Oompa Loompas, James Bond take over stage
March 28, 2009
Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House played host to a different kind of competition Friday night.
… Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House played host to a different kind of competition Friday night.
The rules were simple for Greek Sing: an undergraduate student would choreograph an eight-minute act with one vocal performance. But then the Oompa Loompas took over.
Members of Pitt’s Greek community battled for singing supremacy at Greek Sing, an annual competition and charity event that pairs fraternities with sororities for a singing and dancing performance.
Delta Zeta sorority and Delta Chi fraternity placed first for their ‘Willy Wonka’-themed performance. They also took home best costume and best scenery honors for the Oompa Loompa outfits and chocolate factory set.
With a red light backdrop, remixed ‘James Bond’ theme songs and seductive waltzing, Delta Delta Delta sorority and Kappa Sigma fraternity won first runner-up and best choreography for their 007-themed performance.
‘ The men of Kappa Sigma, who placed first last year, did not let their female counterparts outshine them onstage.
‘ ‘We’re dance-oriented,’ said junior Paul Park backstage. After delivering a high-energy performance, Park looked less like a secret agent and more like a wax figure at Madam Tussauds if the air-conditioning malfunctioned.
‘ As the James Bonds wooed their women across the dance floor with songs like Britney Spears’ ‘Womanizer,’ most of the crowd applauded.
‘ But some attendees gasped and muttered, ‘Keep it PG,’ at the fluttering skirts in the act.
Senior Caroline Sincavage, who choreographed the ‘Wizard of Oz’ act by Chi Omega sorority, said she thought it was important to tell a story.
‘ Dorothy (played by Sincavage), the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion each led solo performances after narration by Glinda the Good Witch. Although Scarecrow lost her prop and hat at one point, she delivered an otherwise flawless performance.
‘ Together, the four then traveled to Oz by tune of Unk’s ‘Walk It Out’ and defeated the Wicked Witch.
‘ Chi Omega and Zeta Beta Tau fraternity set the bar high for the night but went unnoticed by the judges, leaving without even an honorable mention.
‘ Pete Hammerle, a senior Sigma Chi who helped coordinate the event, had been at the Field House since 5 a.m. He said this event reminded him how much he loves Greek life.
‘ The coordinator of fraternity and sorority life, Summer Rothrock, said events like Greek Sing make her job enjoyable.
‘ ‘Our Greek students are some of the top leaders on campus,’ she said. ‘They’ve worked night and day to raise money and put on a good show tonight.’
‘ During intermission and vote tallying, when J.J. Abbott and Francee Varner took a break from hosting the show, Zeta Phi Beta sorority and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity of the National Pan-Hellenic Council entertained the audience with step performances.
‘ Event coordinators have yet to determine the amount of money raised, but Hammerle estimated before the show that Greek Sing would bring in nearly $30,000 for the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.
‘ If so, the Greek community would be on track with its pledge to raise $500,000 in five years for the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, he said.
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