Aggie Showcase rounds off Weeks of Welcome
Hundreds of people came together to experience the wide variety of talent USU has to offer at the Aggie Showcase on Thursday.
The event, one of the last for the Weeks of Welcome, was heralded in by an impressive team of musicians playing bagpipes and snare drums and the audience kicked off the showcase with a rousing rendition of The Scotsman — and that was just the warmup.
Some of the acts of the night included professional-caliber beatboxing, playing the guitar while unicycling, and traditional Native American hoop dancing. There were also some more obscure talents such as yodeling, elbow licking and even one person who could flick coins into the crowd off of his knee.
The USU Jump Rope Club also performed and was a clear crowd favorite.
One team member, Zachary Cooper, is relatively new to the jump roping scene.
“Once you start going and people start to see what it is you’re doing, they get really excited and it makes it more fun and just builds the energy,” he said. “And you always are praying that you won’t mess up.”
His teammates confirmed that his experience is pretty much universal for all of them, no matter how many times they have performed before.
During their performance, the team chose several audience members to join them onstage to show off their double dutch skills.
Cristian Chavez was chosen to perform with them and he described how it brought back muscle memories from elementary school and jump roping with his sisters.
“I haven’t done it in so many years so it was a little rusty onstage, but it was a lot of fun,” he said.
Kenzie Scott, president of the club, encourages anyone to attend their practices and find their passion in jump rope and team performances.
“Even if you say you haven’t jumped since elementary school, people say that to us all the time,” she said. “It’s a lot easier to get in than you would expect, and you’re more coordinated now than when you were seven, so it should be easier.”
Lauren Bell, team treasurer, agreed with Scott on this point.
She said: “Everyone has different strengths and we can apply everyone’s strengths in different ways. It’s really cool to see the variety that can come.”
As there were no awards given out, there was no need for competition; everyone was supportive and excited for their fellow performers. There was special respect for those who had solo routines.
“To get up on stage by yourself is a whole different story than when you have five other people standing next to you,” Cooper said.
The team specifically pointed out Cosette Hansen and Aliyah Zaun for their slam poetry and drag show performances, respectively.
Chavez said he enjoyed the Weeks of Welcome events, especially the new experiences it afforded him and those he showed around campus.
“I am an academic mentor in Central Suites, so I get to take my students places just for fun, and I took them to Weeks of Welcome. That was one of the most rewarding and connecting experiences I could have,” he said. “Weeks of Welcome gets you excited for the rest of the year.”
—sladeabigail@aggiemail.usu.edu
@sladeabigail