Building self-esteem and serving as role models for young adults, the traveling music and dance troupe the Young Americans will visit the Wood River Valley to do a three-day music and dance workshop. The Young Americans' stay in the valley will end in a final performance at the Community Campus theater in Hailey on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.
The Young Americans are a nonprofit touring group with no agenda except to promote music and dance. Founded in 1962, the group has members ranging in age from 15 to 23. The Young Americans' visit to the Wood River Valley will involve 200 students from valley schools for three days of workshops ending in a final concert, which will be in a Broadway style.
The Young Americans has no political or religious agenda. The group gained exposure in the 1960s and early 1970s through televised performances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show and the Dean Martin Show, as well as through sound recordings with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Johnny Mathis, Julie Andrews and Andy Williams. In 1968, a film about the group, "The Young Americans," won an Oscar Award for Best Documentary Feature.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the group took tours to Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Korea, France and more. The group has performed for six of the nation's presidents as well as for royalty around the world.
The Young Americans average over 200 performances in 120 cities, 10 countries and three continents every year. Through its Music Outreach Tours, the Young Americans have worked with tens of thousands of students in public and private schools as well as youth prisons.
More than 3,000 Young American alumni pursue professions as teachers or in the fine arts, motion pictures, television, radio, musical theater and the recording industry.
For more information, visit www.youngamericans.org.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
The Young Americans touring group will visit the Wood River Valley for music workshops and a concert at the Community Campus in Hailey. Photo by
