The Calgary Men’s Chorus has long been an integral part of the fabric of Calgary’s queer community. For many, their annual Christmas concerts have become a regular tradition -- so much so that these holiday shows now sell out weeks in advance. The Chorus has even performed at Carnegie Hall, and made an appearance onstage with Margaret Cho on the Calgary stop of her recent Cho Dependent Tour.

A popular mainstay at charity events over the years, the Chorus has generously lent their time and talents to raise funds for The Southern Alberta HIV Clinic, The SHARP Foundation, the Music Therapy program at Carewest, the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank, and many other worthwhile causes. In 2010, having partnered with Calgary’s all-female Savridi Singers, they were able to raise over $45,000 in a single show for the Calgary Breast Health Program.

The Chorus has clearly been gaining noticeable momentum over the last few years, in every way. So the next logical step in their evolution as a performance ensemble is, naturally...

...to create a show with professional athletes?

"Part of my creative approach is the brainstorming process," explains Jean-Louis Bleau, charismatic artistic director of the Chorus. His focus on the element of ice in last year’s performance season resulted in an epic collaboration with Inuit throat singers, drummers, and story tellers, as well as Greenlandic mask dancers. Turning his imagination to this year’s planned theme of water, Bleau was collecting images and writing down words that popped into his head when he "just happened to write down the words swimming pool."

Never afraid to start asking questions and make new friends, Bleau got on the horn to synchronized swimming club The Calgary Aquabelles, who led him to an accomplished, now locally based production, choreography and performance team: Kerry Atkins and Shayna Nackoney.

Atkins, a multi-medalist named to 4 Canadian National Teams, was a creative team member of the Franco Dragone show Le Reve, which headlined at the Wynn Las Vegas for two full years. Nackoney, who was named to 7 Canadian national teams and competed in the 2004 Olympics, performed for two years in Cirque du Soleil’s O in Las Vegas. They were intrigued by the idea of working with the Calgary Men’s Chorus, pairing aqua ballet with vocal gymnastics. And so began a precedent-setting artistic collaboration, the show now known as BLUE.

When they realized that the choir was part of the queer community, choreographers Atkins and Nackoney leapt at the chance to bring in synchronized swimming crusader Bill May. May, you will remember, is the multi-medal-winning swimmer who, despite being named US Synchronized Swimming Athlete of the Year two years in a row, still ended up being deemed ineligible to compete in the 2004 Olympics. At the time, the United States Synchronized Swimming Federation simply did not wish to endorse a team that included a male synchronized swimmer.

Showcasing an equal-rights pioneer like Bill May as a featured artist in BLUE highlights another of the values at the core of the Calgary Men’s Chorus: their commitment to equality. "We do our best to represent gay culture and our community," enthuses Jean-Louis Bleau. "We are proud to show the best of who we are, and to show what we love about ourselves and what we love about our community." So, too, the Chorus confronts the plight of other groups, as they did during their partnership with the Inuit artists they brought to Calgary last year. "The gay community has made great strides forward, but we must continue to support those who continue to fight for equal rights. The idea of equality is at the core of who we are as a choir; we just approach it differently, and express it differently."

It is this commitment to such social values that really makes the Chorus the most unique choir in the city. Their innovative spirit sets them apart, as well, and by design. "Gay choirs are already known for pushing boundaries," says the enigmatic Bleau, "and we wanted to go even further, to top that."

To that end, the choir is committed to making their performances fun, interesting, and challenging, for audience members and performers alike. The choir usually sings in two languages other than English every year, and the joint efforts they undertake require an enormous amount of commitment from everyone involved. This January, with another holiday season just behind them, the group began to rehearse, finalize and record their arrangements for BLUE, and provide this music to choreographers Kerry Atkins and Shayna Nackoney. Bleau credits the two for being every bit as enthusiastic as the choir, managing to fit intense preparation into their already hectic lives; Nackoney runs a thriving real estate business with a fellow Olympian, the speed skater Susan Auch, and Atkins is currently studying to become a doctor. Starting back in October, the women would meet every Friday morning - at 6am - to start fleshing out their routines.

Two years after his initial brainstorming session, Jean-Louis Bleau is thrilled to see how the seed of an idea has turned into this groundbreaking spectacle, with the now 42-member choir and 9 elite synchronized swimmers, including the great Bill May. (May is currently appearing in Cirque du Soleil’s O in Las Vegas, and securing his participation was a real coup for the BLUE team - and for Calgary audiences.)

Bleau says he has loved the wonderful surprises that have come from putting faith in other artists, from sharing ideas and from working together. "As with other collaborations, doing the kinds of things that no one had done before, we had no idea what to expect. But this is how we learn new things, and how we grow as a performance ensemble." And Calgary is a better place for it.

The two evening performances of BLUE on Friday May 27 and Saturday May 28 have already sold out, and at press time, a matinee performance had just been added at 5pm on May 28. If you haven’t already, pick up your tickets while you can. This show will be one people will be talking about for a very long time.