Feel the heat of the lights. Experience the hush of the crowd. Witness the efforts of weeks of practice. Breathe. The music starts and the world seems to fade away. Song and dance from Hollywood fills the Student Worship Center as Fall Follies begins.

With the theme “Movies Throughout the Ages”, movies like La La Land, Hairspray and Newsies hit the Student Worship stage last weekend to raise money for next summer’s Student Choir mission trips to Houston and New York City.

Mr. Andy Pearson, Director of Next Gen Choirs/Creative Production for Prestonwood Baptist Church, did the directing and headed up choreography for Fall Follies. He said, “Follies is a time for ministry and fun with friends.” Along with raising mission trip funds, Follies aimed to reach people through song and dance, and it is a unique way to use God-given gifts.

Junior Hope Hellberg participated in Fall Follies for the first time this year in Sister Act “Joyful, Joyful” and the 80’s dance. Hope said, “These last couple of months leading up to Follies weekend have been so much fun, and I’ve gotten to know so many new and amazing people.” The audition process can be a nerve-racking experience especially for someone new, but Hope found the audition to be a calm experience. Hope said, “We worked on the dance for a solid two hours, then auditioned. It was so fun and easy because it was just in front of Andy and Carol (Hirschkorn, a vocalist).”

Senior Avery Rudd just completed her sixth year in Follies. She was cast in La La Land and Hairspray, and sang the Skyfall solo made famous by Adele. She challenges herself by taking on roles that require singing and dancing. Avery said, “It’s easy to get tired if you’re in a lot of dances, but for me it shows more if I’m tired vocally.” Out of all her years in Follies, her favorite number was In the Heights, which she performed last year. “I was able to just have fun, and I was with a lot of my friends,” said Avery.

Junior Ashley Wilson has four years of Follies experience under her belt. This year she performed in Hairspray, La La Land, and Skyfall. Each part was about five minutes long and included all different styles of dance making them interesting to perform. Ashley said, “Growing up in dance definitely helped me get in the numbers I was hoping to.” She also develops her skills by taking dance lessons with various companies and leading the PCA Pom Squad.

Fall Follies is an opportunity that many students will never find again after graduation. Mr. Pearson said, “I love pouring into these kids.” The four weekend shows brought together friends, parents, show alumni and fans for the two-hour performance.