Sing Song takes on the silver screen

The unique sight of SMU frat boys singing and dancing haspreviously been restricted to bus parties and victory dances.

This Friday night, however, various fraternities and sororitieswill take center stage in McFarlin Auditorium for “Sing Song2004: Movie Mania.”

A growing annual tradition on the Hilltop, Sing Song is acompetition that showcases the singing, dancing and acting talentsof those enthusiastic greek members who aren’t afraid of thespotlight.

As an added bonus, the group with the most overall votes willnot walk away empty-handed.

“The winning team will get a big trophy (which willtentatively be displayed in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center), aplaque and $300,” said sophomore John McCarley, the studentcoordinator for the event.

While the show itself should make for an entertaining evening,the weeks leading up to Friday night’s performance have beentime consuming and hectic.

“Sing Song is traditionally lots of work, including hoursof dance practice,” Delta Gamma dancer Cara Courtney said.”So many people have worked hard to make sure this will bethe best it can be.”

The Delta Gamma dancers are performing with Sigma Phi Epsilonand are defending a two-year winning streak. They have all felt thelong rehearsals and late nights associated with the performingarts, working from 4 p.m. until 4 a.m. one Saturday evening.

One of the most noticeable and influential parts of the SingSong performance is the backdrop.

“[It’s] the thing that seems to pull together thewhole image you are trying to create,” Delta Delta Deltasorority member Kylie Slater said. “If the backdrop is nogood, then it’s tougher for the audience to payattention.”

This year, the Tri-Delt’s will take the stage with theKappa Sigma fraternity.

Gamma Phi Beta dancer Julie Sikes, Sing Song’s Director ofthe Year in 2003, said that while performing and creating their ownbackdrop independently has been time-consuming, the end result willmake all of their labor worthwhile.

“The backdrop is worth a good amount of points, and wehave had a good time building it,” she said. “We havehad a really good time as sisters.”

The sorority dancers also stressed the importance of all of thehelp received from fraternity members who have helped paintbackdrops and have been enthusiastic during rehearsals.

Slater also expressed her delight regarding the large number ofunderclassmen dedicated to the Sing Song project.

“We do have lots of first-years and sophomores,” shesaid, “and the girls who aren’t participating offerinvaluable support for the dancers.”

In addition to the singing and dancing onstage, local comedianJoseph Fox will provide more entertainment. Fox will perform two15-minute sets at the beginning and end of the show, sandwichedaround his duties as emcee.

Courtney knows that the long hours and demanding rehearsals canbe exhausting for participants, and she sees the importance ofhaving motivating leaders.

“It is really key to keep dancer morale up before theshow,” Courtney said.