JR Lagade is a 5th Year Civil Engineering major who also happens to be the Executive Director of Soulstice, UCI’s annual talent show. JR has been involved in CADC, SPOP Staffer (Tie-Dye year, Phoenix year), Team X, Discussion Leader, Engineering Global Brigades, and of course, Soulstice.
Lagade started as a performer in Soulstice during its first year, 2012 – that’s right, he’s been a part of Soulstice from the very beginning! His friend invited him to perform and that’s where it all started for him. He came back for Soulstice during its second year. He originally applied to be the Talent Director, but ended up not getting it. Fortunately, he had the chance to be a part of Soulstice League, which are the in-between acts during the show. They are fun, comedic and they get to do the promotional videos! What made the League such a special part of Soulstice is how much joy they can bring to all the fans. Being a part of the League is all about being witty – quick wit! The League invests a lot of emotion and personality.
Though he wasn’t the Talent Director during the second year of Soulstice, he tried again and for the third year, he was offered the position! JR wanted to lead, and as the Talent Director, he got to do just that. His forte was discovering talent and infusing culture. He’s a dancer and he watched auditions for dance and fusion (mixed). He mentioned how Imon Santos, Soulstice’s People’s Choice Awardee 2014, amazed him with more than just his talent, but by having the guts to get on the stage. To have the first years bringing talent is another element and it’s amazing to have it come from all across campus.
Now, in his final year, JR returns to lead the whole show as the Executive Director! JR says, “I’m where I imagined I would be, but I wouldn’t be here without all the other experiences.” He’s been in Soulstice since the beginning and JR is proud to lead a team of very committed, passionate people. If there was anything JR knew, it was that Soulstice was the last thing he wanted to do before he left UCI – and he’s dedicated! He enjoys leading and his main focus is making sure his team is happy. The show is important, but the team is just as important.
Like they say, “With great power comes great responsibility.” That’s just how it was for JR throughout his four years of Soulstice. There were lots of challenges along the way. As a performer, he had to live up to the expectations of the friend who invited him to perform-he didn’t want to let him down. But then again, not wanting to let anyone down is natural. It was really when he was part of League that the challenges kicked in.
League took a lot of time and work: planning, shoots, balancing time. In other words, JR had to be really committed and do his part. In his own skit during one of the shows, JR had to rap. Again, the man’s a dancer and he had to rap! Preparing for it took a lot of remembering, enunciating and perfecting. During his performance, he actually slipped! No, not slipped as in fell–he forgot the lines. But the natural performer in him brought out a freestyle. He knew he messed up and maybe some of his League members, but he definitely swayed the crowd.
Taking on the role of Talent Director was much different. The challenge was dealing with people – those who were auditioning and those they accepted to perform, especially because of schedules and other commitments. One particular challenge was a spoken word performance about sexual abuse. “It was really powerful,” says JR. The plan was to cut it because of how sensitive the topic was, but JR fought to keep it because he wanted to get across to people that this is something that happens. He talked about how different it became when you add a microphone and speakers in a theater setting – it was explicit and intense, but it needed to be heard. Of course, there were precautions for those who would feel sensitivity towards it.
As an Executive Director, making sure that the team is happy is his number one priority. The show can’t run if the team isn’t running. He admits that some days, remaining calm is hard, but he’s got to do what he’s got to do! It’s busy but it’s the team that makes this show run.
For those who are thinking about becoming performers or joining the committee, JR says: “Why not?”