handy.

"Either way, I answer to the same boss: the Soldiers in the show."

The first show is April 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Wallace Theater on Fort Belvoir, Va., with a Saturday show also at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee set for 2 p.m. April 26.

The rest of the schedule for the season follows:

Fort Dix, N.J., May 2-3

Fort Meade, Md., May 6

Carlisle Barracks, Pa., May 9

Fort Eustis, Va., May 12-13

Fort Detrick, Md., May 16

Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., May 20

Fort Riley, Kan., May 22-23

Fort Leavenworth, Kan., May 26

Fort McCoy, Wis., May 30

Great Lakes Naval Station, Ill., June 2

Fort Campbell, Ky., June 6-7

Fort Jackson, S.C., June 13-14

Redstone Arsenal, Ala., June 16-17

Fort McPherson, Ga., June 21

Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., June 23

Fort Gordon, Ga., June 27-28

Fort Knox, Ky., July 1-2

Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. July 4

Red River Army Depot, Texas, July7

Fort Polk, La., July 10-11

Fort Hood, Texas, July 23-25

Fort Sam Houston, Texas, July 28

Fort Sill, Okla., July 31-Aug. 1

Fort Carson, Colo., Aug. 6-7

White Sands Missile Range, N.M., Aug. 11-12

Fort Bliss, Texas, Aug. 14-15

Fort Huachuca, Ariz., Aug. 18-19

Fort Irwin, Cal., Aug. 22

San Joaquin, Cal., Aug. 25

Fort Lewis, Wash. , Aug. 28

Fort Rucker, Ala., Sept. 30-Oct. 1

Fort Benning, Ga., Oct. 3

Fort Stewart, Ga., Oct. 6-7

Fort Bragg, N.C., Oct. 9-10

Fort Drum, N.Y., Oct. 14-15

Fort Hamilton, N.Y., Oct. 16-17

West Point, N.Y., Oct. 20

Fort Monmouth, N.Y., Oct. 22

Washington, D.C., Oct. 24

Fort Lee, Va., Oct. 27-28

Armed Forces Retirement Home, Washington, D.C., Oct. 29

Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., Oct. 31- Nov. 1

Fort Monroe, Va., Nov. 4

Picatinney Arsenal, N.J., Nov. 6

Fort Belvoir, Va., Nov. 8

(Tim Hipps writes for the Family and MWR Command Public Affairs.)