Waiting room

While an act took the stage during Saturday night's presentation of IU Sing, emcee Nick Steele stood in a hallway near his dressing room, making designs out of thumbtacks on a bulletin board. \nWhen asked what he does during his downtime during the show the senior said, "You're looking at it," adding he also uses the time to change costumes and focus on his next song.\nLike Steele, watching the performances onstage wasn't a priority for crew members not competing in the event, but offstage members of the acts silently cheered on their teammates.\nThough the wings backstage were often crowded, six dancers found a few feet of space to routinely rehearse their upcoming segments, which accompanied the emcees' singing.\n"It kind of gets the jitters out," senior Rachel Tuttle said.\nOthers didn't have nerves to soothe, just time to bide.\nDecked out as Elvis Presley, junior emcee Matt Christensen sat on the stage floor with a microphone in his hand and watched a fraternity and sorority perform for a few minutes. He still had another act to wait through before performing his solo, "Jailhouse Rock."\n"I didn't think I (got nervous), but I got a little nervous during my solo," Christensen said Friday night.\nAmid the performers wearing short sleeves and thin pants were sophomores Bobi Cross and Marrell Johnson, volunteers bundled in winter coats and gloves. They led the acts from school buses to different indoor staging areas.\n"It's a little hectic, but it's fun," Johnson said. She said she signed up because her sorority was performing and thought it would be fun to see everyone backstage.\nCross said the responsibility wasn't really stressful -- just cold. It was more stressful for the groups because so many had to wait on the bus before coming indoors, she said.\nWearing only their costumes -- some of which were no more than a skirt and T-shirt -- participants entered the auditorium shaking off the cold. Remnants of Saturday night's eight-degree chill could still be felt in the basement corridors after a few groups had been ushered to the first staging area.\nBecause they were directed not to talk once stepping onto the bus, the room was quiet enough to hear people performing onstage.\nAs acts made their way toward the stage, props and kicked-off boots and flip-flops piled up in stage-right.\nStill not allowed to speak, the participants communicated by mouthing words to each other and using body language. If they did speak, their sentences were barely audible or clipped.\nWhen asked if she was nervous, a Delta Zeta member said quietly, "No. Excited."\nThough they had to remain silent, the performers' excitement was released through hugs, high fives, dancing and claps in the wings.\nAfter their performances, members of the acts rushed offstage, nearly trampling anyone in their path, and were directed back outdoors while another group overtook the spotlights.