This month’s Rockin’ Against Multiple Sclerosis events culminated with the Rock-It finals 7 p.m. Friday at The Blue Note.
The Mizzou Competitive Dance Team won first place in Rock-It’s in-between-act division. Tau Kappa Epsilon and Kappa Alpha Theta won first place in their divisions in Rock-It and the overall RAMS competition. Both chapters also won Rock-It in 2011.
RAMS has raised money for multiple sclerosis patients in mid-Missouri for the past 18 years. This year, participating organizations raised more than $75,000 for mid-Missouri’s multiple sclerosis patients. During the RAMS fundraising events, members also worked closely with the Columbia community.
“That’s one of my favorite parts about it,” RAMS tri-director Alex Prestel said. “It’s why I keep coming back every year and why they can’t get rid of me. Because I love Mizzou, but I love Columbia just as much, and this really ties the campus and the community together, which I think is one of the many unique aspects of RAMS.”
The Rock-It lip-syncing competition displays the talents of the competing organizations and smaller in-between-acts. Preliminary rounds were held Tuesday and Wednesday to narrow the competition to five Interfraternity Council chapters, five Panhellenic Association chapters and three in-between-acts for the final performance. The competition has been held at The Blue Note for at least five years.
“The Blue Note is a great atmosphere,” tri-director Sarah Bowman said. “I love coming and seeing it packed. It’s so cool to see the excitement when The Blue Note comes to life.”
The finals attracted a large audience, RAMS tri-director Danny Lesinski said.
“As soon as we opened the doors at 6 p.m., there have been people flowing in and the flow hasn’t stopped yet, so we’re definitely excited,” he said before Friday night’s show.
A cappella group Mizzou Forte prefaced the performances in black and gold with a rendition of the national anthem. The steering committee then put on a performance, concluding with J. Dash’s “Wop.”
As the first competitive act, Chi Omega’s performed “Getting Down with Divas,” a medley featuring songs from female pop powerhouses Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga.
Mizzou Forte returned to the stage as an in-between-act. A soloist led the ensemble through its Glee-style rendition of Beyonce’s “Love on Top.”
Pi Kappa Alpha’s “One Hit Blunders” featured dancers dressed as boy band members during Haddaway’s “What Is Love,” cheerleaders during Toni Basil’s “Mickey” and Barbie and Ken dolls during Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.”
Pi Beta Phi performed “Rock of Ages.” They donned black leather jackets, black shorts and ripped tights while rocking out to songs like Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
In “A Night with Sig Ep,” the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon danced to pop selections including K-Ci and JoJo’s “All My Life,” Chris Brown’s “Forever” and Usher’s “Yeah!”
The Mizzou Competitive Dance Team performed as an in-between-act. The dancers showcased complex moves to songs with strong beats, like Ludacris’ “My Chick Bad” and Nicki Minaj’s “Turn Me On.”
In “A Broadway PHI-nomenon,” the women of Alpha Phi showcased their theatrical skills using elaborate costumes in “Circle of Life” from The Lion King and “Popular” from Wicked and a kick line during “One” from A Chorus Line.
The medley in Delta Tau Delta’s “The 2012 Grammys” started with a more serious tone but ended with humorous parodies of Dave Chappelle’s “Piss on You” and Rihanna’s “You Da One.”
Delta Delta Delta performed “Tri-Delta Sister Act.” The women lip-synced to gospel and classic pop songs, ending with a remix of “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” featuring a rap verse.
As an in-between-act, Lauren Crutchfield performed “Make You Feel My Love,” a song recently re-recorded by Adele the audience enjoyed.
In “West Side Story,” Farmhouse took the premise of the Broadway musical and set it to more recent music such as Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and Bubba Sparxxx’s “Ms. New Booty.” The performance ended with the ensemble singing “We Are the World.”
Kappa Alpha Theta’s “Let’s Fall in Love” featured dancers in sparkly tank tops with bows around their waists dancing to female ballads such as Christina Aguilera’s “Makes Me Wanna Pray.” The women ended with a kick line.
Ending the night with “TKE Brigade,” Tau Kappa Epsilon incorporated army movements and attire into its performance. Songs included Kanye West’s “Stronger” and Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor.”