Sweat, Tears, and Jazz Hands: The official history of show choir from vaudeville to Glee.

Featuring more than 100 competitive show choirs from around the United States in photos, quotations, and stories, this edutainment-style book details the pop culture and theater influences that, over time, built this unique entertainment genre into the mecca of music lovers that it is today. Read real-life accounts of show choir performers, directors, and choreographers. Catch a glimpse into a once practically unknown society of “swing choirs.” Discover what P. T. Barnum, Bob Fosse, speakeasies, cigarette companies, the modern-day blender, and Lady Gaga all have to do with this glitter-drenched community of singers and dancers. Take a step beyond the hit show Glee and learn about the real drama, the hard work, the sweat, and the tears. Find out what it takes to build an award-winning competition set; the branding, the budgets, the strategy and the performance. Meet the characters. Learn the lingo. Fall in love with show choirs.

MIKE WEAVER is an award-winning director and choreographer based in Chicago. He works widely in both conceptual and technical development with projects ranging from musical concerts to theatrical productions. Credits include work with Carnival Cruise Lines, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: Marine World Africa USA, and Warner Bros. Publishing. Weaver regularly collaborates with some of the country’s most noted high school music departments, staging concerts and musical theater productions. His work has garnered awards for best directing, choreography, lighting, set, and show design. He has been the recipient of numerous awards for his continuing innovations in show choir.