The dining hall at Woodworth Complex was filled with music, poetry and singing Wednesday night.
Espresso Yourself, a talent show and coffee social hosted by the multicultural advisers of Housing and Residence Life, disrupted the usual flow of dining traffic by adding an opportunity for students to enjoy a show while they ate or even show off their talents. Though some students were irked by the limited seating availability brought on by the event, many still found it as a welcome surprise.
"It's fun," Kelcie Smith, a freshman respiratory major, said. "I'm glad they are entertaining me during my dinner."
The event featured eight performers ranging in acts from singing to poetry slam to cheerleading moves. There were also desserts and drinks provided by Ball State Dining for participants and onlookers to enjoy as they sat and watched the show.
Though it was planned ahead of time, the night didn't go without its difficulties. Of the 15 people signed up to perform at Espresso Yourself as of Wednesday morning, only five of the performers showed up.
Destiny Conely, multicultural adviser for Noyer and Studebaker West, said that many of the acts canceled at the last minute.
"They committed and they just backed away," she said.
Conely said of the three years the multicultural advisers have planned the event, this is the first time they have tried to have a list of acts slated to perform before the actual event.
The group decided to make a list this year to try and encourage more crowd participation, she said.
"But, obviously it didn't work as much as we thought it would," she added.
Those eating near the show did interact and clap after performances, though. One student even decided to perform after seeing the event being held as he went to get some tea, he said.
Spenser Schafer, a freshman mathematical economics and applied mathematics major, decided to sing "Terrible Things" by Mayday Parade. His performance was interrupted by some technical difficulties.
The sound equipment at the event had problems running the music and microphone for the acts, Conely said, resulting in one woman having to sing a cappella and others to have to muddle through with or without music during their performances.
"The speakers were kind of really bad quality," Schafer said. "That was just frustrating because it meant that ... the song didn't sound as good as it could have."
Despite the bad luck this year, Conely said she believes the multicultural advisers will try to hold an even better Espresso Yourself event next year.
"Every year, we learn something new," she said. "We add things every year to make it better."
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