Singin' out loud

Freshman Mandy Martin waited anxiously backstage at the IU Auditorium as her act prepared to go on stage to compete in IU Sing 2005, "Livin' Out Loud."\nMonths of hard work and late-night practices would culminate with just a seven-minute performance.\n"I used to dance in high school, and it's always the same nervous excitement," Martin said. "But we've practiced so much. I'd be really surprised if anything went wrong."\nOther members of the act lined up around her, reminding each other to smile. After a cue from the stage manager, the whole group sprang into motion as they took their place on stage.\nAll the acts were competing for the coveted over-all win trophy, which is passed on the best act year after year.\nAt the end of the night, Kappa Alpha Theta and Sigma Alpha Mu were declared as winners. Their song leaders bounded offstage with their larger-than-life award.\n"It was amazing," said sophomore Jess Elkins, a Kappa Alpha Theta song leader. "We worked really, really hard. It's a nice reward to pay off all of that work."\nThough Elkins said she knew the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts-themed act was strong, the group had its doubts before the awards ceremony.\n"We were surprised," she said. "We had heard Delta Gamma was really good."\nJunior Shannon Howard, a Kappa Alpha Theta song leader, also said she was not confident after seeing the other performances.\n"I knew there were other great acts," she said. "I was very nervous about the competition. It makes it even more exciting that we still got first."\nElkins and Howard both agree that their "Thriller" dance-and-stomp routine is what put the group over the top.\n"We did a 'Thriller' dance, which people usually would expect specialist dancers to do," Howard said.\nElkins said the group hoped to do something original with its routine.\n"When we decided on a stomp routine, we had no idea what it would be like," Elkins said. "It turned out to be a nice beginning to our show ... and made more of an effect by using pots and pans."\nThe group won not only the over-all trophy, but also first place in Division A, Best Choreography and Most Entertaining Moment at IU Sing.\nCollins Center took home first place for Division B, which senior songleader Sara Sutton said was a pleasant surprise.\nSutton said her group experienced technical problems during the act, which was a spoof on the Fox show "American Idol."\n"We got off to a bad start when the lighting came on at the wrong time and threw off the intro," she said. "Our act thought they had messed up, but I don't think that anyone in the audience even noticed."\nSutton said she thinks her group's unique choreography is responsible for the win.\n"Our choreography was (very) different," she said. "We used the floor space a lot more."\nHalf of the group comprised theatre or music majors, which Sutton said gave the Collins act an advantage over many of the other acts.\n"They aren't afraid of performing," she said. "They have lots of talent and strong voices."\nThough happy with the outcome of the event, Sutton said she is going to miss rehearsals.\n"It's kind of sad," Sutton said. "It has been a long three or four months."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.