Freshmen world record attempt honors Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly may have walked down the street “Singin’ in the Rain” 60 years ago, but on…

Sarah Kontos, Senior Staff Photographer

Gene Kelly may have walked down the street “Singin’ in the Rain” 60 years ago, but on Thursday Pitt students commemorated him by dancing in the sun.

Freshman students held black umbrellas and danced to the “Cupid Shuffle” in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the “Greatest Number of People Simultaneously Performing an Umbrella Dance at a Single Venue.” The previous record was set in September 2011 in Bucharest, Romania, by 1,461 participants.

As part of the week’s New Student Orientation activities, a total of 3,524 participants — which included students and University staff — held open umbrellas above their heads in observance of Pitt’s 225th Anniversary and the 100th birthday of late Pitt alumnus and well-known actor Gene Kelly.

While the Guinness World Records organization still has to declare the record official, it appears that the Class of 2016 shattered the prior record as it danced on the Petersen Events Center lawn.

Kelly, a popular American actor, director and choreographer, graduated from Pitt in 1933 with a degree in economics. Known mostly for his work in the 1952 musical “Singin’ in the Rain,” Kelly went on to perform, direct and choreograph in a variety of musicals. He died in February 1996.

To break the previously held record, students and staff had to dance simultaneously and in succession for six minutes. After preparing the crowd with a practice run, Kenyon Bonner, director of student life and associate dean of students, announced to the crowd that it would begin the attempt.

Students kicked off their shoes to dance to the easy-to-follow song. Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kathy Humphrey participated alongside students, dancing and holding her umbrella in honor of Pitt and the famous alumnus. She mentioned that the many opportunities available to students through the University encourage amazing talent such as Kelly’s.

“I think that we have incredible people,” Humphrey said.

Freshman Tori Nirschl joined the herd of umbrellas dancing to the song. Though originally unsure of what the group would be doing, she was excited to participate in an attempt to break a world record.

“When I came here I promised myself to make the most of every opportunity, so I guess this is the first step,” Nirschl said.

This is the third year that Pitt’s freshman class attempted to break a world record. Last year, the freshmen created the largest glowstick image in the form of the Cathedral of Learning. In 2010, the incoming class created the largest torch-lit logo, spelling out “PITT” with flashlights.

As a coordinator of the event, Bonner wanted students to have a shared experience that would help them to feel connected to the University in their first days at Pitt.

For freshman Alex Royer, the umbrella dance was a good experience that brought together the whole freshman class, as opposed to just his residence hall.

“I knew we would be breaking a world record, but I don’t think I would’ve guessed we’d be doing it with most people [in the freshman class] with an umbrella,” Royer said.

Bonner encouraged students to continue moving for the entire song, even though they had to dance for a long time.

“If you know anything about our history, we keep moving. We keep calm and hail to Pitt,” he said.

Pick up Tuesday’s edition of The Pitt News to read more about events this fall honoring Gene Kelly’s birthday.