Song and dance skills are a necessity for a good show. The secret is having a catchy repertoire to show them off.

Using this nugget of information, the Penn State Singing Lions will present From Sea to Shining Sea: A Celebration of American Entertainment.

"The spring show is the biggest thing we do all year," said Singing Lions dance captain Amanda Passanante (senior-mathematics).

With that in mind, the Singing Lions carefully handpicked songs from notable entertainers and movements of the last century. "We try to appeal to a lot of different ages and generations," said Jake Meiss (senior-music education), the show's musical director.

The group will sing and dance through 100 years' worth of recognizable feel-good tunes, including Irving Berlin's "Puttin' on the Ritz," Elvis Presley's "Blue Suede Shoes" and Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl." The Lions even throw in a little "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," which can put a smile on just about anyone's face.

While songs by The King and Walt Disney aren't usually found in the same 90-minute performance, there is a common thread woven through the show.

"It's the type of music that people know," explained Singing Lions president Chad Elder (senior-marketing). "Our show is really high-energy, toe-tapping fun."

That infectious toe tapping, in a way, applies to both the audience and the Singing Lions themselves.

"This year, overall, we have more dancing than we have had before," Passanante said.

Case in point: Nine of the 14 Singing Lions will don tap shoes and clickity-clack to an upbeat number from Anything Goes. Several members ambitiously learned to tap just for the show.

Passanante also said the choreography of the Footloose medley makes it the show's most energetic number, and what Elder called a "fitting climax."

With all that choreography, could "Singing Lions" be a misnomer? Why aren't they the Penn State Singing and Dancing Lions?

"Well, we pride ourselves on sounding good, and the dancing adds to it," Meiss said. "It's not a question of one being more dominant."

The spring show is an annual culmination of the school year, Meiss said, and this show will be a culmination of his four years with the group.

Graduation of the seniors will be bittersweet, Passanante said, but Meiss pointed out that now is a prime opportunity to recruit future Singing Lions.

Throughout the school year, the Lions perform for area high schools and alumni clubs. During home football games, they sing outside the Student Bookstore; on Valentine's Day, they serenade students around campus. The group spent spring break touring the Northeast.

"We like to consider ourselves Penn State's singing ambassadors," Elder said.

A final detail contrasting the spring show from other Singing Lion performances is the upgrade in attire: royal blue dresses for the ladies and tuxes for the gents.

"Oh, yeah," Meiss said. "We go all out."