Campus groups sing, dance on steps of Lovett

Weeks of practicing choreography on stairs and doing vocal exercises in the shower paid off as 18 groups competed in Wednesday’s 52nd Annual All-Campus Sing on the steps of Lovett Auditorium.

Hosted by Sigma Alpha Iota, the Alumni Association and the Office of Student Affairs, the annual event featured groups divided into four categories: residential colleges, independents, sororities and fraternities.

In addition to first, second and third places in each category, groups competed for best choreography, best costumes, best soloist and the director award.

Groups were judged on musicality, including harmony and quality, crowd appeal, choreography and overall effect.

Themes this year ranged from world issues, such as the economy and HIV in Africa, to fame, money and love.

White College took first place in the residential college division with its “Headlines of 2009” performance. Cornelius Hocker,  director and sophomore from Greenville, Ky., said they prepared for three weeks.

“It consisted of late-night practices,” Hocker said. “We were actually on the steps Monday and Tuesday night from (midnight) to 2:30 in the morning. It just came together. We all wanted to go out there and win, and we did.”

Hocker said the group tried to feature a variety of styles.

“We had a little bit of rap, a little bit of country, I believe, (some) hip-hop (and) pop music,” he said. “We catered to everyone.”

Though the group was small, Hocker said they received support from members of their residential college.

“They would come watch our practices and they’d say, ‘We can’t sing, but we’ll support (you),’” he said.

James Richmond College’s “Pride of the Pack” and Springer-Franklin College’s “‘50s Retro” received second and third places, respectively.

The independent division dominated the special awards. Brett Russell with the Honors Program’s “Songs of Elton John” won best soloist, while the Baptist Campus Ministry won best choreography with “The Spirit of Africa.”

Sock ‘n’ Buskin performed “When Villains Met Heroes,” a performance featuring Disney characters fighting over “The Little Mermaid” Ariel’s voice to win All-Campus Sing. The group won best costumes and first place in the independent division.

Baptist Campus Ministry and the Honors Program won second and third places, respectively.

In the sorority division, the women of Alpha Omicron Pi won with “If the Shoe Fits,” a theme directors Michelle Ford and Rebecca Raj said came from out of the blue.

“We’d been bouncing off themes about two or three weeks and couldn’t come up with anything,” Ford, sophomore from Carterville, Ill., said.

Then, Ford said, one of the members mentioned the randomness of last year’s performances. Upon seeing a pile of shoes in Ford’s room, the sister jokingly suggested they sing about shoes.

The idea stuck, Ford said.

Raj, freshman from Murray, said her favorite song to perform was Nelly’s “Air Force Ones” because the group could cut loose. Ford said the song fit perfectly with their theme.

“It’s not something that you would expect, especially from a sorority,” she said.

Alpha Delta Pi’s “Love Story” won second place and the spirit award, and Alpha Gamma Delta’s “Fame” took third.

In the fraternity division, Alpha Sigma Phi’s director Shawn Webb took home the director award. The group performed a “Space Jam” theme, complete with basketball uniforms.

Sigma Phi Epsilon won first place with their Spring Break-themed performance. Cameron Gish, director and junior from Owensboro, Ky., said there was a lot of pressure to live up to past performances.

“To see all your hard work and practices kind of come together and culminate in a win, especially because this is the seventh year in a row that we’ve won,” he said. “Bringing home a ‘sevenpeat’ is really awesome, even though it’s a lot of hard work, we’re really excited about it and excited for next year, too.”

Gish said it was not an easy win for the group.

“I thought (the other groups) did a great job, and I was really impressed by everyone,” he said. “It definitely  made our job harder. We were nervous, but fortunately we came home with the win.”

The group’s performance began with everyone dressed in hoodies, sitting bored in class. They then stripped off their clothing to reveal shorts and brightly colored T-shirts. Throwing the clothes resulted in clothing stuck in the trees next to the stairs.

“We started practicing that yesterday,” Gish said. “Yesterday was our first time. The microphones made it a bit difficult. It was pretty interesting. We went over it about 30 minutes trying to get people to do it without showing body parts and all of that stuff. It was a challenge, but I think it was kind of cool, and I think the crowd liked it.”

Lamda Chi Alpha’s “We Love America,” which featured cameos by basketball players Tony Easley and Danero Thomas, took second place and Alpha Gamma Rho’s work-themed “On the Job with AGR” placed third.

Sigma Alpha Iota and Phi Mu Alpha, the music fraternities, also performed for the crowd.

For video coverage of All-Campus Sing, check out thenews.org.

Contact Kyle at charlotte.kyle@murraystate.edu.