Raina Armbruster
UT’s Annual Greek Sing event was held before a full crowd in Martinez Sports Center on Thursday, Oct. 12. Though the event was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., popularity caused a delay in activities. By 7:45 the stands had begun to fill, and 30 minutes later event coordinators had to clear the gym to reorganize seating for the guests.
While just over 500 attendees were originally expected, Casey Stevens, advisor of Greek Life, estimates that nearly 1,000 people actually showed up. She said that she “was surprised at not only the number of Greeks, but also the number of parents, community members and non-affiliates in the stands.”
“It was a larger crowd than anticipated,” commented Greek Sing chair Holly Esquia. Stevens mentioned that in the future, event coordinators may have to consider larger venues or selling tickets in advance.
Despite starting 30 minutes late, host Jabari Bennett introduced the event and Greek Sing 2006 was officially underway.
Kappa Sigma was the first group to perform with a comedic montage of popular TV sitcoms including “Family Matters,” “Full House” and “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” It seems their performance set the tone for fraternities to follow. Most of the fraternities, except for Sigma Phi Epsilon, tended to feed on humor and comedic undertones.
On the other hand, the sororities leaned towards a performance style that incorporated technical dance moves. Of the sororities, only Alpha Gamma Delta included vocal performance into their routine.
“A lot of the performances were very similar,” judge Travis Abercrombie said. “[However], you could see a lot of time and effort was put into preparing.” For instance, Sigma Chi’s Dan Caritey executed three consecutive back handsprings. It was factors such as these that made judging difficult.
Judges focused on the creativity of costumes, lyrics, uniqueness and performance, including choreography and Greek Unity. After a short deliberation, Sigma Phi Epsilon was announced as winner of Greek Sing 2006. Their routine included both technical and vocal performance set to the theme of a 1930s night club.
Though only one group could win, organizations supported all performers.
“Everybody did a great job. There was a lot of spirit, which was nice to see, because we don’t do events like this that often,” said Yasmine Sayed, a member of Delta Gamma. Stevens agreed.
“Students embrace it because it provides Greek Unity and a sense of community among the sororities and fraternities,” she said. “In the past there has been a struggle with groups supporting each other or presenting themselves in a positive image to the outside community, [and] now [Greek Sing] is one of, if not, the biggest events on campus. So many more people come than used to,” Stevens continued.
Greek Sing 2006 Award Winners:
Best Costumes: Kappa Sigma
Best Greek Unity: Pi Kappa Phi
Best Female Performer: Lauren Martinez, Sigma Delta Tau
Best Male Performer: Serrin Jackson,Sigma Phi Epsilon
Greek Sing 2006 Winner: Sigma Phi Epsilon
