On Friday, Oct. 24, League of Laughter, the Bare Naked Statues, Astha, Beyond All Reason, Phases of Motion, Xquizit, Elevation and Decadence performed in a showcase of comedy, dance and music that attracted a full house at Xavier Hall’s auditorium. In short, Billikens can do some awesome things. For many of the groups, this was the first performance with their new members. With recent stresses on our University community, it is refreshing to see people come together to appreciate each other’s talents. Music has a way of bringing people together, as does dance and, of course, laughter.
Before performing their songs, the a cappella groups pitched their albums on iTunes and Spotify, and their own showcase nights (dates can be found on the respective Facebook pages). Astha was founded in 2006, Bare Naked Statues in 2000, Beyond All Reason in 2002, and Decadence in 2010. The legacies of each group are undeniably developing each year. These student organizations unite people and serve as outlets for musical expression. There are enough a cappella groups that a “Pitch Perfect” plot line could definitely occur here on campus– but that’s just a suggestion.
Phases of Motion’s performance was Beyoncé-themed, which is always sure to bring down the house. Their great energy made me want to go and join them on the stage.
Xquizit’s edge and passion set them apart. The group’s strong personality filled the auditorium, full of team spirit and pride in working together.
Elevation’s Irish dancing created music and rhythm simultaneously, and simply left me with so much respect and admiration for the amount of practice it must take to master their moves.
My favorite thing about all three, however, was the unmistakable fact of how much fun every dancer was having. The three groups span such different types of dancing, but their obvious passion was something they all held in common.
People have always told me that we have good dance groups and a cappella groups here at SLU, but Friday night I finally experienced them for myself. As a new audience member, I wasn’t disappointed. As a new fan of these student groups, I wish they would have performances monthly instead of just once a semester. I hope to see more of them around campus, and I think the auditorium full of people on Friday would agree with me. These groups deserve more recognition in the future. Hopefully, I’m not the only one who wouldn’t complain if walking around SLU’s campus were similar to musicals with numbers happening around every corner.
