Eighth-grader Lindsay Ertel receives a coveted "walk-on" part, as two young men
from MWAH! - including this comely crooner - vie for her attention in "We
Belong Together," a musical dramatization promoting racial harmony.
ELDRIDGE
- As a traveling musical/drama troupe is being introduced to students at North
Scott Junior High School, a "fight" breaks out between two students
- one white, one black.
Still spouting racial slurs, the instigator of the fight is pulled away from
the African-American student by school authorities as the crowd looks on.
The situation is real, though the anger is not. The "bigot" and the victim of prejudice are both actors in MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe, a Chicago-based group that encourages youthful audiences to make positive choices in their lives.
MWAH! (pronounced like the French "mois") is an acronym for "Messages Which Are Hopeful!, and the exclamation point at the end represents the energy and excitement with which these young performers impart their message, says the group's director, Ray Moffitt.
Combining heartfelt drama with hip-hop dance moves, MWAH! got the NSJHS students cheering, clapping, laughing - and, most importantly, thinking - during last Thursday's visit to NSJHS. The event also included the introduction of the school's 50-member-strong DFYIT group (Drug-Free Youth in Touch), accompanied by antlered mascot Max the Moose.
The Windy City performing troupe was here at the invitation of the Quad City Red Ribbon Coalition to kick off the area's annual Red Ribbon observance promoting healthy lifestyles. Members of MWAH! made the rounds to 11 schools in the bi-state area during their five-day visit, emphasizing the importance of respecting others and themselves, including staying away from drugs. This week, motivational speaker Jim Dedera is visiting with students from area junior high and high schools, also at the invitation of the Red Ribbon Coalition. His emphasis is on working with athletes. In addition, celebrity readers are fanning out around the Quad Cities during Red Ribbon Week, sharing the "Red Ribbon: A Story of Hope" with grade school-age youngsters.
But last week, NS students were in the moment with MWAH!
Using a backdrop of popular musical numbers, the performers presented a variety of situations that undoubtedly struck close to home for some in the audience. One vignette depicted a fight between a jealous teen and her boyfriend that led to a physical altercation. Another showed an exchange between an angry, abusive father and a son who wanted only to please him, but could not. After belittling the boy, the father raised his hand to him. But the hateful words, the inwardly injured boy observed, are often "so much worse than the fist."
With strains of "The Rose" heard, the narrator likened children to one of those blossoms, which need plenty of tender, loving care to flourish. "How it is treated determines how it grows," he said, holding a single rose aloft. And so it is with kids.
MWAH! is about challenging audiences to make the right choices. For instance, one troupe member shared how some of his friends had recently been picked up for underage drinking after he left them to "hang out with some other friends." The friends who were busted then faulted him for "allowing it to happen," refusing to own up to their own mistakes, said the teen, who prefers to "get high on pop."
With such heavy themes, the performance could get bogged down, but touches of humor and some well-choreographed dance numbers keep the show moving. Some young men in the troupe earned instant adulation from female fans, whose response to the boys' hip-hop dance moves went off the applause meter. And one performer garnered laughter with a "morning grooming" routine in which he made odd faces into an imaginary mirror between him and the crowd. The message? Don't worry so much about the outside; look for what's on the inside.
MWAH! also emphasized that one person can make a difference, bringing the idea home by enlisting young Chris, a slightly built 12-year-old, to sing the moving "One Voice."
Members of MWAH! prefer to use their voices to interact positively with audiences all around Illinois (and now southeastern Iowa). The performing arts troupe was established about 10 years ago by Ray Moffitt, and has members ranging in age from 10 to 27. The young people travel extensively throughout the year, giving up many school and social activities in order to participate. School-age members must keep up with their homework and maintain their grades, according to 14-year-old Jackson Schultz, who was a favorite of the local middle-school audience. "Most of us are A or B students. This can't interfere with school. If you get a 'D' or lower, you're out of the troupe," he explained, adding that his teachers give him assignments in advance so he can keep up with his studies.
This was the first time the troupe spent this amount of time performing in one area, and the schedule, with up to three performances in a day, was hectic, even for them.
"I only got 2 or 3 hours of sleep the last couple of nights," admitted Jackson, who was asked to join the troupe after Moffitt saw him in a talent show three years ago.
But the adrenaline rush he gets from performing in front of a highly responsive audience like the one at NSJHS more than compensates for all the sacrifices, he notes. (And there's the added perk of getting hugs from appreciative audience members of the female persuasion.)
"It's the kids that keep me alive," Jackson remarked. "I love it."
Jemell Moore, who joined the troupe a decade ago at age 15, agreed that the audience's reaction is what makes it all worthwhile. His hope is that the teens see this as much more than an hour's worth of entertainment - that it will have a lasting impact.
"I really care about kids," he said, adding that not so long ago, he was where many young people are today: Having to make some difficult choices, and, admittedly, heading down the wrong path at times. MWAH! changed all that, he said. Notes Moore: "It was this group that helped save me."