Uniondale HS show choir wins grand trophy

They didn't just beat it, they won it.

Showin' how funky strong was their fight -- performing hits like Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and songs from James Brown and Beyoncé -- the Uniondale High School show choir competed in New York City on Saturday to walk away with a Grand Championship trophy.

The day saw performances from some of the nation's best young singers and dancers. To win the trophy, the teens topped a group from Loudoun County, Va., said Bert Johnson of Arizona-based FAME Events, the event's producer.

"They were fantastic," he said after the awards were announced at 9 p.m.

The competition at Jazz at Lincoln Center, one of a handful taking place across the country over six weeks, culminates in a national championship in Chicago in April.

Since the Uniondale group performed in a noncompetitive division, they won't be going on to Chicago.

Uniondale's group -- not even 2 years old -- was the only one from New York State to compete.

The audience adored Uniondale's roughly half-hour performance, said the leader of the show choir, Lynnette Carr-Hicks, a drama and music teacher who's starred on Broadway.

"They were going crazy, saying the kids did a fantastic job," Carr-Hicks said. "I feel fantastic . . . Unbelievable!"

In another victory for Uniondale, 16-year-old Cary Lamb won the award for "best male stage presence" -- chosen over hundreds of other young performers.

Show choirs -- in which performers dance, sing and perform -- have exploded in popularity since the 2009 debut of Fox's hit TV show "Glee."

As on "Glee," groups choose virtually any type of music.

The group is so popular, Carr-Hicks has had to start turning away aspiring members. It started with 15 students in September 2010 and now has 56. They practice twice a week, and lately the practices have lasted nearly six hours.

Last week, Lamb, a junior and the choir president, spoke presciently about his group's prospects at Lincoln Center.

"It's a blessing to be able to compete in something this big," Lamb said. "I really think we could win this thing. We're not just going to be another team. We're going to be a team that needs to be beat."