Up with People
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Up with People is the name of both an organization and a musical performance, both related to each other.
The organization is fuelled by troupes of International volunteers who sing and perform internationally. Along with performing the show, cast members participate in civic events and assist volunteer organizations as a way to give back to the communities that host them. Today the size of the troupe has been scaled back to close to its original size of under 200 performers, and with just one troupe touring at a time.
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[edit] History
Up with People (UWP) started in 1965.
The debut of Up with People featured a cast of 140 volunteers performing at a summer convention of Moral Re-Armament on Mackinac Island, Michigan. MRA is an international group, and so people from many countries were represented in the performance of "Sing-Out 65". The cast of Sing-Out 65 traveled to Japan at the invitation of the Prime Minister, with cast members staying in private homes, including the homes of members of parliament. The cast performed on Japanese television and on the Kabuki Stage in Tokyo. Traveling throughout the country — from Hokkaido Island in the north, to Tokyo and by train past Hiroshima to Kobe — the cast took a ferry to South Korea. In South Korea the cast performed at military facilities and visited the Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjeom. Sing Out Asia was formed from the visits of the US national casts and several albums were recorded from Sing Out Asia.
Back in the U.S., the cast became 'Sing-Out 66.' The show toured around the country, attracting volunteers and led to the formation of three "Up with People" casts (A, B, and C). With these multiple casts the show sang and performed for audiences around the world including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Central and South America, and Japan.
In 1967 the name was changed to "Up with People," sponsored and supported by MRA and the Reader's Digest Foundation. Over the years, the Sing-Outs and Up With People played in diverse venues around the U.S., including universities, high schools, hockey arenas, the Hollywood Bowl, National Conventions for Republicans and Democrats, the Air Force Academy, Ft. Benning, Ft. Campbell, and many more. In 1976, Up With People performed the National Anthem at the Indianapolis 500. Most notably, from 1976 to 1986, Up with People performed in four Super Bowl halftime shows. By 1986, as legend has it, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle grew so tired of the organization's performances that he said "If there is one name I do not want to hear ever again, it would be Up with People."
[edit] WorldSmart Leadership Program
In August 2004, the first semester of the WorldSmart Leadership Program was launched. Now a 4 1/2-month program, the first crew travelled to about 18 cities in North America, Japan, and Europe, starting off with an orientation session in Denver, Colorado, United States. Each crew spent a week in each city, living mainly with host families.
While there is still a performance element, it is not the core focus of the program; now known as the Celebration, it was a short presentation of dance, music, singing, multimedia, speech, and acting, as well as sharing their experiences of the city. The Celebration's aim was to get the people of the local community together with people from all over the world.
Besides the Celebration, other main elements of the WorldSmart Leadership Program include:
- Direct Instruction - college-level courses and discussions on topics such as leadership, intercultural communication, and world conflict. Some students elected to take actual college classes offered by the University of Colorado-Denver, while others attended general discussion sessions (known as "Stone Soup").
- Regional Learning - learning about the local area and community through tours, guest speakers, courtesy visits, and special activities (e.g. scavenger hunts, workshops, panels). Some of these activities included a visit to a juvenile detention centre, a tea ceremony, the World Expo in Toyota, Aichi, and lunch in a high school made up predominantly of immigrants.
- Community Impact - various community service projects based on various issues, such as education, the environment, immigration, discrimination, the arts, and many more. Projects ranged from visiting schools and interacting with students, to learning about different world faiths.
- Professional Development - internships and special projects in various sections, such as external relations or applied education. Students are also free to organize and run special projects of their own - amongst such projects include a Language Exchange and an in-house magazine.
Besides this, many other side projects and activities were also run and organized by both staff and students, allowing them to use the skills they have learned through the program.
Three semesters of the program have travelled so far: August 2004, February 2005, and August 2005.
[edit] Up with People Global Education Program
In September 2005, a restructured Up with People program was introduced [1]. Changes include:
- A new name, the Up with People Global Education Program
- A longer trip - 22 weeks instead of 19, with 4 weeks orientation, 6 weeks in North America, 6 weeks in Asia and 6 weeks in Europe. (There are plans to eventually travel to South America, Africa and the Middle East)
- A more structured and professionally-developed performing arts show
- Internships with the University of Colorado-Denver
- Time to pursue personal special projects without interfering with internship time
- Lower admissions fee - US$11,800 down from US$14,500 (scholarships are still available)
Due to the number of changes needed, Up with People suspended the January 2006 tour to focus on restructuring the program.
On April 10, 2006, under the direction of Nina Maass, Eric Lentz, and Michael Bowerman, a volunteer cast from all over the world assembled in Denver, CO to train for ten days to present a new show. On April 20, 2006 the official re-launch of the new Up with People program was performed at Teikyo Loretto Heights University in Denver to a full house.
The first Up with People Global Education Program semester's cast, Cast A 2006, ended Dec 10th. New semesters begin in January and July.
[edit] Miscellaneous Facts
According to the Up with People website :
- 20 million people worldwide have been directly impacted by Up with People
- 3 million hours of community service
- 450,000 host families around the world
- 20,000 alumni in 79 countries
- 3,600 communities in 38 countries have been visited.
[edit] Popular Former Members (from the early years)
- Actor Reginald Owen
- Actress Glenn Close
- Author Tim Gallwey (The Inner Game of Tennis)
- Composer, Performer, Writer, Lyricist Cecil Broadhurst
- Oarsmen Rusty Wailes and John Sayre
- Singer Kathe Green
- Professional wrestler Bad News Johnson
- Country music artist Travis Rush
[edit] Popular culture references
- Up with People was parodied as "Hooray for Everything" in The Simpsons episode Bart vs. Thanksgiving. It was parodied again in the Simpsons episode Selma's Choice, at Duff Gardens.
- Another parody was done calling the organization "Getting Gay with Kids" in the South Park episode Rainforest Schmainforest.
- Up With People was featured in the movie "Black Sunday" for the Super Bowl half-time performance which actually was real footage of the game and show intermixed with the Hollywood production.
- The Up With People theme song was formerly used by American syndicated radio and TV talk host Glenn Beck as bumper music for approximately 6 months (he used about 20 seconds of the reprise).
- David Letterman every so often would refer to the "Up With People" kids in his top ten lists through the 1980's and 1990's.
