SIUE Student makes noise as Rams cheerleader, ‘The Voice’ contestant

On a Sunday morning like any other, 5-year-old Tess Boyer took the microphone from her pastor father and stole the show.

Tess Boyer, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville senior political science major from Edwardsville, has been singing and dancing her whole life. Her father, Roy Boyer, said her church performance was the beginning of his daughter’s future in entertainment.

“At the conclusion of our service, we had music playing and people praying,” Roy Boyer said. “She came up to me and said, ‘I think I have a song I want to sing; I need the microphone.’ All of the sudden, she starts singing. Everybody stopped, looked and was amazed with what was going on; even I was like, ‘Whoa, where did this come from?’ It was very emotional and very touching. Everybody at that time began to realize she had a gift.”

After this, Tess Boyer’s life was filled with many forms of entertainment. She became involved in pageants and vocal competitions along with performances at the Muny, Fox Theatre and a year as a Rams cheerleader.

Just before her junior year at SIUE, Tess Boyer said she discovered the popular singing show “The Voice” was holding auditions in St. Louis.

“I wasn’t going to go because I didn’t want to do a TV show, but they were coming to St. Louis and people were like, ‘You should do it,’” Tess Boyer said. “I said ‘Alright, but I’m not singing anything anybody wants me to. I’m going to go be obstinate and rebel.’ I sang “Bounty” from the movie “Burlesque,” which I knew nobody would really know because it’s from a movie, but it’s a killer tune.”

Tess Boyer said she waited nine hours to audition and was in the last group of contestants on the second day of St. Louis auditions. Contestants sat in a circle of 10 people and took turns singing to a producer.

“I was tired and cold and just wanted to do this and go home,” Tess Boyer said. “I got done singing and the producer goes, ‘Okay, everybody, thank you. But Tess, come here. For the next round I want you to sing something that people know — a little bit more pop. I really think you should go pop.’ So I made it past the second round and flew out to L.A.”

Page design by Caitlin Grove/Alestle

Page design by Caitlin Grove/Alestle

Tess Boyer said once she passed the first round, “The Voice” suddenly became a very important part of her life.

“This consumed my every thought,” Tess Boyer said. “I knew I had made it past the first round in June, past the second round in July and I knew I was on Usher’s team in October, but I couldn’t tell anybody until February.”

Tess Boyer said she went through two and a half months of auditions before she could try out in front of the judges.

“They announced your name the night before of who was going that next day; I have never experienced that flood of emotions before in my life,” Tess Boyer said. “It was that feeling of, ‘I’m happy I’m getting to go and I have the opportunity to be on a team,’ but then you’re at the point of, ‘It’s coming right now, two and a half months of working on your hands and knees.’”

Tess Boyer said the next day, she woke up at 5 a.m. to get ready to sing in front of the coaches.

“I’ve never been that nervous before. I blacked out completely; all I know is I was on Usher’s team,” Tess Boyer said. “He is the exact person I wanted when I heard he was [a judge].”

Tess Boyer said contestants don’t spend a large amount of time working directly with their coach. They spent a month and a half preparing for the first battle round and worked with Usher three or four times. She said the majority of the time is spent working with their partner.

“I always watched it as an audience member and thought, ‘Why are they always so happy for the other person?’ and then I realized why,” Tess Boyer said. “The girl I was with the first time, [Bria Kelly], I could not stand her; I didn’t like her or her personality. Then I started to spend time with her and we became inseparable. I liked having a partner; you go through so much emotional stress and it’s traumatic. It’s like you walk through fire with the same person every day.”

Tess Boyer lost the first battle round to Kelly, but was stolen by Blake Shelton to be on his team.

“Usher was really cool, very suave, very informative and strategic in the way that he coached,” Tess Boyer said. “Blake was chill and beautiful. He’s so much fun; he’s like a cheerleader in the way he coached.”

For the second battle round, Tess Boyer fell short to her partner Jake Worthington.

“I was like, ‘Well shoot, here I am losing again; this is horrible,’” Tess Boyer said. “Then before I could take another breath, I heard three buttons pushed; all three of them used their one steal on me. Then I had no idea what to do. When people are begging and fighting for you and they are superstars, how do you differentiate any sort of perception? Shakira was shaking in her seat and the stuff that she said to me hit home. I’m really happy I ended up going with her.”

Tess Boyer said during the playoff round, she had her favorite performance moment on the show.

“I sang “Human” by Christina Perri and that was my stand out moment. [Shakira] picked me first to be in her top three,” Tess Boyer said. “I remember [when preparing], hiding myself in my room and thinking about the emotion of the song and just breathing it. I had gone from losing twice to being the top contender.”

Tess Boyer said she lost many friends during the playoff battle round.

“I know it’s weird to say ‘friends’ since it’s a competition, but they become family,” Tess Boyer said. “It’s almost as if they die when they go off the show; you grieve their leaving because you will never be with them again like that.”

Once Tess Boyer passed the playoff round, she said she knew she had made it to the top 12 and did not know what to expect.

“I feel like no one knew what to expect,” Tess Boyer said. “You’re going into a live show and people are voting for you; it’s completely different. The performance part is the same; it’s the same stage and band. Then you get done and the comments are rushed and you can’t really say a whole lot back to the coaches because it’s on a timed schedule. It’s also long days, 6 a.m. to midnight — very taxing emotionally and physically.”

Tess Boyer said the worst part of this process was the results show, specifically being in the bottom three. The first time, she said she was expecting to go home.

“Whenever they announced I was safe, I was in utter shock,” Tess Boyer said. “I dropped out of the camera shot; they had to pan down to see me. So the next week, I knew I had to work really hard and come out swinging. But come next week, I was a little more prepared for it the second time. I knew when I was in the bottom with [Kelly] that we were both going home; it just made sense to be battling each other and then go out together.

Tess Boyer said she has been hired by KSDK Channel 5 to live tweet and watch this season of “The Voice.”

“I didn’t want to watch this season originally; every single week it’s like you’re back in it,” Tess Boyer said. “You take yourself back into that moment; you know a lot behind the scenes. It’s difficult, but I’m happy with it because I’m able to be constantly growing. It helps in the healing process; I feel like when you drag your life, heart, mind and soul through something and you have to heal eventually.”

Since “The Voice,” Tess Boyer has been given the opportunity to sing at various sporting events and has been given a multitude of platforms to share her talents with others.

Tess Boyer’s former dance coach, Hilary Duncan, said she knew from day one that Tess Boyer was on to bigger and better things.

“I knew she was going to be famous; it was just a matter of when it was going to happen,” Duncan said. “Tess is genuinely one of the nicest, most talented people you will ever meet; she has a special drive about her that makes her stand out.”

Tess Boyer said as a political science major, she had many plans for her future — plans that were thrown for a curve once “The Voice” happened.

“Before the show, I wanted to go to law school, so I planned on staying here and doing that,” Tess Boyer said. “Now I have three options; I can stay on with News Channel 5, take the bar and go to law school, or tour. These are three options that are huge life decisions; right now I’m meditating on them.”

Roy Boyer said he is proud of his daughter for who she is as a person, not simply for the things she has accomplished.

“Deep down in her heart she’s always said, ‘I just want to make people smile and give them something to be happy about,’” Roy Boyer said. “She’s used this opportunity to go out and speak to people, and I think that’s what’s most rewarding — to see that your child cares about others.”

Tess Boyer said now this journey is over, she sees things in a different way than before and is blessed for the ways it has changed her.

“I feel like I’m completely different in regards to being a young woman,” Tess Boyer said. “I learned a lot about myself, strengths that I didn’t even know that I had, work ethic and the ability to let my guard down a little bit. I’m excited that I was not prepared; I went in thinking it was going to be something and I came out and it was the greatest opportunity and experience that I’ve been through.”

Caitlin Grove

Via alestlelive.com

‘Dance in Concert’ dances through the ages with alumni, student choreographed pieces

Choreography and alumni hold the spotlight of Dunham Hall Theater as the Department of Theater and Dance presents the 45th anniversary of “Dance in Concert.”

Director Kristin Best-Kinscherff said “Dance in Concert” includes a variety of distinctive pieces, all personalized by the choreographers. They are using six alumni choreographers. She chose choreographers near Edwardsville, such as distinguished alumni and co-workers.

“If they were in the area, I knew they would be able to work with the students on a regular basis,” Best-Kinscherff said. “If we brought in choreographers from L.A. or somewhere further away, they would only get to work with the students for a shorter amount of time. We wanted people that were able to come in on a weekly or biweekly basis so the students were able to learn the most from them.”

Best-Kinscherff said as one of the choreographers herself, her work is titled, ‘I Spied Myself,’ a piece she choreographed in 2006 in graduate school.

“It’s a tango-based dance, with movement in the jazz genre,” Best-Kinscherff said. “It’s a very technical dance in terms of the foot work. It’s eight women and it has turned out to be a great challenge for them.”

Best-Kinscherff said restaging a piece is never an easy task; it can become somewhat of a struggle.

“A work is created on a certain group for their capabilities and for whatever the concert is,” Best-Kinscherff said. “Whenever you take that to a different group, they don’t necessarily have the same style or movement qualities. It’s not just teaching them a dance, its really teaching them how to do the movement. None of the girls in the piece had any experience with ballroom dancing and even though it’s not a ballroom dance, it has that tango flare to it; so teaching them to how to hold their hands and carry their body and the different stances has been a really great challenge for them.”

Best-Kinscherff said creating a piece and arranging choreography is a very creative process.

“It starts with a concept that can be based on the music, the movement or an idea that you had for a statement that you want to make,” Best-Kinscherff said. “All choreographers work differently. I particularly start with having some sort of statement — something that’s going on in my life or the world that inspires me to create something. Then I’ll start the movement and keep trying music until I find something that really fits with it. So then it’s working the music in with the movement and making everything fit together.”

Page design by Caitlin Grove/ Alestle

Page design by Caitlin Grove/ Alestle

There will be nine pieces in total, six choreographed by alumni, two by current faculty and one by a student dancer.

For alumna Lynn Bobzin, of Chicago, the rehearsal process was intense since she is in a different location from the dancers.

“We had a very short window of time where I could actually be present in the studio to create the work with the students; we had five rehearsals to create the piece,” Bobzin said. “You have to get a lot done in a short amount of time; what happens is you condense the creative process down to a millisecond of what the time it takes to craft a work would be. It’s high stress, but also very exhilarating.”

Bobzin said her piece is titled “corps. pouvoir. mechanisme,” which translates to “body. power. mechanism.”

“What we were examining was this idea of being invaded or invading; this broke down to issues of power mechanics and dynamics,” Bobzin said. “The whole piece has a mechanical, militant feel to the movement and the music. Things are very sharp; it’s very physically driving. It’s got a steampunk design costume-wise; it had this dark feeling to it, kind of grungy and industrial.”

Bobzin said now teaching choreography professionally, she considers it a privilege to be asked to come back and choreograph for this concert.

“It’s an honor to be now viewed as a professional in this field,” Bobzin said. “That’s sort of eye-opening for me because I feel honored to be thought of in that regard, that the caliber of my work is something they want to exhibit and share with the community.”

Best-Kinscherff said the idea for an alumni-centered theme came from a presentation she saw in the spring. The presentation gave her the idea to contact Alcine Wiltz, the founder of the dance program at SIUE. Once she contacted him, he mentioned the idea of getting in touch with alumni.

Best-Kinscherff said the dance department is comprised of many young dancers, with few upperclassmen.

“It’s been really beneficial from them to learn from the alumni,” Best-Kinscherff said. “Even [to learn] what goes into making a dance piece, as opposed to a dance recital or three minute short works. These are much longer, at least 12 minutes long.”

One of these upperclassmen, however, is student choreographer Sterling Allen. Allen, a junior dance major from Peoria, said while enrolled in a composition class, she had to choreograph a full piece, five minutes or longer. Her piece, titled “Loosely Connected,” was chosen to be featured in this year’s “Dance in Concert.”

“My piece is centered around mental disorders; my dancers are portraying they are in a mental institute,” Allen said. “Everyone has different traits and characteristics that display these disorders. Charles Manson is a big role in my piece; I took a lot of quotes from his interviews when he was talking about how people who live in these jail cells and mental institutes are very loosely connected to the world. It’s really interesting; they really get into the characters and I’m excited to see it on the main stage.”

Allen said it means a great deal to her to be chosen for the role of student choreographer.

“Once I leave college, I would love to persue a career as a professional dancer, but I would also love to expand my work as a choreographer and continue to set pieces,” Allen said.  “All of the staff and faculty have really helped me a lot. I’m excited to continue to grow as a choreographer, to premiere this work on the main stage and continue to grow from this experience.”

This is the third year Best-Kinscherff has been director of this concert, something that comes with her title as head of the dance department. Best-Kinscherff said being not only director, but a choreographer as well has been a challenging role.

“I’m not only looking at the show as a whole, but I also become selfishly involved with my own piece,” Best-Kinscherff said. “It can be a challenge to step back from all of it and look objectively.”

Best-Kinscherff said a reception will be held after Saturday night’s performance to further honor the alumni.

“The whole “Dance in Concert” celebrates the anniversary,” Best-Kinscherff said. “In relation to that, we are having the reception for alumni. Alcine will also be there, in hopes of reconnecting with some of his former students.”

Article/ Layout design by Caitlin Grove

Via alestlelive.com

‘’The Servant of Two Masters’ expects to bring laughs, excitement to Dunham Hall Theater

A twist on a classic Italian comedy will storm the stage of Dunham Hall Theater as the Theater and Dance Department opens its 2014-2015 season with a production of one of the earliest scripted comedies, “The Servant of Two Masters.”

Director Chuck Harper said this play comes from a style of performances called comedia — a style which he has a great deal of experience working with.

“It’s based on broad, stock characters and improvised scenarios,” Harper said. “It’s a big goofy comedy that was meant to be performed outside on traveling stages; it’s silly theater for silly people. We are always looking out for our departmental majors; we want to do a wide variety of performances so part of their education is doing different styles and this is one we hadn’t done for awhile.”

Harper said this famous comedy is most known for the table scene.

“‘The Servant of Two Masters’ is about this goofy servant who decided he can make more money and get more food if he becomes a servant to two different people. But he can’t let the other two know about each other, or he’ll wind up getting fired,” Harper said. “The big scheme of this play is when they both end up at the same inn ordering dinner at the same time. It’s a very famous scene. It’s a lot of fun [and] it’s a lot of choreography.”

Senior theater performance major Josh Funneman, of Teutopolis, is playing the role of the servant and describes it as his dream role.

“There is a line in the show that says, ‘He’s either incredibly stupid or really, really smart’ and that best describes my character,” Funneman said. “The entire action of the play is driven because he’s hungry, and he’s trying to get food, and this leads to a whole lot of nonsense.  This has been my dream; I’ve been performing in plays at SIUE since I was a freshman and this is the most ‘Josh Funneman’ role that has ever existed.”

Harper said the play runs 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is long for a comedy. However, it is a fast-paced production.

“If it slows down at all, the audience gets ahead of it and it’s not as funny,” Harper said. “For the actors, they have had to get the lines to the point where they can do them fast. That’s been a real challenge; getting to the point where they feel comfortable enough with their lines so they can improvise, play and feel free to go a little bit crazy.”

Harper said the casting process for this play was easy compared to previous productions.

“A lot of times when you cast a play, you need people who are age appropriate, or certain physical types. With this one, I didn’t care what anybody looked like, I just wanted to know who was the funniest,” Harper said. “I think it’s a good opportunity for students to play certain types of characters they wouldn’t normally get to play. In this one, we’ll just put on a goofy costume and give you some makeup and a wig and you can play anybody — as long as you’re funny.”

Page Design by Caitlin Grove/Alestle

Page Design by Caitlin Grove/Alestle

Head of design and technical theater Laura Hanson said the costuming team is building the costumes from scratch for this contemporary take on a historical play.

“I looked at 18th century fashion as part of my research. I also looked at more contemporary clothes that use 18th century detail. I let my imagination run wild,” Hanson said. “It’s interesting to me as the designer that I could really put some of myself and my imagination into it; mix contemporary fabrics and shoes with a little tweak here and there that are 18th century.”

Hanson said when she thinks of the comedia style of productions, the overriding image that came to mind was a diamond pattern.

“That will be my unifying feature here; we want it to be bright and bold,” Hanson said. “Everyone is going to have diamond patterns in their costume; they will be different sizes and colors, but that is the unifying feature for the design. It was really fun to shop for because it was like, ‘Where can I find all of these bright diamond patterned fabrics?’”

Hanson said productions are not all fun and games. There is a lot of work that goes into it as well.

“In addition to doing the research and buying the fabrics, a costumer is also responsible for every pair of shoes, socks, wig and makeup design; that’s all part of the overall look of the character,” Hanson said.

Harper said the set for this play is not huge, as the production was originally written with no set.

“The set can be as big or small as you want,” Harper said. “It’s written into the script that the characters tell where they are; they will say something like, ‘Well here we are at the inn.’ We’ve created a set; it’s not a huge one but hopefully it’s created in the same spirit as the costumes. We made it as an Italian street scene that has this updated feel to it.”

Hanson said the production team wanted everyone involved in the production, including the audience, to enjoy themselves.

“The way we are presenting it is to have fun,” Hanson said. “We aren’t trying to get across any serious message here, it’s pure entertainment. It’s fun, it’s silly and it’s a laugh a minute.”

Funneman said everything about this production gives audiences a reason to enjoy it.

“Do people still like laughing? Because if people still like laughing at stupid humor, there is something in this show for everyone,” Funneman said. “People are going to walk out with a big smile. This is the show, they need to see it and they will be very disappointed if they don’t. And bring your sunglasses;­ the costumes are outrageous and bright.”

Harper said there is only one reason to see this play — to have a good laugh.

“I do all kinds of plays,” Harper said. “Sometimes they are deep and philosophical and ask really big questions. In this play there is no deeper message or call to action, you don’t have to think about anything at all. It exists for one reason only, and that is to make people laugh.”

Article/ Layout design by Caitlin Grove

Via alestlelive.com

‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ SIUE Student brings his world of photography to campus

From the time Keenan Adams was 7, he had already developed a passion for photography. Even at this young age, he loved capturing moments in people’s lives.

Adams, a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville senior political science major of Decatur, has been a professional photographer for five years, but has been interested in the art form since childhood.

“When I was that age, I had a little digital camera that could only hold 25 photos; I would always have that around. I would take it to school and would take pictures at lunchtime,” Adams said. “If it was a nice day, I would go to the park and just shoot. As I got older, I always had a digital camera. I’ve always been interested in just capturing photos.”

Adams has developed many projects during his time as a photographer. Recently, he has begun a project titled “Humans of SIUE,” inspired by the award-winning photoblog “Humans of New York.”

Adams said the man who photographs and curates “Humans of New York” goes around New York City photographing and interviewing people who stand out to him. While Adams’ project is similar, there are a few distinctions between the two.

“I’m intercepting people on their way to class; they don’t have three to five minutes to talk to me, so I just get their name, where they’re from and their major,” Adams said. “I wanted to show the diversity and culture of the campus; the different styles. I’ve had maybe 130 interactions up to today and only two people have rejected, and it was because they didn’t feel presentable that day. I didn’t expect it to turn into what it is now; I was going to get 15 or 20 people, but then I became more comfortable with people and I just kept shooting.”

Adams said “Humans of SIUE” illustrates not to judge a book by its cover. He captures not only students, but also professors and anyone else on campus.

“Not only are you showing a general representation of the school, but also what people from different majors look like,” Adams said. “For instance, if you hear physics major, you’re going to think nerdy; but, I have shot a couple of girls who were physics majors, and you would have never known. I’ve shot a guy who was covered in tattoos, and you would think art [major] or something like that, but he was a nursing major.”

Page Design by Caitlin Grove/Alestle

Page Design by Caitlin Grove/Alestle

English graduate student Ahlam Jaber, of Granite City, said she was standing outside of Peck Hall when Adams approached her, told her he liked her outfit and asked her to be a part of his “Humans of SIUE” project.

“I’m a pretty social human being, so these types of encounters don’t throw me off whatsoever; it was flattering,” Jaber said. “I think it’s a fantastic idea; people shouldn’t be as apprehensive when people approach them. I was thinking as I was walking away, ‘Why would I refuse this?’ We have this strange thing in our society where we want to be limited, shut off and alone to a certain degree. I like that he’s willing to break those boundaries.”

Adams has many projects outside of SIUE as well. In fact, Adams said “Humans of SIUE” is his only project focused within the campus.

Adams said one of his favorite projects is titled “Chicago Street Photography.” Adams said he would travel to Chicago and spend hours doing nothing but walking through the streets taking photographs.

“Sometimes I’d take a same-day round trip, so I would arrive at [Chicago] Union Station at 10 a.m. and get the last train leaving Chicago at 7 p.m. I would just spend that whole time walking through the streets and shooting,” Adams said.  “Sometimes I would spend a few days and stay in a hostel downtown so I could really zone in and focus, not rush.”

Adams said when he’s on the streets of Chicago, he focuses on people who stand out to him.

“I look for someone with an interesting hat, or item of clothing or accessory; just someone who looks like someone you would want to talk to, and I take their photo,” Adams said. “I’ll have certain focus days; I’ll focus on people with glasses, hats, curly hair, people who are really tall or short. That way your mind weeds out the chaos of the streets of Chicago. The reason I shoot in Chicago is it’s really busy, really diverse. I can blend in and look like a tourist; I’m comfortable.”

Adams said most of his photos for this project are candid, however sometimes he will find one person who stands out enough for a posed photo.

“Most people are flattered and I don’t get rejected that much,” Adams said. “Especially when you explain what attracted you to that person, even on campus. I don’t just shoot random people, there’s always something that stands out; maybe their smile, their hair or they way they are dressed.”

While Adams loves finding photography subjects on the busy streets of Chicago, there is another project titled “Project Glasses” that Adams said is his favorite.

“I’ve never worn glasses, so maybe that’s why I’m attracted to them,” Adams said. “I like how glasses now aren’t shameful to wear. I know back in the late ’90s all you saw on TV were commercials for contacts. But now, glasses have evolved into a style and it’s not the standard one style. I’m really attracted to glasses that are really big, non-traditional glasses. A few shots that I’ve got are the ‘Harry Potter’ circular glasses; I love those.”

Adams said his project “Friends and Strangers” aims to show the essence of life and gives him the opportunity to remember some of the people he has met.

“If we have an event that we all go to, I’ll bring my camera,” Adams said. “If we’re just hanging out at a bar, I love just capturing the happiness and the time we are having because it’s nice to have that to look back at and say, ‘Man, that was a good night.’”

Adams said for the future, his plans do not include photography, but he will always have it in his back pocket.

“Currently, I do shoot professionally, meaning that I do get paid part time; mostly just engagement photos, senior photos or family photos,” Adams said.  “I don’t plan on doing photography full time because it’s kind of a gamble—you never know when the economy is going to tank, and people won’t pay $300 for senior photos. And there could be a time where I’m just not getting work.”

Adams said one of the main reasons he has these unpaid photography projects is so he can keep his mind and photography skills sharp.

“The more you shoot, the better you get at it,” Adams said. “If I only shot whenever I got paid, I wouldn’t do it as much and I wouldn’t be learning and improving my skill. I like to shoot a lot so that I make mistakes; so I don’t make those same mistakes when I’m on a paid session. That motivates me to do a lot of self-projects.”

Adams said one of his favorite things is to see how others react to his photographs and how it impacts them.

“One guy said he got a feeling of happiness just from seeing the expressions of all the people in the photos,” Adams said. “I never say smile because when I say smile, you’re giving a forced smile. I’m normally good at opening people up; if I talk to you for a minute, it only takes another minute for me to make you laugh. That’s why you see a little giggle in all the photos. I would consider myself a good sense of humor; that makes me more comfortable getting people to open up and show their personality.”

Junior psychology major Kyle Shive, of Holiday Shores, said he was out in the Stratton Quadrangle chalking for Psychology Club when Adams approached him for “Humans of SIUE”.

“I really enjoyed it; it’s a great idea to hear from all walks of life around the campus. I like that he’s giving people the opportunity to stick out,” Shive said. “This is the Midwest, and I think there’s a tendency to fall into the bracket of thinking there isn’t a lot of culture or variation of ideas around here. It’s cool for him to be walking around and actually finding these people. The way he approached me felt very professional and artistic.”

Adams said when it comes to his photography, having memories to look back on is important to him.

“I notice a lot of things, just from my artistic point of view, and I like to show other people those kinds of things,” Adams said. “You’ve heard the saying, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words;’ I can explain something to you, but you actually seeing what I saw instead of me just telling you why I thought it was interesting—it kind of puts you in my shoes.”

Article/ Layout design by Caitlin Grove

Via alestlelive.com