Glee Clubs: 10 Real High School Song-And-Dance Groups That Rival New Directions

The third season of "Glee" wrapped up this week with a cliffhanger and enough dazzling musical numbers to make you wish you'd stuck with your elementary school chorus classes. But Broadway dreams, powerhouse vocals, perfectly-choreographed dance routines and matching costumes aren't just a made-for-TV fantasy. Long before the hit show premiered in 2009, real glee clubs (also known as show choirs) were pouring their hearts and souls into performances of their own. Inspired by this week's season finale, we rounded up videos from a few of our favorite real high school glee clubs.

Which performance is your favorite? Are you part of your school's show choir? Share your thoughts in the comments below or tweet at @HuffPostTeen!

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• John Burroughs Powerhouse

  This group from Burbank, California has been called the inspiration behind <em>Glee</em>. They're fiercely talented - and the results pay off. Performing Iive on <em>Oprah</em> and meeting the cast of the show they inspired? No problem. Receiving donations from Jennifer Love Hewitt? Just another day in the lives of the Powerhouse glee club.

• Wheaton Warrenville South High School Classics

  The Classics, a show choir from Wheaton, Illinois, looks more than ready for their TV debut. From their all-star vocals to their lime green suits, this group can't be beat.

• Ankeny Visual Adrenaline

  Visual Adrenaline might remind <em>Glee</em> fans of a certain Vocal Adrenaline. This real-life show choir hailing from Ankeny, Iowa, has the moves, the moxie, and the talent to live up to the New Direction's biggest competitors.

• Olentangy Keynotes

  We can't blame you for mistaking this Lewis Center, Ohio glee club, the Olentangy Keynotes, for a professional Broadway production. With powerful voices, elegant choreography, and classy costumes, it's tough to remember the group is still in high school!

• Mt. Zion Swingsations

  The Swingsations' rendition of "Waka Waka" by Shakira is so infectious, we dare you not to start singing along. Coming from Mt. Zion, Illinois, the group excels in choreography.

• Los Alamitos

  Hailing from Los Alamitos, California, this group knows how to put on a show. NYADA, we've found your Class of 2016!

• Clinton Attaché

  Southern charm gets turned on high during this performance from Clinton Attaché from Clinton, Mississippi. Can't you see the New Directions stealing a few of their moves?

• Pascagoula Impact

  Energy radiates from this Pascagoula, Mississippi show choir. We can't imagine the talent it takes to perform such high-octane choreography - forget about singing Broadway-worthy hits at the same time!

Comments

[BurbankParent]

01:26 PM on 05/28/2012

It is always exciting to see "real" Show Choir get national attention. Why isn't Burbank High School's In Sync on your list? They regularly compete with some of the other choirs you listed, frequently taking first place amongst them. Not only that, but they were the choir featured in the very first episode of Glee, referred to as Mr. Schuster's choir when he was in high school. The visual of them was cut, but the audio is heard. You can't talk about Show Choir without including Burbank High!

[VirtualInsanity]

04:13 PM on 05/30/2012

Oh, for goodness' sakes... please save it for showchoir.com! There are plenty of other groups which have been just as successful as Burbank which also aren't mentioned here (North Central, Waubonsie Valley, Carmel, LaCrosse Central, Buffalo Grove, Fairfield, Franklin Central, to name a few). Burbank is a phenomenal and truly innovative group, but also one which has only been on the national radar for about ten years. Can't we just celebrate the fact that the ART FORM has grown to the point where it is featured on a major media site like HuffPo? That's truly amazing to me!

[kykys2]

05:05 AM on 05/28/2012

I liked that last one, was it Pascagoula Impact, or something like that? Cool rendition.

But OMG, Swingsations! So much energy! Loved that one to bits.

[Stephen Kalpakian]

04:32 AM on 05/28/2012

The Powerhouse video was early in the season. Search "John Burroughs High School Powerhouse performs at SoCal Competition 2012" on youtube. That was their final competition of the year. See how the set developed.

[Mad Hatter 1]

07:27 PM on 05/27/2012

Better to spend money on education than weapons of war.

[Lynnette White McMahon]

08:02 PM on 05/25/2012

Los Alamitos has been national grand champions 3 times in past 4 years! We have 5 choirs with 371 kids participating. Music is alive and well at this school!!

[joseph matthew Cooper]

02:50 PM on 05/25/2012

good singing.I love it.we need to have more choirs like that.

[Angie Daniels]

01:33 PM on 05/25/2012

How fun! We NEED to keep arts in the schools. Let's theater geeks (like I was) have a place to belong.