Dynamics poke fun at MTV, win hearts

Enthusiasm is what defines a good a cappella concert, and on Saturday night, the Dynamics proved able to deliver just that. Despite a change in the time of the show made to accommodate the Talib Kweli concert also that night, the Dynamics' Spring Cafe filled every seat in the McGuinn 121 lecture hall.

The theme of this semester's performance was a spoof of MTV's True Life series - "True Life: America's Next Bestest A Cappella Group of the World." Dynamics composer, Amir Shirazi, A&S '09, described the format before the show. "We're pretending via video skits that the group is splitting up. We have confessionals about what people 'really' think, love triangles, personal differences … Then at the end of the night, each of the two groups present a song live that they have secretly rehearsed, and the audience votes which one is better through applause."

After a video introduction of the two groups into which the Dynamics were "splitting," they could barely quiet the anticipatory shouts and catcalls from the audience. They opened with their award-winning arrangement of Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River." Will Morrison, CSOM '09, channeled JT perfectly as he was backed up by excellent beat-boxing. The show proceeded to include recognizable hits from a variety of genres. Notable performances included heart breaking takes on Rihanna's "Unfaithful" and the Fugees' version of "Killing Me Softly." One of the night's best arrangements was OneRepublic's "Apologize," sounding nearly identical to the instrumental version. But in addition to great covers of these hits, the Dynamics demonstrated creativity in the way they incorporated multiple recognizable songs into one seamless number. For example, the Dynamics returned from intermission with a sultry take on "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)," added the "Seven Nation Army" bass, and integrated "SexyBack" for an energetic number the audience loved.

When the time came for the Dynamics' sing-off with each other, they split into two groups. It was announced that the facetious competition was a chance to incorporate the group's younger members in arranging their own pieces. John Reed, A&S '10, composed group one's performance, a creative R&B/soul mix based on a Boyz II Men medley. The second group contrasted with a more techno/hip-hop performance. Theirs was a mix of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and Timbaland's "The Way I Are," made complete by donning Kanye West's signature sunglasses and dancing the robot around the soloists. As the two groups' arrangements were equally received with roaring applause and excitement, the "competition" was forgotten.

What may have been responsible for the mutual enthusiasm of the Dynamics and their audience was the apparent camaraderie of the performers. At one point, the announcer introduced Chris Battaglia, A&S '11, as the freshman soloist singing the Panic! at the Disco hit, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies." Battaglia may have feigned bashfulness center stage, but after delivering a solid performance, his fellow Dynamics collapsed on him, each one wanting a chance to ruffle the freshman's hair, and he emerged beaming. "Watching us perform, you get a good sense of how much we love singing and making music as a group," Shirazi said. "It translates in our performances. …We like to have a lot of fun when we sing, and we think our audience should too, so we're always looking for ways to excite and surprise our fans. We love music, and we love each other."

That was most obvious on Saturday night. To watch such a compatible group simply do what they love to do made for a most satisfying night of entertainment.