“If you were a vegetable what would you be?” Anyone who auditioned for a cappella freshman fall — whether on a whim or as a diversion from an otherwise serious career — probably remembers answering some strange questions.
The 42 students who auditioned for Summerphonics, the summer a cappella spin-off of the Dartmouth Dodecaphonics, had some entertaining answers to the above vegetable query, summer president Alyssa Gonzalez ’17 said.
“I think someone said, ‘Broccoli because I’m better steamy,’” Gonzalez said with a laugh.
She said that the large number of students surprised her as she found it difficult to gauge interest in the group. Gonzalez noted that the summer term provides an opportunity to open up a cappella to more students.
“Most sang in high school and haven’t sung since,” Gonzalez said. “It’s great to get them back in the music world.”
She said that the majority of those who tried out for the group do not participate in other a cappela groups during the remainder of the year. Seeing people she knows from other contexts sing at auditions was exciting, she said.
SHEBA-lite co-director Amanda Harkavy ’17 said that, based on past turn out, she expected many students to show up to auditions, but seeing the 95 students crowded in a rehearsal room in the gym last Sunday still shocked her.
SHEBA-lite is a much larger group than SHEBA, with 35 new members in addition to nine SHEBA members. The talent of those who came out to audition, including those who had never danced before, pleasantly surprised her and her fellow SHEBA members, Harkavy said.
Summer performance groups give students a chance to meet peers in a more relaxing context, she said.
Splendaplum, the summer dance group run by members of Sugarplum, took 24 of the 35 students who auditioned for the group this week.
Splendaplum co-director Shirley Fang ’17 said that, compared to Sugarplum, Splendaplum incorporates fewer technical dance elements and instead opens itself up to dancers from all backgrounds. Splendaplum is about “sassy styles and putting yourself out there,” she said.
Fang said that the number of people who auditioned, including many with little or no experience, who threw themselves into the dances impressed her.
“From the moment you step foot on campus people hype sophomore summer,” Splendaplum co-director Kathy Li ’17 said. “You have that mindset that this one term will be different from regular terms.”
Fang said that students attempt to leave their comfort zones over the summer, herself included, as she also chose to join SHEBA-lite this term.
Li said that because many student performance groups do not receive funding from the administration or the Hopkins Center, they need support and involvement from students.
She said that during the rest of the academic year student performance groups play an important role in the College’s culture. Summer groups maintain a presence on campus, which is important to the longevity of these organizations, she said.
“To see performance groups thriving during the summer is really important to the culture of Dartmouth and how we see performance arts groups,” Li said.
Livia Clandorf ’17, a new member of Splendaplum, said she auditioned despite not having danced since high school. She said that summer gives a unique “entry level opportunity to perform.”
She said the co-directors’ patience and understanding of different skill backgrounds made both auditions and rehearsal a nurturing environment.
Street Soul X co-director Angie Lee ’17 said that Street Soul would hold performances as Street Soul X, a first for the open dance group. Lee said that Street Soul X has around 30 members for the summer. She said the group was very active in the spring and capitalized on that for this term.
Lee said that the group does not hold auditions and focuses on individualized instruction and giving those who do not have prior experience a chance to learn and perform. The summer, as a term many students chose to take a less rigorous academic schedule, provides an opportunity to devote more time to new experiences including performance groups, she said.
The Dog Days of Summer, the summer version of comedy group Dog Day, held auditions on Tuesday. Christian a cappella group X.ado, known as 15X.ado held auditions on Sunday.
