Spring Break
The Daily OrangeLife's a cabaret: competition showcases wide array of campus talent
By Christine Bald
Posted: 2/17/06, 2:40 AM EST Section: Pulp
Ten competitors, three judges, cool lighting and an extremely attractive yet corny host took to the Goldstein Auditorium stage Thursday night in what proved to be a surprisingly entertaining competition. No, it wasn't a special Syracuse edition of "American Idol." It was the annual Campus Cabaret, the grueling face-off between the talent show victors from each Syracuse University residence hall.
The event, sponsored by the Residence Hall Association and the Student Events Office, was hosted by Student Association President Wayne Horton. Horton, clearly born to stand on a stage under a spotlight, introduced all the acts and raffled off a total of six orange RHA bags and $175 in gift certificates to the University Bookstore and the Carousel Mall.
Lindsay Smith, a sophomore fine arts major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, kicked off the cabaret with a pair of self-written songs sung to the tune of her acoustic guitar. Smith, a Sadler Hall resident, opened with a melancholy number that threatened to start the evening with less than a bang, but her second, more upbeat and appealingly pissed-off solo, "Save Me," did just that. The Kelly Clarkson-esque single elicited several healthy rounds of applause from the crowd and set the stage for the next two hours of singing, dancing, rapping and poetry reciting.
The four-man band of Clay Cox and the Heartbreakers, victors of Day Hall, crooned John Legend and jammed to the Commodores' "Brick House" in what host Horton deemed a "funky" performance. A strong showing from the lighting crew added to the bands' overall appeal, who exited stage right to thunderous applause.
Ebonie McArthur, an undecided freshman in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, offered a change of pace by reciting a sobering trifecta of original poems. McArthur's performance, reminiscent of an "Above the Influence" advertisement, centered on the cheerful topics of drug abuse, AIDS and domestic violence.
"All my poems have a message," McArthur said. "So I want you to listen."
The event, sponsored by the Residence Hall Association and the Student Events Office, was hosted by Student Association President Wayne Horton. Horton, clearly born to stand on a stage under a spotlight, introduced all the acts and raffled off a total of six orange RHA bags and $175 in gift certificates to the University Bookstore and the Carousel Mall.
Lindsay Smith, a sophomore fine arts major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, kicked off the cabaret with a pair of self-written songs sung to the tune of her acoustic guitar. Smith, a Sadler Hall resident, opened with a melancholy number that threatened to start the evening with less than a bang, but her second, more upbeat and appealingly pissed-off solo, "Save Me," did just that. The Kelly Clarkson-esque single elicited several healthy rounds of applause from the crowd and set the stage for the next two hours of singing, dancing, rapping and poetry reciting.
The four-man band of Clay Cox and the Heartbreakers, victors of Day Hall, crooned John Legend and jammed to the Commodores' "Brick House" in what host Horton deemed a "funky" performance. A strong showing from the lighting crew added to the bands' overall appeal, who exited stage right to thunderous applause.
Ebonie McArthur, an undecided freshman in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, offered a change of pace by reciting a sobering trifecta of original poems. McArthur's performance, reminiscent of an "Above the Influence" advertisement, centered on the cheerful topics of drug abuse, AIDS and domestic violence.
"All my poems have a message," McArthur said. "So I want you to listen."
