It was around this time last year that I sat in the backseat of my grandparents' Buick (typical?...yes) and realized that my all-female group continuously went to a cappella events and never REALLY had a lot of our concerns addressed. We'd sit in workshops about arranging and hear WONDERFUL examples of all-male and mixed arrangements but as soon as one of us would say "Well, I have to arrange for 17 female voices..." the answer would pretty much be "Yea, that's really hard." ...Thanks. Then vocal percussion (which I never attempt for everyone's safety) would always be taught or lead by a guy and the girls would come out either a) feeling challenged to figure it out or b) saying "Umm...my voice physically cannot do that" Even further, no one ever talks about what it's like to have to get more than 12 units of estrogen all on the same page without ripping each others hair out. So, AcaBelles got together and figured that if this is how we felt, other all-female groups must feel the same way. Hence the birth of Vocaluptuous.

Vocaluptuous is a weekend long retreat for all-female groups to come together, share information and do some bonding. This will be its second year running and will once again be held in Tallahassee, FL this October 23-25. Rather than being "taught", the workshops are completely forum style so that every participant can have an input and be able to hear suggestions and questions from groups with all different backgrounds. The weekend includes opening ceremonies with performances by Tallahassee's own award-winning groups Leon High School Mane Event and FSU's Reverb and All-Night Yahtzee; a day of workshops that will include arranging, vocal percussion, group dynamics, etc.; a night concert where all participating groups are encouraged to perform; and of course...the afterparty.

Official invites will be sent later this week to as many all-female groups as we can find via the internet as possible. However, if you or your group are even the least bit interested in attending please feel free to email AcaBelles at acabelles@hotmail.com. This year, we'd also like some professional  input for the workshops as well as some masterclassing (that's probably not a word) happening, so if you're interested in that please email us too. We will find a way to get you to Tallahassee!

Recap: Who- AcaBelles, What- Vocaluptuous 2009, When- October 23-25, Where- Tallahassee, FL, Why- To unite femapella everywhere