‘Shocking’ song and dance

Over 70 Drew students crammed into the newly renovated Welch-Holloway Lounge to come see their fellow peers perform in the Culture Shock Cafe. Welch-Holloway Resident Assistants and the Welch-Holloway Living Council hosted the event.
Welch 1st R.A.  Komal Chandra (’12) said “A lot of our residents are musically inclined, so there are bands, guitarists, singers, and dancers all performing tonight.”
Welch-Holloway Resident Director Deshawn Cook said, “The event came about by wanting to promote diversity in the residence halls. We noticed last semester that talent shows were very popular on campus, so we decided to incorporate that idea into this event.”
The talented performers were the main attraction of the night. Fatou Diallo (’13) was the first performer. Diallo read a French poem, Pierre de Ronsard’s “Les amours de Marie IV,” while Savanna Arkat (’13) translated it into English. Next, Aubrey Fewell (’13) played guitar and sang three songs. Her second performance was a crowd-pleaser—Ida Maria’s “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked.” Later in the night, Diallo got back on stage, this time with Emily Okita (’13), and they danced to French song “Je Veux Te Voir” for the audience.
Rosanna Setu (’13) wowed the crowd with a fluid belly dancing performance. She started her dancing to a traditional Arabic drum solo and the music later transitioned into contemporary tribal fusion music. “It was awesome being a performer for my peers. I feel like I can always bring something different to the stage and have fun at the same time,” Setu said. “There are so many different types of belly dancing and I like to expose it to the audience.”
Setu’s performance was followed by a three-man band. Kelby Katz (’13), Joseph Tomczuk (’13) and Aaron Glaser (’13) played the electric guitar, banjo and acoustic guitar respectively. They performed songs by Johnny Cash and Old Crow Medicine Show. “We modernized the song [Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show] a little on the electric guitar,” Tomczuk told the audience. Michal Rudiak (’13) sang a song and played a guitar during his performance, while Owen Becette (’13) and Joe D’Agostino (’13) performed a bass guitar duet.
Michelle Gamboa (’13) had the most unique performance of the evening, playing an ancient flute-like wind instrument called the ocarina. Gamboa told the audience that she had only been playing the instrument for two months.
Nathanael Reynoso (‘13) rendered a Brazilian song and entertained the crowd by dancing Samba, which involved fast and lively hip movements that followed the beat of the music. “I was a bit nervous to perform, but once the music starts playing you get into it,” said Reynoso after his performance. “I loved that I had the opportunity to show my talents and abilities.”
Judea Hill (’13) performed last, singing a heart wrenching song, Whitney Houston’s “I Believe in You and Me.”
Outside of the performances, attendees partook in a varied selection of food. “We spiced it up with adding diverse performances by the students,” Cook said. “We also provided a variety of different foods, teas, and coffees to make the event entertaining and fun.”
Some of the options from the menu included a diverse range of items, like caramel latte biscotti, croissants, cheese danish, Komodo Dragon coffee, Costa Rican coffee, and other pastries and drinks. “The R.A.s were fantastic,” Leandra Graziano (’12) said. “They took our orders and served us promptly,”
Closing the event, Chandra encouraged residents to be more proactive in voicing their opinions for on-campus events and programming. Chandra said, “If you liked tonight’s event and want more events like this one, please let your Living Council know because they can make events like this possible.” Some students shared this sentiment. “The entire show was fabulous and very fun,” said Saara DeAngelis-Jimenez (’13). “There should be more events like this one.”