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Conte came alive on Thursday night as a crowd of 3,200 packed the stands to witness two moments of ALC Showdown history. In addition to the new venue, this year marked the first collaboration between the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) and the Black Student Forum (BSF), putting on this year's show in conjunction with Black Family Weekend.
The Showdown, a competition between Boston College's dance and cultural groups, has grown steadily in popularity from its beginning in 2002. Starting out in Robsham Theater and moving to the Plex in 2006, organizers said it was only a matter of time before the show found a new home in Conte.
The audience of students, families, prospective students, community members, and faculty saw performances from 13 groups - 11 from BC - vying for titles in the categories of culture and dance. This year, PATU came away with the prize in culture and Synergy won first place in dance, with the Korean Students Association (KSA) and Fuego del Corazon coming in second, respectively.
Despite the competitive aspect of the Showdown, the purpose has remained the same: providing a venue for all cultural groups on campus to perform on the same stage.
"Before the Showdown, there was no real way for cultural and dance groups to showcase their talents together," said Erin Dea, ALC director of programming and A&S '08. "This is a way for them to all perform together and show how hard they work."
Rajwantie Sahai, president of the ALC and A&S '08, said this event held a special importance this year because it was held concurrently with Black Family Weekend. "The event is so representative of the unity that the AHANA community works toward during the year," she said, a symbolism that carries over into the purpose of Black Family Weekend. "We deserve to have a weekend to show the kind of place we've made campus to be. It's a united front against discrimination and racism that still exists, to show how we live in solidarity with one another."
Sahai was pleased with the cooperative efforts between the ALC and the BSF. "BSF's executive board and our directors all worked equally hard in our commitment to the Showdown," she said. "Seif [Ammus, former ALC president and BC '08] and Erin worked all summer to get the performance in Conte. This could be the beginning of a nice tradition."
The BSF typically has access to Conte during the month of April for Black Family Weekend, which has been a BC tradition for 36 years, said BSF co-presidents Jessica Baker, A&S '08, and Maryann Odusanya, A&S '08.
"Black Family Weekend is really the BSF's event, but collaborating with the ALC, which is such a large presence on campus, made this year an especially unifying one since so many people benefited from it," Odusanya said. "The weekend is also a big draw for prospective students and is used as a recruitment tool to sustain diversity at BC. It also forges stronger bonds between black students and alumni to broaden networks."
Baker said that the collaboration this year fit well with the weekend's mission of solidarity among cultural and student groups on campus. "It has allowed us an even better way to show our cultures and broaden the scope of Black Family Weekend," she said. "Many different people got to participate in events that we spent all year planning."
With a turnout more than double that of last year, the Showdown seems to have reached a high point this year in many respects, due in large part to the efforts behind the scenes. "When planning a show, you have to remember all aspects of it - from the programs to the production to the tickets to the performers themselves," Dea said. "We had over 270 performers, and expected over 3,000 people - that's a lot to worry about."
Emcees Anthony Esponda, CSOM '08, and Frantz Berthaud, A&S '08, started the show off by taking humorous jabs at the popular TV show America's Best Dance Crew.
First to take the stage was a professional dance group of 6 to 13 year olds called Lil' Phunk, the official junior dance team for the Boston Celtics. Proving that little kids really do have all the energy, their routine of complicated acrobatics and break-dancing-inspired moves drew an especially enthusiastic response from the audience.
PATU, the group that would win first place in culture, performed next in an energetic routine mixing modern music and dance moves with traditional African rhythms. Members of PATU, which stands for "Presenting Africa To U," practiced over nine hours a week to prepare for the routine, said Laura Ononibaku, the group's coordinator and CSOM '08.
"The girls worked extremely hard and made each minute count toward the betterment of the dance group," she said. "Coming into the Showdown, we all exuded an attitude of determination and drive to win this competition. I am definitely very proud of PATU because each dancer really put in a lot of energy and left their heart on that stage."
In choreographing the routine, Ononibaku said she tried to "creatively intertwine authentic African dance to the sounds of drums, with a mixture of more modern African blends." The group, she said, is very particular about maintaining its authenticity and not losing its cultural mission to "present Africa to you" through dance.
A visiting hip-hop group from Dartmouth, called Sheba, followed PATU with a Revenge of the Nerds-themed dance.
Competing for the first year, the Brazilian Club of BC performed a routine incorporating capoeira, a blend of dance and martial arts, and jiu-jitsu, which uses leverage techniques to overcome size differences between opponents.
Sexual Chocolate, which did not participate in the competition, showcased an inventive step and hip-hop routine much to the delight of the female audience.
The KSA followed with a routine that would win second place in culture, featuring authentic Korean dress and fans at the opening before segueing into a modern hip-hop dance. Some well-executed isolations and acrobatics added to the routine's appeal.
Fuego ended the first half of the show with a vibrant Latin dance featuring complicated lifts and partner sequences. The coordination and energy that the dancers exuded did not go unnoticed by the judges, as the group took second place in dance.
After intermission, MASTI, the South Asian Student Association's dance troupe, performed a Bollywood-themed routine, including modern and classic beats coming from all over India.
Synergy's show-stopping routine went next, which followed a "burlesque/street" theme that would win the group first place in dance.
"Our routine kept with the nature of Synergy, which is known for its bringing together of all types of styles and the energy we bring to our performances," said Tania Freitas, the group's director and CSOM '08. "We always aim to please the crowd through our innovative choreography and technique."
The choreography, formulated to emphasize all the individual talents within the group, represents a collaborative effort from the whole group of 20 dancers, Freitas said. Despite the difficulty of the group's routines and the high standard to which Synergy holds itself, only two-thirds of the group has professional dance training.
"Some have no experience in dance but have a passion for hip hop," Freitas said.
For the group, winning the dance category was "the best feeling ever," she said. "You get anxious all week leading up to it. But to have the support we had and to be able to show what we've been working on - and to be validated for it - is over the top."
Newly formed group Conspiracy Theory followed, which did not compete but used the Showdown to gain exposure for its members' breakdancing talents. Difficult head-spins and hand-plants characterized the routine.
Phaymus performed next with a routine whose dramatic presentation was as expressive as the dancing. Creating a story through its choreography, the group also incorporated acrobatics and props to give an original and unique flavor.
Also competing in culture was the Philippine Society of BC, using traditional dress and dance moves to fuse culture with modern elements.
F.I.S.T.S. rounded out the show with a rhythmically intricate step routine. The synchronous movements of its 16 members gave a high-energy end to the evening.
"Everyone worked very hard toward fulfilling the expectation of what we all wanted the Showdown to be," Sahai said.
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