Students gathered to watch 21 fraternities and sororities perform in the Rockin’ Against Multiple Sclerosis Rock-It competition preliminaries at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at The Blue Note.
As MU’s largest on-campus philanthropy, RAMS assists multiple sclerosis patients in mid-Missouri year-round. RAMS also promotes awareness about multiple sclerosis to students.
“It’s most prevalent in females in their 20s and 30s, so that’s us,” RAMS co-director Sarah Bowman said.
Rock-It, a talent and lip-syncing competition held each February, raises money for the group’s efforts while serving as a fun event for students.
“It’s successful for participants because of the fun they have and creativity they show off on stage,” RAMS co-director Alex Prestel said. “Lip-syncing is a lot less stressful than other competitions (in which students participate).”
Individuals or small groups performed between each organization’s piece Tuesday night. The Mizzou Competitive Dance Team performed to a Top 40 mash-up Tuesday night, and a cappella group Mizzou Forte performed Wednesday night.
**Tuesday:**
Tuesday night began with Phi Mu’s “Chicago,” featuring songs from the award-winning Broadway musical. Ensemble dancers dressed in black leotards set the stage for featured characters during “All That Jazz” and “Roxie.” Performers then restaged “Cell Block Tango.” Because of technical difficulties, their act was cut short, but they performed their entire piece after the final performance.
“Criminals,” performed by Delta Gamma, featured dancers dressed in black stripes entering to “My Chick Bad” by Ludacris. A series of rap and pop selections followed, ending with Miley Cyrus’ “Can’t Be Tamed.”
The men of Alpha Gamma Rho brought back the ’90s with their skit, “Boy Band Dance-off.” They choreographed moves to the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and “We’ve Got It Goin’ On” as well as *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.”
Complete with a Guitar Hero-esque backdrop, Pi Beta Phi’s “Rock of Ages” featured classic rock songs. Background dancers supported the lead singers, who mouthed selections such as “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar and “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.
Songs from “Dancing through the Decades,” performed by the men of Beta Theta Pi, ranged from the 1970s to the 2000s. Quick transitions, especially from Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” to the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” elicited loud cheers from the crowd.
In Farmhouse’s “West Side Story,” the ’50s-style dancers reenacted parts from the Broadway musical, incorporating some of the original dialogue while incorporating different styles of more recent music. The performance ended with members of both the Jets and the Sharks happily mouthing “We Are the World.”
Pi Kappa Alpha’s “One Hit Blunders” featured selections fitting the true definition of a one-hit wonder. The group’s elaborate costumes added to its dances to Haddaway’s “What Is Love,” Toni Basil’s “Mickey” and Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.”
Kappa Alpha Theta, last year’s female winner, performed “Let’s Fall in Love.” Dressed in sparkly tops, the women danced to female ballads such as “Makes Me Wanna Pray” by Christina Aguilera.
Phi Kappa Theta’s “The Lonely Phi Kaps Part II” began with a parody of Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s “Pretty Boy Swag” entitled “Frat Boy Swag.” Its performance also featured dances to Rebecca Black’s “Friday” and the song from the YouTube video “We Are Mizzou.”
Delta Delta Delta concluded the night with “Tri-Delta Sister Act.” They began with old songs such as “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch” by The Temptations and concluded with women in gospel robes dancing to a remix of “Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee.”
**Wednesday:**
Wednesday night began with Sigma Phi Epsilon’s “A Night with Sig Ep.” Its piece featured songs from boy bands and male pop singers.
“Getting Down with Divas,” performed by Chi Omega, featured some of the biggest female stars of the past two decades. Acts included metallic tights during Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” a midriff-baring Britney Spears during “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” and all five Spice Girls during “Spice Up Your Life.”
In Alpha Chi Omega’s “U.S.A-Chi-O,” the women wore Rosie the Riveter-esque neck ties while dancing to songs such as Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman.”
As the reigning men’s winners, the men of Tau Kappa Epsilon performed “TKE Brigade.” They donned camouflage in its army-themed performance. They incorporated army actions into songs such as Kanye West’s “Stronger” and Nelly’s “Air Force Ones,” ending with Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor.”
In Kappa Kappa Gamma’s performance of “Cray and Love,” the women danced to songs with empowering messages. Beyonce was featured multiple times, with “Run the World (Girls),” “Diva” and “Love on Top.”
Alpha Gamma Sigma’s “The Seductive Sigmas” featured a variety of different seduction methods, including ribbon dancing during Usher’s “Without You” and a grim reaper during the late Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”
Zeta Tau Alpha’s “Zeta Swag” consisted of songs by R&B artists. After lip-syncing “A Milli” and “6 Foot 7 Foot,” a dancer dressed as Lil Wayne concluded the act by throwing paper money at the audience.
The women of Gamma Phi Beta performed “Rain Is a Good Thing,” which featured a variety of songs mentioning precipitation. Genres ranged from Fat Joe’s rap song “Make It Rain” to the title song from the 1952 film “Singin’ in the Rain.”
“The 2012 Grammys,” performed by Delta Tau Delta, caused gasps with theatrical performances, complete with cardboard portable toilets during Dave Chappelle’s “Piss on You” and revealing outfits during Rihanna’s “You Da One.”
In Alpha Delta Pi’s “Ladies Night Out with AD Pi,” songs transitioned from woman-focused “Ladies Night” by Kool & The Gang to “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls.
Wednesday night and the preliminaries ended with Alpha Phi’s performance of “A Broadway PHI-nomenon.” In musical style, their dances told stories to selections from The Lion King, Jersey Boys and Wicked.
Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Delta Tau Delta, Farmhouse, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Chi Omega, Pi Beta Phi, Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta and Kappa Alpha Theta will compete in the finals 7 p.m. Friday at The Blue Note, according to the organization’s Twitter account.
