Up With People

TEXT BY EILEEN BAILEY PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEFFREY MUIR HAMILTON All the world's a stage, quite literally, for the 550 young people now touring with "Up With People." The Tucson-based operation features an international group of college-age students whose school is their planet. Participants spend a year learning about themselves and others by living and working with fellow students and staff members and staying with host families in the areas where they perform. Up With People is best known for its vibrant, contemporary two-hour show, a mix of folk and rock music, dance routines, vocals

UP WITH PEOPLE.

Assembling and refining a show before going on tour requires hard work and much repetition. The cast prepares ten bours a day, six days a week during the five weeks leading up to the first performance. (CLOCKWISE, FROM NEAR RIGHT) Cast choreographer Kiki Ljundquist of Sweden and David Montano of Tucson rehearse a dance number. Between practice sessions, David takes a quiet break. Then it's back to work as Tim McCleary of Mississauga, Ontario, and Lynne Meterparel of Weston, Massachusetts, work out a dance movement under the watchful eye of instructor Robin Bailey.

mixed with patter, the upbeat sounds of many countries. But the organization is much more than a song-and-dance touring company.

"What it's really about is self-directed learning," says Glen Shepherd, director of education for UWP. "The more they discover about other cultures and other countries, the more they learn about themselves."

Another estimated 11 million people have seen the live performances.

Each year thousands of youngsters apply for the 550 spots available in new casts. Applicants between the ages of 18 and 25 are selected on the basis of personal maturity, open-mindedness, and an ability to communicate-not on singing and dancing skills.

Up With People has performed in 48 countries for a variety of audiences, including the Pope and residents of nursing homes. Millions more have seen UWP presentations on television during football halftime appearances. Soon the organization's leaders hope to achieve a longtime goal: taking their program to the Soviet Union for a two-week tour.