Entertainment

Marty Williams anything ‘but’ ordinary

Matty Smith
Staff Reporter

Logos photo by Matty Smith . Kristen Ehlers and Marty Williams rehearse a dance routine for NIACC Singers.

At first glance, nothing about Martin “Marty” Williams particularly stands out. He appears to be like any other student at NIACC, seemingly quiet, with a coy, gentle demeanor and a sly, boyish smirk that is oftentimes obscured by a scruffy blond beard. One must not be fooled, however, Marty Williams is anything but ordinary.

With one step to the left, a jump to the right, a little bit of jazz hands and the echoing reverberations of a solid bass voice, Williams immediately becomes larger than life, proving that first impressions can be deceiving.

Having just wrapped up the fall musical as Skip Snip in Little Shop of Horrors, and working with director Jayson Ryner as part of the NIACC Singers troupe, Williams admits that it’s all about the energy.

“If there’s no energy, there’s no show,” he said.

Cole Fister, a friend of Williams as well as a significant part of Singers himself, said of his fellow peer, “Marty is a good musician and brings a lot of energy to the group. Marty’s just the kind of person you like having around, not only in the classroom, but outside of the classroom, because you know you can depend on him and trust him. He’s one of those guys that you want to know.”

Williams, 18, graduated from his hometown of Rockford, Iowa, and is a freshman at NIACC, a school he chose to pursue an AA degree, although he has not specifically chosen a major yet (he’ll later go on to a four-year college).

He said he has plans to cover the liberal arts and is considering engineering as a future career choice.

He was able to achieve a Trustees Scholarship from Rockford, scoring second in his class.

Williams was in swing choir at Rockford for five years and has been an active performer since high school.

NIACC Singers appeared like the obvious choice for him to audition for, not to mention the fact that Ryner was his choir director during seventh grade at Rockford.

“I like Ryner a lot,” Williams said. “He knows what he’s talking about.”

Williams started acting his sophomore year of high school, having a supporting role as Roger, the “king of the mooners,” in the musical Grease.

He’s had big influences from his entire family; his father and his older brother, Barry, sang a lot through their own high school careers. Both of his parents, Brad and Doris Williams, are currently in the church choir as well.

“I like making people laugh,” Williams said of performing. “I’m always cheerful and I like to be enthusiastic about what I’m doing. It’s kind of fun to be in the spotlight every once in a while to show people what you’ve actually got.”

Outside of school, Williams said he enjoys dabbling in landscape photography when he’s not working his summer job at Omnitel in Nora Springs.

Also during the summer months, one might be able to see Williams doing a Civil War reenactment. He admits that he is a huge historical enthusiast.

And, of course, he loves hanging out with friends. He remains close with many from NIACC Singers, a lively bunch of spontaneous and energetic individuals who all share the common bond of expressing themselves with their voices and dance.

Williams offered advice for his fellow students.

“Just go out and don’t regret anything that you do,” he said. “Don’t look back at the little things in life. The biggest thing is getting involved in stuff. A lot of people just go to school and take their classes – which is fine – but it can be a whole lot more fun if you’re involved in something.”

It certainly seems Williams would know from experience. With Singers, he has proven himself as a master of the arts – singing, performing and dancing – and he does it with such grace and style, that it might be easy for one not to notice him. But look out, because Marty Williams is anything but ordinary.