• Before there was Glee there was Show Choir. Show choir is a high school activity that combines vocals, dance and acting. The 10th Street Edition show choir from Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa, has a traditional of excellence. 162 students tried out for just 42 spots on the varsity show choir team. The high school hires a professional choreographer to create and teach the routine to the students.
• Sam Douglas, 15, (from left), Amanda Ruppert, 15, and Ashlee Richardson, 14, react as they see the list of people who made the cut for the Linn-Mar High School show choir. Late on a Friday night, the students who tried out for the team waited outside the school for the results to be posted. The three girls made the junior varsity team.
• Bob Anderson, the 10th Street Edition director (left) motivates and directs Thomas Leier, 18, (center) and Elise Feldkamp, 18, during a practice in preparation for an upcoming show. Anderson has been the director for 10 years.
• Chelsea Zigtema, 17, (from left) Madison Atwood, 18, and Jim Dvorak, 18, watch themselves in the mirror as they rehearse in the choral room at Linn-Mar High School. The team practices every Monday night for three hours.
• Alex Ward, 17, catches a quick nap on a table at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where 10th Street Edition will be performing later in the day during the Mo Show Invitational. The show choir arrives at the host school hours before the competition to allow for plenty of time to warm up and get in costume.
• Diana Holtwick, 18, (left) and Swathi Sekhar, 17, laugh during a two-hour bus ride to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa for the Music In Motion show choir invitational. 10th Street Edition travels around Iowa and the Midwest to perform at high school competitions.
• Kari Sindelar, 16, applies eyeliner while she gets ready for the Music In Motion show choir invitational in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
• Judges watch as 10th Street Edition competes during the Mo Show Invitational at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Show choirs are judged on tone quality, intonation, blend, diction and interpretation for the vocal performance. The dance elements are judged on intensity, execution, staging, poise, facial expression and visual transitions within the choreography. Linn-Mar placed third in the competition.
• Diandre Neville, 16, performs on stage during the Music In Motion show choir invitational in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
• Kevin Williams, 17, gives Angie Hellman, 17, a piggyback ride through the halls of their high school after performing for the first time for parents and friends.