News : Alex Springer to silently represent VSHS at All-State Speech Festival

These photos show Alex Springer's many faces as he performs his solo mime act, 'Jekyll and Hyde.'

Alex Springer rehearses his solo mime act, 'Jekyll and Hyde,' which was chosen for All-State.

Alex Springer rehearses his solo mime act, 'Jekyll and Hyde,' which was chosen for All-State.

Alex Springer poses for a photo.

Alex Springer’s successful performance last Saturday combined his love of hip hop dancing with a famous piece of English literature that is marking its 125th anniversary this year.

He stood alone – without saying a word – to compete in an event called the Large Group State Speech Contest.

But Alex was probably too busy acting out his story, using his hands, feet and facial expressions to silently retell the 1886 Robert Louis Stevens novella, “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” to notice the ironies surrounding him.

For Alex – who earned victories on the pitcher’s mound as a sophomore on the varsity baseball team last season – performing mime is as athletic of a performance as any sport.

He constantly walks back and forth, carefully moving his hands and feet while using his face to show the intense moods of the evil Dr. Jekyll and the desperate effort of the good Mr. Hyde to overcome his alter ego’s evil.

The mime practices this routine two or three times per week. Those who witnessed his rehearsals can appreciate the effort.

“It takes a lot out of me,” said Springer said.

In one of the ironies of modern high school events that the Solo Mime event is part of the Large Group Speech contest. Alex and several other VSHS students competed at that event in several categories.

Although it’s unlikely that they used these exact words, the judges found the Vinton-Shellsburg junior’s version of “Jekyll” to be a jewel of juxtaposition of old lit and new moves. He earned a Division 1 rating on Saturday; on Monday he learned that his routine was one of the 20 solo mime acts chosen for the All-State Festival, Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Iowa State University campus in Ames.

One of those 20 mimes will bring home to his or her school a banner, indicating that they were named the top act in the state this year. Several years ago, VSHS student Mandy Peterson won that banner with her solo mime act.

Now, Springer has the opportunity to win that banner for his school.

Not bad for a guy who is performing his first mime. Ever.

Springer said he chose to try a mime act because it seemed like something different. He and VSHS Speech Coach Eric Upmeyer began working on the act before Christmas. Springer, a student of hip hop music and dance, wanted to incorporate some of those moves he had studied. He said the Jekyll and Hyde routine just sort of evolved as he and Mr. Upmeyer worked on the routine. They had the act chosen by Christmas and spent January perfecting it.