The leaves of the trees have turned golden. A gust of cold wind whispers across the Green. A sense of romance lingers in the air. You hum a catchy tune -- doo-wop, didee didee. These tiny wonders flood Dartmouth's campus this fall season -- nature's beauty encircles the rituals and rejoicing of Homecoming weekend, including Fall Fling, a Saturday performance of assorted a cappella amusements.
X.ado, the College's non-denominational Christian a cappella troupe, will host this term's Fall Fling. In addition, the Dodecaphonics and The University of Pennsylvania's Off the Beat will perform on Saturday, Nov. 2. This all-coed performance will take place at 8 p.m. in Spaulding Auditorium.
X.ado is organizing the show with the help of Council on Student Organizations and Linda Kennedy, the director of student activities. The program consists of four or five songs from each group and perhaps a skit or two.
Each term, one of Dartmouth's a cappella singing groups are selected to host the seasonal singing show. The eight a cappella troupes work on a quarterly rotation system to determine the host of each event.
"It's really hot," raved '03 Class president Timothy Jason Ortiz. Ortiz also noted that this type of event often sells out quickly.
Usually, the College's a cappella groups perform for smaller, more intimate audiences at fraternities or sororities. Though the Spaulding performances are not as intimate as the Greek system gatherings, the quarterly shows have more of a polished and professional feel. The Fall Fling is the biggest a cappella performance this term, so performers expect that the auditorium will be packed.
"We've been rehearsing for this all term, and it's going to be a totally rocking show. We've got some really hot new songs and some awesome new '06s, who are going to totally blow the crowd away," said Kerrin B. Egalka '04, who sings with the Dodecaphonics.
The Dodecaphonics, also known as the "Dodecs," mainly perform contemporary music with new arrangements. They also sing a wide variety of other songs -- from doo-wop favorites to '80s chart-toppers to disco. The Dodecs will be opening for X.ado at Fall Fling. "X.ado always sounds amazing, so look for an awesome set from them too," Egalka said.
X.ado was formed during the latter half of this past decade with the goal of performing contemporary Christian music in the a cappella format. Their celebrity quickly spread among Dartmouth students and passed campus boundaries as they toured through the Ivy Leagues and across the country. Their repertoire is available on their website -- www.dartmouth.edu/~xado -- along with media clips and their CD, entitled "As I Am."
Alongside the two Dartmouth a cappella groups, a visiting ensemble will perform -- U-Penn's Off the Beat -- "arguably the best coed group in the country," according to Egalka.
Off the Beat was founded in 1986 by a freshman that hoped to create a singing troupe that sounded more like a band than an a cappella group. From over 300 miles away, Off the Beat comes to tantalize the Dartmouth audience with their singular style this Homecoming weekend.
With the exception of a showing of the film "Lovely and Amazing," no other College-sponsored event coincides with the same time slot as the Fall Fling. So grab some tickets and start your night off right with some a cappella harmonies.
