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Essentials in
Quartet Singing
World's Best Job for a Barbershopper - Dapper Dans of Disney World
Versatility and hard work reward The Dapper Dans of Disney with "the best job in the world!"
Updated: 3/26/2003 10:28:00 AM
World's Best Job for a Barbershopper
We had agreed for ages now that we should learn this song. Guests requested it often, but we didn’t really know it. Our quartet knows more than 120 tunes, but not this old chestnut. We had learned the verse, and were warmed by the author’s lyrical sentiment and melody:
"My darling, I am dreaming of the days gone by, But still I will remember, when I first met you..."
As we sang, an elderly couple sitting in front of us took one another’s hands and smiled at us. They just listened, nostalgically watching Main Street slip past as we sang "Down By The Old Mill Stream" for the first time. It was another day in the park for the Dapper Dans of Disneyland Barbershop Quartet. Far beyond being a job, singing for a career is a rare privilege that very few enjoy. As we ride our four-man bike down Main Street USA, passersby who ask "What do you do?" hear "It’s a living!" At least once a week, after singing a tag with a visiting Barbershopper, we’re told, "I wish I had your job!"
Unlike virtually every other quartet in the Society, The Dapper Dans exist because they are employees of Disney. Between Disneyland in Anaheim and Walt Disney World in Orlando, twelve lucky Barbershoppers sing full-time in The Dapper Dans, and many more perform as subs and in other vocal groups in the parks. Over the years, quartet members have been hired as a group or singly, but it has always been with an eye toward providing a specific entertainment experience to guests at the parks. The success of these groups illustrate well the entertainment values we learn and practice as barbershop singers.
"How can I get started at Disney?"
A singing career starts with the basics: music theory, structure of harmony, sight-reading, dance and stage presence all contribute. Versatile Dapper Dans perform in a number of musical groups, from jazz quintets to musical theatre to recording projects and television. The more time you invest in diversifying your talents, the better.
Getting in the door—that’s some combination of the big three: talent, persistence, and luck.
For me, becoming part of the Dapper Dans was the natural extension of a life as a performer. I had started in church children’s choir at age 4, in musical theater at age 5, and had my own barbershop quartet at 16. By the time the Disney opportunity came along in 1986, I was a 15-year veteran of stage performance with Debbie Reynolds, and had already done some gigs with Disney. When Stan Freese of Talent Bookings called to tell me they were re-forming the quartet after a two year layoff, I was ready. "Can you tap?" he asked. "Sure!" I’ve been at it ever since.
For Chad Bennett, the most recent addition to the Florida Dans, persistence was the key. Chad had sung with 1993 collegiate champs Heritage Station before relocating to Orlando to pursue a career with Disney. "I was hired by Walt Disney World in January 1998," he reports. "I went to the casting building and asked for whatever was available. My first job was in Epcot as a boat skipper, taking whatever was offered so I could get into the parks anytime I wished.
"On my off days, I visited the Dapper Dans. I listened to the quartet and learned their music. Each time I learned a song, I asked to sing it with them ... and I gradually learned the Deagan Organ Chimes, too.
"They needed a multi-purpose sub, so I learned tenor, lead and baritone for every song I could handle. I finally auditioned for Russ Jordan of Talent Casting, and I was hired as a sub for the Dans. I subbed for two years, and when Buddy Seeburg retired in March 2000, I was offered the full-time tenor position."
Versatility means more opportunities
That same versatility has been a key part of the west coast Dapper Dans survival through the years. Where the Orlando park has a larger budget commensurate with its size, the Anaheim staff has experienced ups and downs through the decades, including a brief hiatus in the 1980s when there was no quartet. The rebirth of the Dapper Dans in 1986 came at a time when Disney inaugurated a series of themed events that transformed the park. The quartet adapted by developing new acts that fit the themes and kept the group out in front. As "Danny & the Dappers," we sang doo-wop; we morphed into the "Toontones" to perform a raucous "Welcome Blast" show in Toontown; we’ve sung sea chanties, western songs and cartoon jingles.
More recently, the quartet has developed a new identity. Shedding the striped costumes, the quartet now lives its life as four citizens of Main Street USA—constable, barber, grocer and banker—who break out into song as a barbershop quartet eight times a day. Again, by adapting, the Dans have survived and thrived—today it’s a full-time gig, year round.
Making a career in show biz
Of those key elements—talent, persistence, and luck—you can control the first two, and the third often arises from that work. As the old saying goes, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." From the lessons of the Dapper Dans, you may find yourself pursuing a show biz career. Opportunities abound at Disney and theme parks across the nation for singers with harmony experience. Keep singing, and honing your dancing and acting skills, and you may develop the stage presence and talent to become a future addition to the Dapper Dan tradition.
By Shelby Grimm, leader of The Dapper Dans of Disneyland. This article initially appeared in the November/December 2000 issue of The Harmonizer.
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