Ball State University sophomore Andrew Shade will host a concert he organized at 7:30 p.m. in Pruis Hall. The concert, titled "This is My World, My Musical: This Is Me," is part of Soulful Awareness Week, a series of events organized by Shade and sophomore Chadae McAlister.
"Me and my close friend McAlister really wanted to bring a different element to campus - something people had never done before," Shade said.
The show will consist of a live band, nine dancers and genres of music ranging from jazz, Broadway, gospel and R&B. Shade said he hopes the show will appeal to a variety of Ball State students.
"I created every aspect of the show from choosing the dancers, singers and band," he said. "It's a storyline that I created to portray a character I could play over and over with songs that represent who I am."
The concert will include songs such as "Moving Cool" by Outkast, "Heaven" by John Legend, "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life," by Barbara Streisand and a piece by Shade called "Reminisce."
Sophomore Moses Jones, a dancer for the show, said he considered himself lucky to be part of the event.
Shade and McAlister said they hoped students that don't normally come to support events will be interested in the show.
"We are trying to do something positive for the community," McAlister said. "It's something we both appreciate and wanted to share with the campus."
McAlister, who was head choreographer for the show, said he and Shade had little time to sit back and observe the rehearsals.
"A lot of stress came from trying to find times that worked for everyone," he said. "I watched videos and listened to the songs a million times a day. It isn't easy choreographing for multiple projects at once."
Several months of brainstorming went into preparation for the show and the week of events, Shade said. Shade and McAlister put together committees to help alleviate some of the stress related to the show. Junior Annette Campbell was head of a committee team.
"It's a good performance," she said. "You don't see that a lot, especially if [the production is] not through Ball State's theatre and dance program."
Shade said he hopes the show will promote diversity.
"I want the [audience] to take away from the show and week an appreciation for what we as African-Americans have contributed to and for the arts," he said.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Other Soulful Awareness Week events include the Soulful Poetry Slam Contest 8 p.m. Thursday at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Tally and "Colored Contradictions," a live museum and theatre production, 8 p.m. Friday in the Student Center Tally.
Check it out"This is My World, My Musical: This is Me" opens at 7:30 p.m. in Pruis Hall.
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