On Wednesday, Nov. 29, the class of 2020 brought an audience of Keene State College students together for 2017 Milli Vanilli Lip Sync competition in the Mabel Brown Room. The night was composed of student performances and trivia, as well as a broad style of music ranging from Kanye West to The Wiggles.
Brendan Jones / Equinox Staff
President of the sophomore class Madison Olsen worked with the rest of the sophomore executive board to put together this event.
“There was a lot of divvying of a lot of jobs,” Olsen explained. “It was hard work for everybody, but everyone pulled through and did really well.”
A crucial job when putting on an event like this is obtaining student involvement. Olsen explained how the sophomore class went about encouraging people to participate. “We did a lot of advertising for getting people to sign up because if no one signed up, we weren’t going to have an event.”
In addition to the event being sponsored by the class of 2020, the classes of 2019 and 2021 also showcased their lip sync abilities during the night. Junior and student government member Briae Robillard performed a number with her fellow junior class executive board associates, as well as a tap routine to Highway to Hell by AC/DC. After mentioning she had been a dancer for 15 years, Robillard explained that despite performing a tap number alone, she was not nervous. “I’m used to being on stage. I’ve done it my whole life.” Robillard said.
In between performances, there was a large amount of audience participation. Spectators were asked a series of trivia questions. If they answered correctly, they were given a free KSC t-shirt as a prize. Questions included judge trivia as well as questions about the history of the college. Observers were also given the opportunity to get on stage and perform their own number on the spot in order to win a t-shirt.
First year Grace Frost attended the lip sync battle and commented why she decided to come. “I heard about it through friends and I thought it would be fun to watch.” Frost said.
The room filled with KSC students watched in enjoyment as their peers fought for the title of lip sync champion.
At the end of the night a winner was chosen by the three judges. These judges included Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Kemal Atkins, Interim President, Melinda Treadwell and student body president Kenadee Cadieux. After an array of acts showcasing different forms of dance and talent, the three judges decided to award the group that performed Year 3000 by the Jonas Brothers first place. In addition to winning the judges’ vote, the group also won the popular vote that was selected by the audience.
All in all, Olsen said the 2017 Milli Vanilli Lip Sync competition was a success for the class of 2020 having a strong turnout of students.
“[The turnout] was better than we expected, and we’re excited to do it next year. We hope that we can do it again,” Olsen concluded.
Erin McNemar can be contacted emcnemar@ksc.equinox.com
