Put a Little Sizzle in Your Day—Spontaneous Performances Help the Community Connect to FFA

The smell of fries, cooked noodles, hamburgers, and fresh baked pretzels all mingle together.

The anxious sounds of two hundred hungry teenagers and adults fill the air. People crowd around tables and stand in line awaiting their turn to order.

Then, the sound of a guitar, fiddle, and banjo joined with harmonic voices to rise above the noise. The strains of “Sweet Home Alabama” fill the four story space—the National FFA Convention Sizzle Performance has begun.

This was the scene that unfolded at the food court in Circle Center mall as the first of a chain of performances—known as Sizzle Performances— began.. By sharing their talents with the Indianapolis downtown community through these impromptu and spontaneous performances, the National FFA Talent group hopes to bring the message of FFA to the public and create another a new way to Lead Out Loud.

According to Mandy Hazlett, coordinator of the Sizzle Performances, the idea behind the performances was to bring spontaneous entertainment to the crowd attending the FFA convention and to the downtown community. The performances were modeled after popular impromptu events put on by a group called Improv Everywhere.

Members of National FFA Convention Talent, such as Aura Smith of Fayette, Missouri, were selected to participate in these impromptu events because of their ability to perform. Those talents helped make an impact on FFA members like Sam Schafer and Amanda Wolfe. Both Schafer and Wolfe joined in the performance by clapping and singing. “It was exciting!” said Schafer.

Another Sizzle Performance will take place at the last convention session. Also, the talents of these performers and many others will be featured throughout the convention and at the National FFA Talent Revue.

~Dorothy Spencer, National FFA Convention newsroom staff