Sunday night will see the third live show of Five's new show DSB. As a preparation, here you can read the contestants biographies and also check the introductory videos of the show, titled "Don't Stop Believers". This seems as a hard week! Each of them seems so talented, of course we will not know till Sunday, when I'll cover the show!

All biographies taken from DSB site HERE.

Read the contestants and watch the videos after the JUMP ...



Original Talent


Original talent is a diverse group from all walks of life that celebrates raw talent, giving people the opportunity to perform who wouldn’t normally get the chance. Original Talent was set up by Amy, Danielle and Tom. Amy and Danielle met at their performing arts school, started off hating each other and then became close friends. Amy is now married to Danielle’s brother and as well as being the leaders, they both perform in the group. Danielle and Amy wanted to create something for people who could not afford performing arts school, so they ask every member to pay £2 when they arrive and then pay for the rest of it out of their own pocket, averaging £500 per month for rehearsal venue hire, transport to events and costumes. Amy works in a tanning salon, and has done since she was 17, Danielle is currently looking after her daughter full time, and Tom works at a radio station Arcus FM as a helpdesk manager. Amy says that the group manages to take up most of their time though and their jobs are sometimes sidelined. The group are gearing up for a show that was written by Amy and based on well known West End songs – it is being choreographed by Danielle and directed by the both of them. This show is the first real thing that the group are doing and Amy and Danielle do find it incredibly hard to finance. Amy says that she questions every day whether they can carry on with the group - they all find it really stressful as the money comes out of their pocket (they never do fundraising), and she just hopes that the shows will sell tickets. They have never performed in competitions before so Don’t Stop Believing is their first big challenge. Amy and Danielle met at the Romford College of Performing Arts, and then Danielle met Tom later at a local talent competition. Amy says, merging together with local dance group Kayzar Reloaded help give Original Talent the edge they needed and, combined, there’s no stopping them.


Love Soul Choir


Love Soul Choir is a group ran by the ambitious and musically talented duo of Steve Giles and 17 year old Jack White. Their motto is Sing it, Live it, Love it! Love Soul Choir was formed in Southampton a year ago by Steve and Jack, who both found that there was no creative outlet for people who just wanted to sing. They focus on working on people’s weaknesses to bring out the best in them. Despite being at such a tender age, Jack’s creative talent, devotion and ambition has earned him the respect and admiration from all members. They are a lively bunch made up of an eclectic mix of professions ranging from a dental nurse in the army, support worker, audio sales worker, nurses, a lawyer, students and veterinary nurses to name a few. They meet up once a week and perform regularly. Jack and Steve audition members to become part of the group and provided they fit the Love Soul Choir vibe, which some of the group describe as being slightly whacky, they are in. They have done quite a few charity gigs including releasing a single for the Haiti disaster and doing a tour of 20 Asda stores from Southampton to London, performing at each one, raising money for Children in Need. They have a “random act of kindness” ethos in that they would gladly perform for any charity which requested their help. They have a group mascot called George the teddy bear and each week he is given to the ‘member of the week’, which is decided by Jack and Steve. As a result, George has travelled the world and even has his own Facebook page.


Jacobs Street


Jacobs Street are the modern day von Trapp family. Jacobs Street are a musical family from London. They are made up of mum, dad, their two daughters and one son. They have been compared to the von Trapp family and love performing wherever they go. They can often be seen using their garden decking for impromptu performances. In 2002 four of the family moved to Canada with their mum’s job and to start a new life – all apart from Alex who stayed at home to finish university. The girls attended an arts school there. After a few years Avi moved back to England for University then Shira followed a few years later. The parents split up during that time but they are now happily back together. Jacobs Street know that it’s unusual to have a performing family in the competition but they feel that is what makes them unique. They want to get their talent out of the living room and into the wider world!



Swish


Swish is a young group, some of whom have had to tackle the bullies to let all their inhibitions go on stage. Swish of the Curtain Theatre School is based in the coastal town of Bournemouth and was set up in 1991 by Tina Smith. She taught singers privately in the area and decided to start up the school when her students wanted a proper school to attend. The school was named after the book ‘The Swish of The Curtain’ by Pamela Brown. They cater for all ages from 2 to 20 in all areas of the performing arts, employing specialist professional teachers to give children stage, exam and festival training in acting, singing and dancing. Over 1000 young performers from all over the area come to perform different classes at the theatre school. This group were involved with Bournemouth Choir of the Year in 2009 and decided to reform a group this year to enter the competition. They are all members of the Wednesday Evening Senior Performance Group who are ready to perfect their acting and singing technique in preparation for theatre schools and major shows. The majority of the group performed on Children in Need last year and they perform in an annual production as part of the theatre school and use their ticket sales to fund performances and better rehearsal facilities. Swish has been described as an ‘extended family’ by the members of the group. Many members have had a tough time at school or have been teased for being involved with singing and performing. By joining Swish, the members have had a place where they can be themselves, grow in confidence and make close friends for life. Together they have drawn inspiration from each other and grown as individuals. The group love to socialise together outside of Swish. They enjoy hanging out together at the beach or in the town centre. They love nothing better than hanging together and singing for hours at a time. Sometimes they sit in the band stand in the town centre and sing for hours and are listened to by passersby. Marcus Marriott is the MD of the group. All of the students look up to him and describe him as a ‘legend’ and a mad character. He knows how to have fun with the pupils at the same time as being strict and getting down to work.


Dale Diva


DaleDiva are a female Barbershop group with a twist. They want to bring barbershop into the 21st Century. Formed by Ally Law 2 years ago, this barbershop chorus from the Derbyshire Dales are going from strength to strength. They want to shake up barbershop and sing modern songs with lots of choreography. They also want to experiment with singing accompanied. DaleDiva are a diverse group of women ranging from members in their early 20’s to their oldest member Brenda (incidentally Ally’s mum) at 67. It is very much a family affair with Ally’s mother, aunt and cousin all part of the Divas. There are 4 other mother-daughter combos in the group. The diverse ages of the group mean they have had cataracts, births and bladder problems associated with the members in the last few months! Ally set up the group 2 years ago while she was a self employed plumber. In fact, she recruited some of the members whilst under their sinks! She wanted to create a group that loved choreography, glitz, glamour and false eyelashes. A lot of the ladies found the group on a whim and for most; the group has changed their lives. Ally lived in Bedfordshire and after having her daughter, and then moved to Cromford in 2007 to be close to her family. She felt isolated and didn’t know anyone in the area and knew this was her chance to pursue her dream of setting up a choir in order to make friends in the area. She spoke to her husband, decided on the name DaleDiva and decided she wanted to unite women together to find their ‘inner diva’. A friend set up a website and she advertised her group meeting on local radio and in local papers. The advert stated- ‘WANTED, WOMEN WHO SING’. 83 women turned up for the initial meeting and Ally took them through an audition process. They now have 56 members and most didn’t know anyone else before joining the group. Many of the group members, who would not normally socialise or just stayed at home with their own family, came together to meet new people. Ally says they have now become divas. Together they are well known in Derby. They are regularly bo oked to sing at weddings and small gigs and try to put on a charity concert once a year. DaleDiva have achieved recognition within competitions, recording their own CD, along with performing at Radio 3’s Choir of the Year, numerous summer fairs and concerts and workshops. Recording their ‘Definitely Diva’ CD was an achievement for them as a group. They will do anything to make themselves known as a good singing group and love sharing their experiences wherever they go. They love to sing anywhere and have been known to sing impromptu at train stations. DaleDiva is about teamwork, friendship and fun. When they come together they don’t spend too long learning their songs they want to perform them. They learn their songs in their own time so they come together and leave their worries at the door and can just sing. They all support each other through family problems making the group is so much more than a hobby; it is a network of friends and a support mechanism for all girls together. Ally says ‘when people hear barbershop they think it is old fashioned and it’s frowned upon. Women in the group say they would not have joined if it had been advertised as a barbershop group, but now they are all hooked as Ally has made it accessible to all with a contemporary repertoire.


Bridgwater Show Choir


Bridgwater Show Choir is an ultra competitive group who believe they are the UK’s original show choir. Bridgwater Show Choir believe they are the UK’s original show choir and were singing and dancing together long before the popularity of US glee choirs. The group say they have a demanding audition process to get in to the choir, with all 16 members having to go through a tough selection process to find the best singers and dancers to make up their ‘supergroup’. MD Kathryn Stevens takes auditionees through a days’ workshop of acting, singing and dancing in order to select her members. The group ages range from 16-19 years old. Dance Captain Claire is strict and puts the group through their paces expecting nothing less than a perfectly polished performance. The group are all talented individuals with 3 members going on to study at the Italia Conti School in September and member Ryan Lovett has won a place at AADA in New York. The group have performed in the US where they are linked with a show choir. They are not shy about performing and can be seen singing and dancing wherever they are. They could be seen by fellow travellers on their way to their audition in Bristol where they jumped off their bus singing and dancing and practiced in the car park of the service station. They are all very passionate about what they do and extremely dedicated. The boys in the group would like to encourage more boys to take up performing arts and inspire people to sing.

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