Mary O’Donovan performs with the Delta Gamma sorority and Kappa Sigma fraternity Friday night at Sing Song in McFarlin Auditorium. Delta Gamma and Kappa Sigma won the event, and O’Donovan won best female soloist. (Jordan Chlapecka)
Audience members in McFarlin Auditorium were singing and dancing Friday, April 3 for Program Council’s 21st annual Sing Song performance. Sing Song is an entirely student-produced song and dance competition.
This year the theme was “Sing Song Rocks.” The theme required the sorority and fraternity groups to perform songs by a single band or artist.
The judges determined best male and female soloist, as well as first, second, and third place in the overall competition. Best male soloist went to Daniel Schnider of Sigma Phi Epsilon and best female lead went to Mary O’Donovan of Delta Gamma.
The judges gave the grand prize of $2,500 and bragging rights to Delta Gamma and Kappa Sigma to close out the night.
Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon won second place and $1,500. Alpha Chi Omega and Beta Upsilon Chi took third place and a $500 prize.
The performers voted on the group with the best choreography, costume, backdrop and overall best group choice during dress rehearsal Thursday night.
Plaques were awarded to Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon for best choreography and overall group choice, with Sigma Phi Epsilon director Patrick Probst winning the best director plaque. Delta Gamma and Kappa Sigma won best backdrop, and Chi Omega and the Men’s Swimming and Diving team received a plaque for best costume.
First up in the program order was Alpha Chi Omega and Beta Upsilon Chi, teaming up to present a show using music from the Beatles. The audience sang along to popular hits including “Hey Jude” and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” watching the story of a girl who meets a group of four band members, “The Bucks.”
Delta Gamma and Kappa Sigma portrayed the story of a Rock ‘N Roll girl named Skye trying to bring individuality to a tight-laced prep school. Dressed in preppy high school uniforms, this pair danced to some of Queen’s favorites, including “I Want to Break Free,” “Under Pressure” and “We Will Rock You.”
Up third in the lineup and inspired by Outkast was Kappa Kappa Gamma and Lambda Chi Alpha, dancing to “Caroline” and “I’m Sorry Ms. Jackson.” This performance began with a wedding and flashed back to the first time the couple met at a school formal.
Fourth in line was Delta Delta Delta and Sigma Chi, teaming up for the first time to present the story of a fraternity boy named Tommy who uses a smart sorority girl to help him pass his classes. Using the music from famous artist Bon Jovi, these two groups presented dance numbers to the beats of “Living on a Prayer,” “You Give Love A Bad Name,” and “It’s My Life.”
Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon went fifth, using Elvis tunes to help SMU freshman Doak score the girl of his dreams, Darleen. At a Sig Ep hotel party these two danced all night to “Jailhouse Rock.”
Sixth up in the lineup, Chi Omega and Men’s Swimming and Diving flashed back to the mid ’90s, when a shy swimmer named Thomas tried to get his crush Whitney to play chase with him. This youthful twist on popular Billy Joel songs created an elementary love story, with cast members dancing and singing into the aisles to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Dance to the Music.”
Gamma Phi Beta and Beta Theta Pi were last. These two groups flashed back to the ’80s, performing songs by Michael Jackson. Diana, unhappy with her gym buff boyfriend, Rusty, finds herself falling for a Beta Theta Pi. Moonwalking across the stage to “Smooth Criminal” and “Beat It,” this pair lit up the stage with their performance.
The guest act of the night was magician Trigg Burrage, an SMU freshman with quite a few tricks up his sleeve.
