The walls of the Cathedral shook with excitement as eight bold acts took the stage in an attempt to lip synch contagious tunes during last night’s Mock Rock.
As the doors opened , the line that stretched out to the west entrance of the LRC quickly disappeared as students leapt over the back of pews, hoping to snag front row seats to clearly view the whimsical performances.
Junior emcees Morgan Morris and Allie Miller donned a pair of matching blue jumpsuits and English accents as they kicked off the show with an out-of-this-world video skit setting up the night for a comedic journey through outer space.
The event started off with what ended up being the second place winning act, “Grandpa’s Wildest Dreams.” The all-men act took the audience to a dream that was brought to life with a medley of mini performances including hit songs like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Poker Face.”
The excitement of the crowd continued to carry on with the energetic performance by third place act, “Let’s Move” who got the crowd moving with their slick moves while waving American flags as they lived up to the sassy rendition of Beyoncé’s song.
First time attendee, freshmen Alyssa Goddu said she was really impressed by the show and especially the first two performances.
“I have never seen anything like this before, I would definitely consider being in the one of the acts in the future,” she said.
With a change of direction, the third act, “Thrilling Disturbance” resurrected the stage with the living dead with a modern take of Rihanna’s song, Disturbia which later morphed to a chilling rendition of Thriller.
The next group brought their A-game as they graced the audience with envious swag with their one of a kind performance, “Club Can’t Handle Me.” Filled with suspenders, bright colors and lots of stuffing, the crew managed to get everyone in the audience dancing in their seats.
After a brief intermission the show picked up another appearance by pop British boyband One Direction with the piece “Crazy, Crazy, Crazy.” Not only did the act get the crowd to sing along, they also managed to have an entourage of teeny boppers at the foot of the stage, truly living up the life of the real band.
The show then took a blast from the past with “Flashback!” a neon act where students battled familiar faces composed of staff and faculty. Not only did the dance off provide a couple of goof laughs but also made its mark by being the only act involving cute kids showing off impressive dancing skills.
Senior Luke Morris, dressed in an iconic vest and scruffy beard, pulled in a wheelbarrow. He captured the audience’s heart as they joined in with timely claps at his warm rendition of “If I Were a Rich Man,” made famous by the 1964 musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
In the end, “K-Pop Rockers” took home the gold as they were crowed champions of the night with a posh rendition of Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” The team’s choreography mimicked Psy’s video in every way, from infectious dance moves down to the stuffed horses seen in the back ground.
Senior Amelia Klemm, the master mind behind the final act, said she first heard of the notorious song during the summer when her sister had introduced her to the viral video before it became a hit. She immediately knew it would be great for Mock Rock.
With the help of junior Chase Sloan, the pair was able to nail down the choreography weeks before the performance.
“It was a snowball effect and before I knew it we had a group,” she said. “We didn’t plan on winning, for us it was more about having fun rather than doing it for the money.”
However, the most memorable part of the night occurred once the cameras stopped rolling when all eight acts took the stage together for one big Gangnam Style break down seconds after the show had ended.
Within minutes students walking out the door turned back around as they rushed up to the stage to join their peers in song as they too showed off their best dance moves.
Austin Harms, director of Vibe, said the show was nothing short of excellent.
“Everything went smoothly during the rehearsals Friday evening and I expected it to the same for tonight,” he said.
He also said the rating system was split half and half this year. The panel of judges were not the only ones making the calls, as students were also encouraged to text in their vote to a number provided at the end.
The Student Activities Committee also used the event to announce the theme for the annual winter dance, the Ho! Ho! Hoedown. The dance will be on Friday, Nov. 30 at the New Life Ranch Convention Center. Tickets go on sale Nov. 19.
For more pictures from the evening, check out the Mock Rock album on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.442441535815951.103462.104858666240908&type=1&l=7b540a386a.