This past Saturday, the Boston College community came together at the 2017 ALC Showdown for a night of great performances, exciting music, and incredible entertainment. Eager audience members flocked to Conte Forum over an hour before show time to score good seats for the exciting evening. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Showdown, it is an amazing event that the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC), a branch of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC), puts on each year to celebrate culture and dance at Boston College. As always, this year’s show was truly an event to remember.
Showdown is broken down into two competitions: culture and dance. For both of the competitions, judges select the first and second place winners. This year, for the dance competition, Boston College Irish Dance was the big winner and Synergy came in second place. BCID won the competition last year and was even more excited to win it for the second year in a row. The program has consistently been a strong and talented dance group in the BC arts community. The group’s winning performance included a Star Wars theme, catchy and popular songs, great costumes, and fast-moving feet. It was an impressive performance. Synergy’s theme was focused on the Game of Life. The hip-hop group danced to a variety of songs and promoted an important message about self-worth on the journey of life. While there were some technical difficulties in their routine, including a prop malfunction, the group definitely earned their second place victory.
In the culture category, AeroK came in first place and PATU came in second place. AeroK’s winning routine consisted of impressive choreography and an old-school crime theme. The performance had great music and great energy. PATU’s second place routine was a beautiful routine with authentic African-style dancing. The costumes were incredibly well made and the performers seemed so passionate about their art. I cannot image how difficult of a decision it must have been for the judges of the event. My personal favorite performances were those of BCID, DOBC, and Fuego. The judges picked four great teams to receive awards, though, and I loved attending such an exciting event. There was also a People’s Choice Award where the audience helped select the winner by texting their votes. BCID and Full Swing tied for first place, both getting the most votes. Both BCID and Full Swing performed routines with a Star Wars theme. It is safe to say that the audience certainly felt the force on Saturday night.
Among the teams who did not receive awards were Fuego, Boston College Dance Ensemble, Dance Organization of Boston College, Vida de Intensa Pasión, On Tap, Masti, Females Incorporating Sisterhood Through Step (F.I.S.T.S.), Sexual Chocolate, and Phaymus. Even though these teams may not have gotten awards, their performances were incredible. Every single performance blew me away. All of the groups that competed in the competition should be incredibly proud of themselves. A few groups performed in the show but did not actually compete. The showcase performances were just as wonderful as the other groups. In my opinion, Uprising’s Dr. Seuss themed routine was my favorite in the showcase division of the show. Showdown was a remarkable opportunity for people to see the wonderful and impressive skills of BC students. It was an amazing year of talent at BC.
Saturday’s event was a huge success. In addition to exceptional student performers, UGBC arranged for the Outlawz, a group of hip-hop dancers who came in third place on America’s Got Talent, to perform for the crowd during the intermission. There was also a big announcement that UGBC would be spending part of the proceeds from Showdown on building a new student center in the coming years. It was a great night filled with a lot of great news, great performances, and great people. The 2017 ALC Showdown was certainly a night to remember!
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Cover photo: http://www.bcgavel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/14368861_10154092183863822_3379587291761594014_n-477×420.jpg
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