It was an evening affair, about 8:30pm at night, when the entire school gathered for the annual Lipsync competition.
It was an evening affair, about 8:30pm at night, when the entire school gathered for the annual Lipsync competition. Dorms from all corners of campus, Hundred House and Brooks, converge for a night of entertainment. Each one, including mine, had spent a great deal of time crafting their unique performances, aiming to captivate the audience, claim the coveted title, and earn the highest scores possible on the judge's whiteboards. And, as the host spoke our dorm’s name into the podium’s microphone, we knew it was our time in the (hypothetical) spotlight.
As music filled the air, we segued into our first song: ‘Yeah!’ By Usher. Naturally, as an homage to his superbowl performance, one of the members of our dorm took to roller skates. The beat pulses beneath our feet, urging us forward, as we step into view. As the opening act sets the tone for the evening, we dance with bated breath, absorbing every note, every step, every flicker of emotion that crosses us as we move across the stage. The stage was our canvas.
Finally, the moment arrives. As our previous dancers move off of the stage, I take my step into the (again, hypothetical) spotlight. The stage is awash in a kaleidoscope of shimmer, particularly from my huge fake gold chain delivered an hour prior to the performance. The first chords of the song reverberate through the air, sending a jolt of energy coursing through our veins. As the music blares from the speakers, we throw ourselves into the dance with reckless abandon, our movements exaggerated and over-the-top. Our rehearsed spontaneity influenced each move, and prompted the audience to cheer. We can't help but laugh ourselves, our bodies shaking with mirth but also fear as we soak in the sheer absurdity of the moment. During the rehearsals before this, I felt like a teenage Mark Morris as I carefully articulated each vision in my head for each segment of the song. It was a process, but it yielded positive results. My dorm scored an impressive 37, which took the lead for about 5 more performances. Unfortunately, a spectacular dance routine overthrew our position, but we still managed to stay close.
In the end, it's not about winning or losing, it's about the shared experience of letting loose. You only get a handful of opportunities to do something stupid with your friends in front of the whole school watching, so you might as well make it as memorable as you can. During long weekend, I rewatched Dead Poets Society with a friend of mine, and, while writing this, I feel it fit to say this: Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys.