Newsfeed
Printer-Friendly ModeForte dancers win Variety Show
October 10, 2005 —
Student organizations were given the chance to do whatever they pleased on stage at the 2005 Homecoming Variety Show on Thursday in the Cardinal Gym. Students from different organizations performed in order to win over, not only the audience, but the judges as well.
"These Boots Were Made for Walking" was the theme of this year's show, and each act had to be planned around the theme. That meant a whole lot of cowboy hats and country music on display on the Cardinal Gym stage.
But a number of the acts also made use of another theme - show no mercy to Mercyhurst. Regardless of the theme, the groups did a great job of showing, not only their creativity, but also their homecoming spirit and SVSU red pride.
The content of the acts ranged from phony pageants and dance offs to the ever popular TV parody. There was a spoof of Pimp My Ride entitled (what else?) Pimp My Horse. There were the obligatory Jessica Simpson jokes and honorary drama fraternity Alpha Psi Omega even based its entire act on various Saturday Night Live sketches.
How fitting, then, that the night was hosted by two stars of reality TV. Brad and Cameron of Real World: San Diego emceed the event in front of a capacity crowd. They received a warm welcome from SVSU students, faculty and staff and provided star quality to an already entertaining night. Brad and Cameron introduced the organizations and provided a transition between acts.
The night started off with a routine by the SVSU Program Board, the organization responsible for planning the Variety Show. A number of other organizations followed, including the Saginaw Valley Dance Team, Sigma Pi, and His House.
Throughout the night, Brad and Cameron added charm and even occasional humor. One unintentional gag came about because of the aforementioned "pimped-out" horse and a well-placed sign reading "Jump on it."
During a brief intermission between acts, the two MTV stars answered questions from the audience. Of course, things got a little out of hand when students in the crowd began asking for kisses and photographs rather than answers to questions about the Real World, but it was all in good fun.
The competition aspect of the show was based on a point system. The judges rated each act in three categories. A maximum of 40 points could be earned for entertainment value, with 30 points possible for both homecoming spirit and creativity.
When all the points were totaled, the Forte Hip-Hop Dance Team came out on top, followed closely by Tau Kappa Epsilon, with His House coming in third.
After the Variety Show, Brad and Cameron stuck around for a brief meet and greet that allowed those unfortunate enough to not get a picture during the intermission to try again.
Overall, the event was a success - even more successful than last year, according to some. Everyone in attendance had a great time, and the homecoming spirit filled the Cardinal Gym. Certainly this year paved the way for many more successful variety shows in the future.
