The participants in the Rockin’ Against Multiple Sclerosis “Rock-It” lip-sync contest were easy to distinguish from the crowd that packed into The Blue Note on Wednesday night.
Groups donned airmen jumpsuits, construction hats and wigs to stand out in second night of the preliminary round of the most popular RAMS contest.
RAMS is the largest student-run philanthropy, co-emcee Stephen Hays said. It supports the local MS Institute.
Hays said he liked that participation in the event is entirely voluntary.
Twenty-two fraternities and sororities participated in “Rock-It.” Groups 12 to 22 competed on Wednesday night.
Various members in the community who support the fight against Multiple Sclerosis judge the contest.
Sigma Kappa started the second night with “Cirque de Sigma Kappa.” They were participating in their first “Rock-It” and had a contortionist in their routine.
Next, the men of Alpha Gamma Rho entertained with “I Knew You Were Trouble.” The night’s emcees said they thought the performance would be a medley of Taylor Swift songs, but that was not the case. Instead, two groups performed the iconic dances of “Greased Lightning” and “Footloose,” finishing with “Trouble,” during which they literally fell to the cold, hard ground.
“Halftime Show with AXΩ” featured a variety of Beyonce songs and swinging ponytails.
Alpha Gamma Sigma came out with the “Ag Sig Road Trip.” Their routine had rap, country and beach music and a man in a Speedo.
Delta Delta Delta sweetened the stage with “Welcome to the Sweet Life.” The routine highlighted songs relating to candy, including 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop.”
Delta Tau Delta moonwalked in “Evolution of Pop” in a performance that featured Michael Jackson and One Direction.
Junior Delta Tau Delta member JT Scarpinato said he was very proud of his fraternity’s routine.
“It was awesome,” he said.
Zeta Tau Alpha spiced up the dance floor with “The Lady is a Zeta.” Five members dressed as the Spice Girls took the stage, along with background dancers, for a medley of the group’s songs.
Chi Omega did the YMCA in “Wedding Wednesdays.” Their medley featured tunes ranging from Chris Brown’s “Forever” to Dusty Springfield’s “Wishing and Hoping.”
The men of Pi Kappa Alpha channelled Motown for their performance, wearing powdered blue suits for one song and wigs for another.
Last year’s champions, Kappa Alpha Theta, transformed the stage with props for “A Night at Moulin Rouge.” Their routine received some of the loudest cheers of the night.
Farmhouse wrapped up the evening with “Top Gun in Five Minutes.” One of the highlights of their routine was an imitation of the volleyball scene from “Top Gun.”
Hays said the night went well.
“We had a good mix,” Hays said. “Theta did a great job.”
After the second night of competition, the finalists were announced Wednesday night at The Shack.
Sigma Kappa, Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Chi Omega, Pi Phi and Delta Delta Delta made the finals. For the fraternities, Pi Kappa Alpha, Delta Chi, Farmhouse, Delta Tau Delta, Fiji and Sigma Epsilon were selected.
“It’s going to be a hard competition,” Scarpinato said.
The finals will be held at 8 p.m. Friday night at The Blue Note.